How to Be Alpha Dog When Training Your Puppy

To have a reliable, obedient puppy, it is important that you establish yourself as the "alpha" or top dog. Dogs are pack animals by nature, and your puppy will instinctively try to figure out where it stands in the hierarchy of your "pack" (family). Because you provide your puppy's food, water, shelter and affection, you are the alpha dog. Now you need to show it in dog language. Your puppy will appreciate that you have made the hierarchy clear and will readily look to you for protection, decision making and commands.

Instructions

    • 1
      Do not let your puppy sleep in your bed.

      Do not let your puppy sleep in your bed. Instead, give your dog its own bed or sleeping space on the floor. In a dog pack, the alpha dog seeks out the highest place in the den to sleep. If your puppy sleeps at the same level as you, it might assume that it is the same or higher rank as you.

    • 2
      Feed your puppy after you have eaten.

      Feed your puppy only after you and your family have finished eating. