TRAINING YOUR DOG (Alpha or Leader of the Pack whatever you want to call it)

[Muffie's Mom]

From this day forward, you're going to teach your dog that he is a -dog-, not a miniature human being in a furry suit. His mother taught him how to be a dog once and how to take orders. Along the way, through lack of training or misunderstood intentions, he's forgotten. With your help, he's going to remember what he is and how he fits into the world. Before long, he's even going to like it!

Dogs were bred to look to humans for food, companionship and guidance. An alpha dog doesn't ask for what he wants, he demands it. He lets you know in no uncertain terms that he wants his dinner, that he wants to go out, that he wants to play and be petted and that he wants these things -right now-.

You're going to teach him that from now on, he has to -earn- what he gets. No more free rides. This is going to be a shock to his system at first but you'll be surprised how quickly he'll catch on and that he'll actually become eager to please you.

If your dog doesn't already know the simple command SIT, teach it to him.

Reward him with praise and a tidbit. Don't go overboard with the praise. A simple "Good boy!" in a happy voice is enough.

Now, every time your dog wants something - his dinner, a trip outside, a walk, some attention, anything - tell him (remember don't ask him, -tell- him) to SIT first.

When he does, praise him with a "Good Boy!", then tell him OKAY and give him whatever it is he wants as a reward. If he refuses to SIT, walk away and ignore him. No SIT, no reward.

If you don't think he understands the command, work on his training some more. If he just doesn't want to obey, ignore him - DON'T give him what he wants or reward him in any fashion.

Make him sit before giving him his dinner, make him sit at the door before going outside, make him sit in front of you to be petted, make him sit before giving him his toy.

If you normally leave food out for him all the time, stop. Go to a twice daily feeding and -you- decide what time of day he'll be fed. Make him sit for his dinner.

If he won't obey the command - no dinner. Walk away and ignore him. Bring the food out later and tell him again to SIT. If he understands the command, don't tell him more than once. He heard you the first time. Give commands from a standing position and use a deep, firm tone of voice.

If the dog respects certain members of the family but not others, let the others be the ones to feed him and bring the good things to his life for now.

Show them how to make him obey the SIT command and how to walk away and ignore him if he won't do as he's told. It's important that your whole family follows this program. Dogs are like kids - if they can't have their way with Mom, they'll go ask Dad.

In your dog's case, if he finds a member of the family that he can dominate, he'll continue to do so. You want your dog to learn that he has to respect and obey everyone.

Remember - his place is at the bottom of the totem pole. Bouncing him from the top spot helps but if he thinks he's anywhere in the middle, you're still going to have problems.

Think - you know your dog and know what he's likely to do under most circumstances. Stay a step ahead of him and anticipate his behavior so you can avoid or correct it.

If he gets into the trash and growls when scolded, make the trash can inaccessible.

If he likes to bolt out the door ahead of you, put a leash on him. Make him sit and wait while you open the door and give him permission - OKAY! - to go out.

If your alpha dog doesn't like to come when he's called (and he probably doesn't!), don't let him outside off leash. Without a leash, you have no control over him and he knows it.

Petting and attention: Alpha dogs are used to being fussed over. In a real dog pack, subordinate dogs are forever touching, licking and grooming the alpha dog. It's a show of respect and submission.

For now, until his attitude has shown improvement, cut down on the amount of cuddling your dog gets.

When he wants attention, make him SIT first, give him a few kind words and pats, then stop.

Go back to whatever it was you were doing and ignore him. If he pesters you, tell him NO! in a firm voice and ignore him some more. Pet him when -you- want to, not because -he- wants you to.

For the time being, don't get down on the floor or on your knees to pet your dog. That, too, is a show of submission. Give praise, petting and rewards from a position that's higher than the dog.

Games: If you or anyone in your family wrestles, rough-houses or plays tug of war with your dog, stop! These games encourage dogs to dominate people physically and to use their teeth.

In a dog pack or in a litter, these games are more than just playing - they help to establish pack order based on physical strength. Your dog is already probably stronger and quicker than you are. Rough, physical games prove that to him. He doesn't need to be reminded of it!

Find new games for him to play. Hide & seek, fetch or frizbee catching are more appropriate. Make sure you're the one who starts and ends the game, not the dog. Stop playing before the dog gets bored and is inclined to try to keep the ball or frisbee.

Where does your dog sleep? Not in your bedroom and especially not on your bed! Your bedroom is a special place - it's your "den".

An alpha dog thinks he has a right to sleep in your den because he considers himself your equal. I n fact, he may have already taken over your bed, refusing to get off when told or growling and snapping when anyone asks him to make room for the humans.

Until your dog's alpha problems are fully under control, the bedroom should be off-limits! The same goes for sleeping on furniture. If you can't keep him off the couch without a fight, deny him access to the room until his behavior and training has improved.

