I have to respectfully disagree with your Vet on this one. The alpha roll is an outdated maneuver that does more harm than good - especially for our little ones.
I think you can do gentle 'submission exercises' by teaching 'down' and 'sit' using positive reinforcement (I use special treats). These simple commands reinforce your position as the 'leader' without any use of force.
You can then use these to teach manners - like 'sit' before their food bowl is put down' 'sit' while they are being leashed; 'sit' before they walk out the door. Little things like that are gentle and polite.
You can also google Nothing in Life For Free (NILF) which gives a whole host of training ideas - simply teaching your dog manners; reinforces your position as leader; AND is simply a polite way of living together.
Good Luck! |