Leader of The Pack

A great book - Leader of the Pack, by Nancy Baer and Steve Duno. Yesiree... "How to take control of your relationship with your dog." "Give your dog a new leash on life - when you learn how to be boss." Hmmm.
What's wrong with this picture?!!?? I like to re-read certain books. With it being springtime, I am thinking about different training exercises to try with each dog and "Leader of the Pack" caught my eye in the bookcase. This was mandatory reading for the Treasure's first class she ever went to at 4 months old. I learned so much! We even graduated from that class and have a certificate to prove it! Here's what is inside the cover: Who's Leading Who? The owner of a dog must become the leader of the pack, in the dogs' mind. To do this, he or she must mimic the actions and attitudes of a leader and require the dog to recognize and conform to this. All areas of interaction must be choreographed by the owner, from when to pet the dog, to where the dog sleeps, to who greets visitors or strangers first. When a dog feels leadership coming from you it will eventually:
Be relieved to be free of the responsibility of controlling everything
Feel more secure
Develop more confidence
Worry less about strangers
Be more likely to interact happily with family and friends
Be more obedient
Show no aggression
That sure works for me! Now I look on the back of the book where it asks:
When you're on a walk does your dog pull you? Do you serve your dog dinner before you eat your own? Does your dog sleep in bed with you? Does your dog steal possessions and then play keep away?
If you answer "YES" to any of these questions, you have unknowingly handed over the title of "Leader of the Pack" to your dog and it's time to take it back.

Now I have to say I loved this book in 2006, and I still do. I want each of our dogs to be confident, know it's place in our family "pack", and be well behaved and responsive to my commands. By the looks of the picture above it's time for a refresher in all of the above! On a serious note, the basic leadership principles listed below really are worth the effort and obviously, they need review from time to time!
1. Eat before "Bobo"
2. Sleep higher than "Bobo"
3. Initiate and control interactions
4. Go first, not last
5. Control all space in the home
6. Maintain a dominant/right posture
7. Begin and end play
8.Be fair, calm, and confident
9. Be a good provider and protector

Do note Rosie's postion on the couch behind me, and think about the office photo. I do think we have a bit of control issue there, don't you? LOL! We NEVER allowed our dogs on the couch in the past... hmm.. Well, they do have to have permission to come up and if they haven't gained it, we order them off for a few minutes and then invite one. At a time?!! Well, as you can see - this picture really is behind the scenes at All Things Brittany - as Molly, Chris, Treasure and Rosie enjoy being couch potatoes along with me!
Love and Blessings always, John, Ann and the rest of us!