How to Know if Your Dog Respects You

Working with your dog is an important part of being a responsible dog owner. Good training gives you the ability to enjoy your dog, rather than being frustrated with it. Several behavioral points let you know that your dog respects you as the pack leader. If your dog bites you, tugs when you walk or growls at you, it may be a sign that your dog doesn't respect you and it needs more training.

  1. Eye Contact

    • Your dog should be able to maintain eye contact with you. A dog that glances at you and then looks away might be a sign of a fearful dog. It may be too nervous around humans to respect you as the leader. On the other hand, a dog that won't maintain eye contact with you may be aggressive. This type of dog may growl or snap when you reach down to pet it. Work on getting your dog's respect by maintaining eye contact with it. Reward it with affection if it maintains eye contact, even if it only lasts for a few seconds.

    Comes When Called

    • One major sign that your dog respects you is that it comes when you call its name. If it runs away when you walk toward it or sneaks out the door as soon as you open it, it does not recognize you as the leader. Yelling at your dog every time you call its name makes coming to you a negative experience. Coming to you when you say its name should be a positive experience. Earn your dog's respect and be positive by giving it a treat or petting it when he comes to you. Over time, your pooch will learn to respect you and come to you when you call its name.

    Releases Toys

    • Your furry friend should drop whatever it has in its mouth when you tell it to. Whether it is chewing on a bone or its favorite toy, your dog needs to drop it as a sign of respect. Get it to drop its chew toy by offering it something else. For example, if it is chewing on its favorite toy, give it a small treat to entice it to drop it. As it learns that you are the pack leader, it should continue to drop objects from its mouth. This is essential in your training in case your dog ever gets a hold of something that is valuable to you or that may be hazardous to it.

    Following You

    • When you take your pooch for a walk, it needs to follow you. As you're walking, your fuzzy buddy should look up at you frequently and keep up with your pace. A dog that constantly pulls or tugs at the leash may not respect you as its boss. Get its respect by staying in control of the walk. If it pulls one direction, turn around and walk in the other direction. Make it sit every time you get to a curb and before you cross the street. Once it understands that you are in control, it will respect you.