Crate-training: Dog crates have 1,000 uses and working with an alpha dog is one of them. It's a great place for your dog to sleep at night, to eat in and just to stay in when he needs to chill out and be reminded that he's a dog. The crate is your dog's "den". Start crate training by feeding him his dinner in his crate. Close the door and let him stay there for an hour afterwards.

If he throws a tantrum, ignore him. Don't let your dog out of his crate until he's quiet and settled.

At bedtime, show him an irresistible goodie, tell him to SIT and when he does, throw the goodie into the crate. When he dives in for the treat, tell him what a good boy he is and close the door.

How do you know if you're making a difference? Your dog should start looking to you for directions and permission. He'll show an eagerness to please. Watch how your dog approaches and greets you. Does he come to you "standing tall", with his head and ears held high and erect? It may look impressive and proud but it means he's still alpha and you still have problems!

A dog who accepts humans as superiors will approach you with his head slightly lowered and his ears back or off to the sides. He'll "shrink" his whole body a little in a show of submission. Watch how he greets all the members of the family.

If he displays this submissive posture to some of them, but not others, those are the ones who still need to work on their own alpha posture and methods.

Obedience Training:

Once your dog has begun to accept this new way of life and his new position in the family, you should take him through an obedience course with a qualified trainer.

All dogs need to be trained and alpha dogs need training most of all! It's important that he respects at least one member of the family and is willing to take direction from them.

Obedience class teaches -you- to train your dog. It teaches you how to be alpha, how to enforce commands and rules, how to get respect and to keep it.

All family members who are old enough to understand and control the dog should participate in the class.

Obedience training is a lifelong process. One obedience course does not a trained dog make! Obedience commands need to be practiced and incorporated into your daily life.

In a dog pack, the alpha animal uses occasional reminders to reinforce his authority. Certain commands, like DOWN/STAY, are especially effective, nonviolent reminders of a dog's place in the family pack order and who's really in charge here.

A well-trained obedient dog is a happy dog and a joy to live with. Dogs want to please and need a job to do. Training gives them the opportunity to do both. A well-trained dog has more freedom. He can go more places and do more things with you because he knows how to behave. A well-trained dog that's secure in his place within the family pack is comfortable and confident. He knows what's expected of him. He knows his limits and who his leaders are. He's free from the responsibility of running the household and making decisions. He's free to be our loving companion and not your boss. He's free to be a dog - what he was born to be and what he always wanted to be in the first place!

[yorkiepip]

Wow! That made great reading and a lot of sense.
Thank you for sharing that.

[chattiesmom]

Pat, thank you for your hard work on this post. I agree with you, on most of your points, and very much respect your point of view on the points that I disagree with you on. Most of my life I have had dogs, big dogs, small dogs, and in-between dogs. I have had dogs that were notoriously easy to train and willing to please and gentle (sheltie, boxer) and I have had dogs that were aloof (chow chow) and I have had dogs that were notoriously hard to train, strong willed --but very intelligent (Irish Setters and Yorkies). All of my dogs were trained basic obedience commands (trained meaning that they obeyed, regardless of personal choice).

The Yorkies have posed the most challenge -- we are still working on basic obedience -- Chattie is almost 3, Chizzie, my valentine baby will be two this Valentines Day and Peppy turned one in October.

Of course we all know that they were born and bred to hunt vermin, and to dash down a rat hole doesn't require human intervention, so they were basically developed to NOT require the services of a human with regards to decision making.

The mind set that they are hard to train is the single most challenging training obstacle to overcome. That and the fact that for most of us -- we have yorkies because they are small, beautiful, and accept pampering very well.

After doing some real soul searching, I have found that the reason that my dogs are not as responsive as I would like for them to be is completely and entirely my fault. Because of their size and because of their "ME" attitude, it is so much easier to pamper and coddle them rather than make them mind.

I am breaking free from my "Yorkie Prison". I am working on "heel" with Chattie when we go for a walk for a start, and I am trying to turn general requests in to "commands" that I follow through.

So, thank you again for your hard work and dedication in starting this thread.

[Muffie's Mom]

Originally Posted by chattiesmom

Pat, thank you for your hard work on this post. I agree with you, on most of your points, and very much respect your point of view on the points that I disagree with you on. Most of my life I have had dogs, big dogs, small dogs, and in-between dogs. I have had dogs that were notoriously easy to train and willing to please and gentle (sheltie, boxer) and I have had dogs that were aloof (chow chow) and I have had dogs that were notoriously hard to train, strong willed --but very intelligent (Irish Setters and Yorkies). All of my dogs were trained basic obedience commands (trained meaning that they obeyed, regardless of personal choice).

The Yorkies have posed the most challenge -- we are still working on basic obedience -- Chattie is almost 3, Chizzie, my valentine baby will be two this Valentines Day and Peppy turned one in October.

