Every dog needs a good Leader - So often Humans treat their dogs as children, understandably this is an easy thing to do.

Canines are a whole different species to Humans, so to treat them as a human is cruel as they simply don't understand how we interact, we need to learn how to interact with them not the other way around..

Dogs interact with non-verbal communication in most cases, they are forever watching your body language. You can't trick a dog, if you feel angry but smile your dog knows what your true feeling are as every emotion you have has a scent and body language cues that go along with it.

Dogs don't have the full range of emotions that humans do, humans commonly think their dogs show that they are guilty of doing something naughty, this is incorrect, the dog is simply picking up on your body language and scent and reacting accordingly.

Even though dogs have been domesticated for a very long time they still have their instincts that takes them back to their wild days and therefore we can learn alot about them by watching Wolf packs and so forth.

In the wild there would be an Alpha Male and an Alpha Female, these 2 would be the only ones allowed to breed in that pack. The Alpha Male & Female protect the pack, they are the boss and they demand respect.

In a Pack there are the 2 Alpha's and the rest of the pack are Followers, followers will fawn all over the Alpha's.

Therefore when a human fawns all over a dog i.e. by stoking it, patting it, kissing it, the human is communicating to the dog that the dog is the Alpha.

This does not mean you can't give affection to your dog, you can give as much affection as you like however the affection should be earned. There is a great program called Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF) this a great program for every dog owner.

The Alpha's confirm their place in the pack by acting aloof, ignoring & demanding respect. Therefore when your dog ignores you, doesn't move out of your way, invades your personal space it is further cementing its' place as the Alpha.

You simply do not want your dog to be the Alpha, is a stressful position for a dog, granted there are some dogs that are born to be great Leaders but many fail at the job and can over react to simple threats.

If you do not act as a Leader your dog will automatically do it for you.

Imagine if you were asked by your country to go to war and protect all the troops, that would be a pretty stressful thing to do! That is effectively what you are asking your dog to do by allowing it take the Alpha position.

A dog who is confused about their pack position can develop separation anxiety, dominance aggression towards their owner, aggression towards other dogs etc.

Seperation Anxiety is created when your dog thinks that it is the Alpha. When you walk out of the door and your dog can not see you and protect you it creates a lot of stress in the dog.

Jan Fennel is UK based behaviourist that has a very easy to follow Leadership/Bonding program, it is highly recommended to all types of dog owners who need to regain their Leadership status.

Jan Fennell - The Dog Listener - Click here to purchase the book

Jane Fennell - 30 Day Guide - Click here to purchase the book

When you bring home a Rescue Dog is important to understand that the dog does not need you to feel sorry for it no matter what it has been through, it needs a Leader, a fair & consistent Leader.

Being a Leader isn't about physically showing your dog who is the boss, getting compliance from your dog does not = respect.