Dominance Issues: A Few Quick Tips for Relief

Dogs that don't know their place in the human pack can be a real problem. A few tips from the Training Academy Class on Saturday can help relieve these issues.

1. No Dogs In Bed. Dogs may be domesticated, but they still maintain a pack mentality. Dominant dogs, or the pack leaders, get to sleep in the best spot.
2. No Dogs On the Furniture. Very similar to dogs in bed, the couch, as well as the rest of the furniture, is a place for alphas. There's nothing wrong with the dog having it's own bed (pet bed) or even it's own piece of furniture, as long as it's only for the dog.
3. Humans Eat First. More pack mentality here. Alpha eats first and gets the better food. Dogs should be fed after the humans. Food stealing, from you, the kids, or off your plate, for example, shows where the dog feels it's place is.
4. Humans Enter & Exit First. This is a door rule. All the humans in the pack, when leaving (or arriving) as a group, go in or out through the door first. This is another dominance issue from the dogs point of view.
5. Excess Petting & Fawning? Yep. More pack mentality. Alphas get more grooming and fawning over by the rest of the pack. The subordinate, or submissive, lower pack members are sucking up. Your dog should come to you for attention, but should not be petted excessively or fawned over continuously.
6. Leg Riding & Humping. Dogs that ride your leg are generally not feeling frisky. Humping and leg riding, performed by both male and female dogs, are signs the dog is trying to dominate. These antics may be funny in a movie, but are meant for business by the dog.