Of course we all know that they were born and bred to hunt vermin, and to dash down a rat hole doesn't require human intervention, so they were basically developed to NOT require the services of a human with regards to decision making.

The mind set that they are hard to train is the single most challenging training obstacle to overcome. That and the fact that for most of us -- we have yorkies because they are small, beautiful, and accept pampering very well.

After doing some real soul searching, I have found that the reason that my dogs are not as responsive as I would like for them to be is completely and entirely my fault. Because of their size and because of their "ME" attitude, it is so much easier to pamper and coddle them rather than make them mind.

I am breaking free from my "Yorkie Prison". I am working on "heel" with Chattie when we go for a walk for a start, and I am trying to turn general requests in to "commands" that I follow through.

So, thank you again for your hard work and dedication in starting this thread.

Thank you! Like you, we have had dogs all of our life also. But it seems as we grow older, we tend to make sure our pets are trained so that we can control their life - not them controlling our life.

If you really want to enjoy your pet, it must be trained. I am a firm believer in that.

I want to love my pet and feel a great sense of self-esteem for what we have turned that pet into being.

God bless you all.

[Erin]

We go to training class with Loki every week and work on things every day. While he will never be an obedience star (those "stays" are not so good!) he is easier to communicate with. He's on the "no free lunch" program and we try really hard to treat him like a big dog. It's hard to go and sit by him and pet him rather than just pick him up. I have to let him be himself or be alone sometimes. We take advantage of his size by taking him with us everywhere, but we *try* not to treat him differently. I've never had a dog before him, so I need the training as much as he does. We use target training for fun games, we teach him tricks and then show them off places so that he can learn to focus his energy and attention.

Every dog owner needs a copy of The Other End of the Leash and right now I'm readng The Power of Positive Dog Training. Because we've been immersed in positive training and I've done so much reading about it, I don't believe in the whole "Alpha" thing. I don't believe in the scruff shakes or any of those things (I'm not saying you do or don't either), however it is absolutely vital to be a calm leader so that your dog looks to you for guidance. He has to "ask" for everything by sitting or by doing what I ask him. I tell everyone that I require him to be "polite" I also know that I have to show him what behavior I expect from him.

People always say how "lucky" I am to have a well trained dog. My husband and I have put so much time into Loki that luck has nothing to do with it. I suppose we are lucky to have a dog who is very food motivated and learns quickly, but WE have to take the time to train him. We don't go out a lot and training Loki is kind of our hobby. We teach him things and then show them off for friends. We're proud of him! I spend a lot of time reading books and researching training.

Even after all of this we still have a few problems with him. He is very mouthy. He nibbles toes or barks when he wants something! (Ignore bad behavior... ignore bad behavior...) We're working on that. We had to teach him fetch as it did not come naturally. He has some major object posessiveness. Even working on a trade/drop command is not progressing as fast as I'd like. He's a Yorkie and he is not going to be as responsive as a Lab. As long as you know that going in you can learn to work with it. I don't let him off the hook though, he has to try even harder. I can't imagine how difficult he would be to live with if we did not do all of this.

Thanks for posting this as it is a very good conversation to have. People are amazed that we have a trained YORKIE. TONS of dogs are trained, but people I run into rarely see a well trained little dog. I think it helps him feel like a dog and takes advantage of how smart he is! Also, talking about this can help us share our successes training Yorkies, since terriers are different than other dogs. I would love to have more people to talk to about how you've overcome things like object posessiveness, something a Lab for example is much less likely to have.

[Muffie's Mom]

Originally Posted by Erin

We go to training class with Loki every week and work on things every day. While he will never be an obedience star (those "stays" are not so good!) he is easier to communicate with. He's on the "no free lunch" program and we try really hard to treat him like a big dog. It's hard to go and sit by him and pet him rather than just pick him up. I have to let him be himself or be alone sometimes. We take advantage of his size by taking him with us everywhere, but we *try* not to treat him differently. I've never had a dog before him, so I need the training as much as he does. We use target training for fun games, we teach him tricks and then show them off places so that he can learn to focus his energy and attention.

Every dog owner needs a copy of The Other End of the Leash and right now I'm readng The Power of Positive Dog Training. Because we've been immersed in positive training and I've done so much reading about it, I don't believe in the whole "Alpha" thing. I don't believe in the scruff shakes or any of those things (I'm not saying you do or don't either), however it is absolutely vital to be a calm leader so that your dog looks to you for guidance. He has to "ask" for everything by sitting or by doing what I ask him. I tell everyone that I require him to be "polite" I also know that I have to show him what behavior I expect from him.

People always say how "lucky" I am to have a well trained dog. My husband and I have put so much time into Loki that luck has nothing to do with it. I suppose we are lucky to have a dog who is very food motivated and learns quickly, but WE have to take the time to train him. We don't go out a lot and training Loki is kind of our hobby. We teach him things and then show them off for friends. We're proud of him! I spend a lot of time reading books and researching training.

