Dog Manners Training - How To Be The Pack Leader

As members of a pack society, dogs rely on status to maintain order. The alpha pair, usually the pack leader and his mate, are those with the greatest status. The majority of the pack falls into "beta" status. They are the "worker bees" of the pack who occasionally squabble amongst themselves to eventually rise to the status of alpha. And unfortunately, every pack has its omega member, who takes on the stress of the entire pack in being its collective "whipping boy."

All of these roles are essential to the health of the pack, with even the omega seeming to enjoy and to thrive in his role. All of the pack members are careful to stay within their strata, knowing that their manners are what protect their status. Status, in the pack, can come and go swiftly and is often reinforced by the alpha pair. In your home, you take the alpha role; you are the "top dog." You, in your top dog status, reinforce the rules of the pack. That means you have control over what your pack eats, when it eats, and who gets to eat it.

If you are not clear in claiming your status as pack leader, your dog will see fit to challenge you. That is when feeding problems, as well as other problems, begin. If you have more than one dog, it is not uncommon for squabbles to occur over food, particularly if the dogs eat in the same room.

Pack mates might eat off of the same kill in the wild, but doing so usually results in fighting for the choicest parts available. To maintain peace in your own home, you need to control all food-related behaviors.

You should be able to stop food guarding, a single behavior that is part of a larger group of behaviors called "resource guarding." Even if you are willing to permit your dogs to squabble between themselves when it comes to food, you should be able to pick up his food dish even when it is full. You should be able to get him to drop food that you do not want him to have or even reach into his mouth to get it yourself. He should know that it is never acceptable for him to put his teeth on you in any capacity.

Because of their nature as obligate carnivores dogs will eat almost any kind of food that is available to them. They prefer meat and bone for their meals and so will hunt their prey whenever possible. They are also scavengers, however, and will upend your garbage can when they feel that it is necessary to do so. Feed your dogs twice a day to keep them feeling full over a larger part of the day and secure your kitchen garbage can in a cabinet or closet; scavenging will become less frequent.

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