Even after all of this we still have a few problems with him. He is very mouthy. He nibbles toes or barks when he wants something! (Ignore bad behavior... ignore bad behavior...) We're working on that. We had to teach him fetch as it did not come naturally. He has some major object posessiveness. Even working on a trade/drop command is not progressing as fast as I'd like. He's a Yorkie and he is not going to be as responsive as a Lab. As long as you know that going in you can learn to work with it. I don't let him off the hook though, he has to try even harder. I can't imagine how difficult he would be to live with if we did not do all of this.

Thanks for posting this as it is a very good conversation to have. People are amazed that we have a trained YORKIE. TONS of dogs are trained, but people I run into rarely see a well trained little dog. I think it helps him feel like a dog and takes advantage of how smart he is! Also, talking about this can help us share our successes training Yorkies, since terriers are different than other dogs. I would love to have more people to talk to about how you've overcome things like object posessiveness, something a Lab for example is much less likely to have.

Your post is very touching. I wish more people would be like you in training their dog.

You know what the secret of all this is, don't you? YOU are the one that has been trained. A pet will only do what it's owner has taught it to do. Your Yorkie is very fortunate to have you for a owner.

Your self-esteem is probably very high from the way you write.

Good for you. Way to go and keep up the great work with your Yorkie.

[TXGirl]

Great post, Pat! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this.

[crystalsmom]

Pat, this is great

After I mentioned "training" I had alot of requests so I sent some wonderful books that I no longer need to people who requested info. I guarantee a happier home for those that train their dogs.

[Yorkie Mum]

I was wondering where this came fron for the infoabove likr to read more.

Here a few that I like on training.
http://www.clickersolutions.com/arti.../Debunking.pdf

The History and Misconceptions of Dominance Theory

Note: The information in the following article came from an interview with Dr. Ian Dunbar, who spent nine years studying the social behavior of dogs during the study mentioned below. In an earlier version of this article, Dr. L. David Mech was credited with the 30-year study. This was a mistake. The researcher who conducted the study was Dr. Frank Beach. An effort has been made to correct this error. However, if you know of a place where the original article was published, please notify the editor and request a correction.

The original alpha/dominance model was born out of short-term studies of wolf packs done in the 1940s. These were the first studies of their kind. These studies were a good start, but later research has essentially disproved most of the findings. There were three major flaws in these studies:

These were short-term studies, so the researchers concentrated on the most obvious, overt parts of wolf life, such as hunting. The studies are therefore unrepresentative -- drawing conclusions about "wolf behavior" based on about 1% of wolf life.
The studies observed what are now known to be ritualistic displays and misinterpreted them. Unfortunately, this is where the bulk of the "dominance model" comes from, and though the information has been soundly disproved, it still thrives in the dog training mythos.

For example, alpha rolls. The early researchers saw this behavior and concluded that the higher-ranking wolf was forcibly rolling the subordinate to exert his dominance. Well, not exactly. This is actually an "appeasement ritual" instigated by the SUBORDINATE wolf. The subordinate offers his muzzle, and when the higher-ranking wolf "pins" it, the lower-ranking wolf voluntarily rolls and presents his belly. There is NO force. It is all entirely voluntary.

A wolf would flip another wolf against his will ONLY if he were planning to kill it. Can you imagine what a forced alpha roll does to the psyche of our dogs?
.
Finally, after the studies, the researchers made cavalier extrapolations from wolf-dog, dog-dog, and dog-human based on their "findings." Unfortunately, this nonsense still abounds.
So what's the truth? The truth is dogs aren't wolves. Honestly, when you take into account the number of generations past, saying "I want to learn how to interact with my dog so I'll learn from the wolves" makes about as much sense as saying, "I want to improve my parenting -- let's see how the chimps do it!"

Dr. Frank Beach performed a 30-year study on dogs at Yale and UC Berkeley. Nineteen years of the study was devoted to social behavior of a dog pack. (Not a wolf pack. A DOG pack.) Some of his findings:

Male dogs have a rigid hierarchy.
Female dogs have a hierarchy, but it's more variable.
When you mix the sexes, the rules get mixed up. Males try to follow their constitution, but the females have "amendments."
Young puppies have what's called "puppy license." Basically, that license to do most anything. Bitches are more tolerant of puppy license than males are.
The puppy license is revoked at approximately four months of age. At that time, the older middle-ranked dogs literally give the puppy hell -- psychologically torturing it until it offers all of the appropriate appeasement behaviors and takes its place at the bottom of the social hierarchy. The top-ranked dogs ignore the whole thing.
There is NO physical domination. Everything is accomplished through psychological harassment. It's all ritualistic.
A small minority of "alpha" dogs assumed their position by bullying and force. Those that did were quickly deposed. No one likes a dictator.
The vast majority of alpha dogs rule benevolently. They are confident in their position. They do not stoop to squabbling to prove their point. To do so would lower their status because...
Middle-ranked animals squabble. They are insecure in their positions and want to advance over other middle-ranked animals.
Low-ranked animals do not squabble. They know they would lose. They know their position, and they accept it.
"Alpha" does not mean physically dominant. It means "in control of resources." Many, many alpha dogs are too small or too physically frail to physically dominate. But they have earned the right to control the valued resources. An individual dog determines which resources he considers important. Thus an alpha dog may give up a prime sleeping place because he simply couldn't care less.
So what does this mean for the dog-human relationship?

Using physical force of any kind reduces your "rank." Only middle-ranked animals insecure in their place squabble.
To be "alpha," control the resources. I don't mean hokey stuff like not allowing dogs on beds or preceding them through doorways. I mean making resources contingent on behavior. Does the dog want to be fed. Great -- ask him to sit first. Does the dog want to go outside? Sit first. Dog want to greet people? Sit first. Want to play a game? Sit first. Or whatever. If you are proactive enough to control the things your dogs want, *you* are alpha by definition.
Train your dog. This is the dog-human equivalent of the "revoking of puppy license" phase in dog development. Children, women, elderly people, handicapped people -- all are capable of training a dog. Very few people are capable of physical domination.
Reward deferential behavior, rather than pushy behavior. I have two dogs. If one pushes in front of the other, the other gets the attention, the food, whatever the first dog wanted. The first dog to sit gets treated. Pulling on lead goes nowhere. Doors don't open until dogs are seated and I say they may go out. Reward pushy, and you get pushy.
Your job is to be a leader, not a boss, not a dictator. Leadership is a huge responsibility. Your job is to provide for all of your dog's needs... food, water, vet care, social needs, security, etc. If you fail to provide what your dog needs, your dog will try to satisfy those needs on his own.

In a recent article in the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) newsletter, Dr. Ray Coppinger -- a biology professor at Hampshire College, co-founder of the Livestock Guarding Dog Project, author of several books including Dogs : A Startling New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior, and Evolution; and an extremely well-respected member of the dog training community -- says in regards to the dominance model (and alpha rolling)...

"I cannot think of many learning situations where I want my learning dogs responding with fear and lack of motion. I never want my animals to be thinking social hierarchy. Once they do, they will be spending their time trying to figure out how to move up in the hierarchy."

That pretty much sums it up, don't you think?

Melissa Alexander
melissa @ clickersolutions.com
copyright 2001 Melissa C. Alexander

[Yorkie Mum]

http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2001/macho.htm

This will be a two part post as it will not let me do it whole.

The Macho Myth
The social structure of domestic dogs is often described in terms of a linear dominance hierarchy, in which the top dog, or 'alpha animal', is dominant over all lower ranking animals, the second ranking dog is subordinate to the top dog but dominant over all others, and so on down to the lowest dog on the totem pole. Also, it is popularly believed:

Rank is established and maintained by physical strength and dominance.
The more dominant (i.e., higher ranking) dogs are more aggressive.
The most dominant dog is the most aggressive. Hence, dogs which frequently threaten, growl, fight and bite are often assumed to be 'alpha' animals.
The majority of the above assumptions are quite awry. Not only do they betray a theoretically simplistic view of a most sophisticated social structure but also, such notions tend to be counterproductive, inhumane and dangerous when cavalierly extrapolated to dog training, or the treatment of behavior problems.

Social Rank and Aggressiveness

It is generally assumed that high rank is correlated with aggressive behavior. In reality, a growly, macho top dog is a rare find. Top dogs rarely growl - they seldom need to! The true top dog is usually a cool customer, which is secure and confident of its privileged position and has no need to fluster and bluster to bolster up its rank. In the words of psychologist Dr. Linda Carlson, "If you've got it, there's no need to flaunt it." A true top dog is more likely to share a toy, a bone, or a sleeping place, than fight over one. On the other hand, bottom-ranking dogs rarely growl either. The prime directive of a low ranking individual is to maintain a low profile. Barking, growling and snarling only draw unwanted attention and if it came to a fight, the underdog would most certainly lose.

A top dog has little need to threaten and an underdog would be crazy to. Without a doubt excessive growling and repeated fighting is indicative of underlying insecurity and uncertainty about social rank vis a vis other dogs. Within a social group, protracted, blustery displays of aggression are the hallmark of the middle-order of the hierarchy. Middle-ranking dogs, threaten more and fight more frequently than higher- or lower-ranking individuals. With the advent of a litter on the social scene, it is not uncommon for a previously wimpy-wormy underdog to become ultra-macho with the puppies. Whilst maintaining its lowest of low profiles with other adults, the ex-underdog may wield its newfound power with exaggerated swagger: relentlessly hassling the developing puppies and adolescents (especially the males) by staring, stalking, dogging (following), barking and growling. Once an underdog assumes responsibility as a rearguard, the other adult males seldom bother with the (soon to be adult) youngsters and often the social atmosphere in the pack becomes more relaxed.

Subordinance Hierarchy
When the framework of a successful hierarchy is viewed in a developmental context, it becomes apparent that 'subordinance hierarchy' is a more descriptive term for canine social structure. This premise was first suggested by English primatologist Dr. Thelma Rowell. Maintenance of an existing hierarchy depends on the underlings respect of the position of higher-ranking individuals. The status quo is maintained because, lower-ranking individuals seldom challenge authority and so only occasionally, is there need to enforce higher rank with a display of physical, or more likely, psychological dominance.

Development of Hierarchies

Growing up around larger pups, adolescents and adult dogs, puppies simply can not compete on the social scene in view of their smaller size and inferior physical and psychological strength. Thus, puppies learn their station in life well before they become sufficiently large and strong to be a threat to the established order. Most adult dogs are quite lenient with young pups until they approach adolescence, whereupon adults (males especially) relentlessly pursue, stand-over and growl at the adolescents (males especially). Even so, harassment by adult dogs is largely psychological, rather than physical. It would be a perversely under-socialized adult dog, which physically beats up young puppies.

Nonetheless, during this crucial stage in hierarchical development, young pup and adolescents are extremely intimidated by the incessant harassment and consequently, they learn to respond with exaggerated appeasement gestures to assuage the torment from their elders. Moreover, puppies and adolescents quickly learn that bother from older dogs may be largely prevented by taking the initiative and demonstrating active appeasement before they are harassed. The pups' preemptive apology characteristically comprises: a low slung, wiggly approach with ears back, submissive grin and tail and hindquarters all a wag. The youngster may paw the brisket and lick the muzzle of the older dog. (The infantile pawing and muzzle-licking food-soliciting behaviors of puppyhood now acquire new meaning and are retained as neotenic appeasement gestures in adolescence and adulthood.) In addition, the underdog may rollover and lift a leg to expose its inguinal region. And some may submissively urinate. (Adult dogs may determine the age of a puppy or adolescent from the smell of the youngster's urine.)

From this stage on, to maintain harmony on the social scene, higher ranking dogs need only chastise those individuals which do not voluntarily show deference and respect in their presence. And even this is usually done with nothing more than a cold, penetrating stare.

[diva pup]

Wow! You put alot of work into this post! Good Job .
On the lighter side, I am not Alpha, Rio is. He is and always has been the boss of me. I am one of those bad owners who think his personality is cute, even when he is telling me it is time to go home and what time he wants his cookie. He even tells me when it is bedtime and what time I need to take care of horses.
He is a charming bossy little dog and he has no bad behaviors. He has never bitten or even offered a growl even when small children are squeezing his guts out.
He has me trained perfectly and we get along just fine after nearly 4 yrs. I see no reason to change things now and won't. Although training is wonderful and necessary for some dogs it just wasn't for Rio. He has a very strong personality and I enjoy every second I spend with him .

Little Mignon, well thats a whole different ball game . I think we might try that obedience class with her. Rio and I got kicked out. Our trainer said he had already made all the rules and nothing was going to change now.

I think things differ with every dog, they all have their own personalities. While I agree some alpha dogs NEED this type of training I think it would be scary to a very submissive dog.
But I am NOT a dog trainer and IF there were behavior issues I might be thinking a little differently. This is just what we are all happy with in our house. or I should say Rios house, we just pay the mortgage. LOL.

[Yorkie Mum]

Maintenance of Hierarchies

Fighting and physical dominance very rarely come into play during the maintenance of hierarchies. On the contrary, the major function of hierarchical structure is to lessen the amount of fighting. Once established, the hierarchy provides many of the answers before the problems crop up. For example, when there are two dogs but only one bone, the ownership of the bone is predecided and therefore, there is nothing to fight about. Potential problems are similarly pre-settled in established human hierarchies. For example, in a large corporate hierarchy, the problem of a single parking place and two cars - the CEO's Rolls and the Assistant Sales Manager's Ford Escort proves no more of a dilemma than when the CEO was Sales Manager and drove a Jaguar and the ASM was a secretary in the typing pool and drove a beaten-up VW. I mean, who, in their right mind, would park in the boss's parking place. No one ever does, hence no problem.

It is similar with dogs. Misunderstandings about the relationship between rank, dominance and aggression tend to exacerbate fighting problems, which are largely the product of asocialization and the mixing of socially-unprepared adult dogs. In addition, erroneous notions of canine social behavior tend to foster macho owners, who allow and/or encourage their dogs to snarl and growl, thinking they have a real baaaad dog! This sort of person - usually an adolescent (13-59 year-old) male, wearing a single black glove and owning a male dog of one of only half a dozen breeds that I will not bother to mention - can be a bit of a 'pain in the class'. However, it is sometimes possible to get this wally to wise-up with a compliment/insult like: "What a wonderful dog! What a shame he's so growly. Well, perhaps we can build up his confidence and turn him into a top dog. Because top dogs don't growl you know, they don't need to." I never cease to be amazed at how many potential jerks are, in fact, incognito responsible owners once wised-up in this manner.

Unfortunately, the real danger of the alpha-concept of physical dominance lies in its questionable extrapolation to dog training and husbandry. Instead of being educational, many so-called 'training' methods are just downright adversarial if not abusive; the dog is often viewed as our enemy, rather than as our best friend. Many playful, greeting and fearful gestures are misinterpreted as being aggressive, providing the unthinking owner with a convenient excuse to abuse the dog under the guise of 'training'.

For example, snapping, pilo-erection, growling and lip-curling are often misconstrued as signs of dominance, whereas they are, in fact, more usually signs of fear - most probably the direct product of a person pounding on the poor dog. Similarly, owners are advised that urine marking, mounting people, stealing food, jumping-up and prolonged eye contact are all signs of dominance, for which the dog should be punished. Some ill-advised, big blue meanies are confusing issues and trying to take the fun out of dog ownership. In my book:

A dog which marks indoors, needs to be housetrained.
A dog which mounts people, a) needs to be instructed to desist and b) requires social introduction to another suitably inclined furry quadruped.
A dog which steals food, a) is in desperate need of an owner who remembers to put food away and b) requires rapid introduction to my favorite booby-trap.
A dog which jumps-up, needs simply to be taught to sit when greeting people.
A dog which is tricky about eye contact should be taught a) that human eye-contact is no threat, b) to look away, or look at its paws on command, and c) to lovingly gaze in the eyes of its understanding owner.
Certainly, we need to control dogs - but mental control is what is required, not physical domination. Even though an ill-experienced, middle-ranking dog 'handler' might be able to jerk, hang, roll-over, and/or beat a dog into submission, what is the point of winning the battle and losing the war? What possible advantage is there in converting a 'dominant' dog into a fearful one? Both are equally as worthless as companions or working dogs. Furthermore, most physical corrections are well beyond the physical and mental capabilities of all but a few dog owners. And so, why advise novice owners to enter into a physical contest that they are bound to lose? In fact, why abuse the dog at all, when it is possible to achieve the same end using brain instead of brawn? Why try to wade the Atlantic, when one could take the Concorde?

We must prescribe training methods which are effective and lie within the capabilities of the average dog owner, including women, children and the elderly. If we have learned anything at all from studying dog behavior, ... owners must establish control in a developmental context, whilst the dog is still a puppy. Rather than browbeating the dog into submission, it is far easier to convince the dog to join the team, so that it enjoys life living with us, rather than fighting against us.

Ian Dunbar Ph.D., BVetMed, MRCVS
copyright 1989 Ian Dunbar

[Paisleypup]

Excellent!! Everyone should read this thread!! Worth bumping up for more to read. Thanks to Pat (Muffie'sMom) and Yorkie Mum for sharing this great thread!!! Good info for ALL dog owners, but especially for our independent yorkies.

[Muffie's Mom]

Originally Posted by Yorkie Mum

http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2001/macho.htm

This will be a two part post as it will not let me do it whole.

The Macho Myth
The social structure of domestic dogs is often described in terms of a linear dominance hierarchy, in which the top dog, or 'alpha animal', is dominant over all lower ranking animals, the second ranking dog is subordinate to the top dog but dominant over all others, and so on down to the lowest dog on the totem pole. Also, it is popularly believed:

Rank is established and maintained by physical strength and dominance.
The more dominant (i.e., higher ranking) dogs are more aggressive.
The most dominant dog is the most aggressive. Hence, dogs which frequently threaten, growl, fight and bite are often assumed to be 'alpha' animals.
The majority of the above assumptions are quite awry. Not only do they betray a theoretically simplistic view of a most sophisticated social structure but also, such notions tend to be counterproductive, inhumane and dangerous when cavalierly extrapolated to dog training, or the treatment of behavior problems.

Social Rank and Aggressiveness

It is generally assumed that high rank is correlated with aggressive behavior. In reality, a growly, macho top dog is a rare find. Top dogs rarely growl - they seldom need to! The true top dog is usually a cool customer, which is secure and confident of its privileged position and has no need to fluster and bluster to bolster up its rank. In the words of psychologist Dr. Linda Carlson, "If you've got it, there's no need to flaunt it." A true top dog is more likely to share a toy, a bone, or a sleeping place, than fight over one. On the other hand, bottom-ranking dogs rarely growl either. The prime directive of a low ranking individual is to maintain a low profile. Barking, growling and snarling only draw unwanted attention and if it came to a fight, the underdog would most certainly lose.

A top dog has little need to threaten and an underdog would be crazy to. Without a doubt excessive growling and repeated fighting is indicative of underlying insecurity and uncertainty about social rank vis a vis other dogs. Within a social group, protracted, blustery displays of aggression are the hallmark of the middle-order of the hierarchy. Middle-ranking dogs, threaten more and fight more frequently than higher- or lower-ranking individuals. With the advent of a litter on the social scene, it is not uncommon for a previously wimpy-wormy underdog to become ultra-macho with the puppies. Whilst maintaining its lowest of low profiles with other adults, the ex-underdog may wield its newfound power with exaggerated swagger: relentlessly hassling the developing puppies and adolescents (especially the males) by staring, stalking, dogging (following), barking and growling. Once an underdog assumes responsibility as a rearguard, the other adult males seldom bother with the (soon to be adult) youngsters and often the social atmosphere in the pack becomes more relaxed.

Subordinance Hierarchy
When the framework of a successful hierarchy is viewed in a developmental context, it becomes apparent that 'subordinance hierarchy' is a more descriptive term for canine social structure. This premise was first suggested by English primatologist Dr. Thelma Rowell. Maintenance of an existing hierarchy depends on the underlings respect of the position of higher-ranking individuals. The status quo is maintained because, lower-ranking individuals seldom challenge authority and so only occasionally, is there need to enforce higher rank with a display of physical, or more likely, psychological dominance.

Development of Hierarchies

Growing up around larger pups, adolescents and adult dogs, puppies simply can not compete on the social scene in view of their smaller size and inferior physical and psychological strength. Thus, puppies learn their station in life well before they become sufficiently large and strong to be a threat to the established order. Most adult dogs are quite lenient with young pups until they approach adolescence, whereupon adults (males especially) relentlessly pursue, stand-over and growl at the adolescents (males especially). Even so, harassment by adult dogs is largely psychological, rather than physical. It would be a perversely under-socialized adult dog, which physically beats up young puppies.

Nonetheless, during this crucial stage in hierarchical development, young pup and adolescents are extremely intimidated by the incessant harassment and consequently, they learn to respond with exaggerated appeasement gestures to assuage the torment from their elders. Moreover, puppies and adolescents quickly learn that bother from older dogs may be largely prevented by taking the initiative and demonstrating active appeasement before they are harassed. The pups' preemptive apology characteristically comprises: a low slung, wiggly approach with ears back, submissive grin and tail and hindquarters all a wag. The youngster may paw the brisket and lick the muzzle of the older dog. (The infantile pawing and muzzle-licking food-soliciting behaviors of puppyhood now acquire new meaning and are retained as neotenic appeasement gestures in adolescence and adulthood.) In addition, the underdog may rollover and lift a leg to expose its inguinal region. And some may submissively urinate. (Adult dogs may determine the age of a puppy or adolescent from the smell of the youngster's urine.)

From this stage on, to maintain harmony on the social scene, higher ranking dogs need only chastise those individuals which do not voluntarily show deference and respect in their presence. And even this is usually done with nothing more than a cold, penetrating stare.

Thanks for posting this - it was very interesting to read especially about the puppies behavior.

[crystalsmom]

Originally Posted by diva pup

Wow! You put alot of work into this post! Good Job .
On the lighter side, I am not Alpha, Rio is. He is and always has been the boss of me. I am one of those bad owners who think his personality is cute, even when he is telling me it is time to go home and what time he wants his cookie. He even tells me when it is bedtime and what time I need to take care of horses.
He is a charming bossy little dog and he has no bad behaviors. He has never bitten or even offered a growl even when small children are squeezing his guts out.
He has me trained perfectly and we get along just fine after nearly 4 yrs. I see no reason to change things now and won't. Although training is wonderful and necessary for some dogs it just wasn't for Rio. He has a very strong personality and I enjoy every second I spend with him .

Little Mignon, well thats a whole different ball game . I think we might try that obedience class with her. Rio and I got kicked out. Our trainer said he had already made all the rules and nothing was going to change now.

I think things differ with every dog, they all have their own personalities. While I agree some alpha dogs NEED this type of training I think it would be scary to a very submissive dog.
But I am NOT a dog trainer and IF there were behavior issues I might be thinking a little differently. This is just what we are all happy with in our house. or I should say Rios house, we just pay the mortgage. LOL.

But you do admit you wanted it for Rio or you wouldn't have taken him to training. Crystal still tells me when to go to bed and when she's getting hungry etc . Training
doesn't mean taking the personality out of the dog. It pretty much means that they know
the commands that will help them all through their life. Good Luck, with that little cutie Mignon and hugs to them both.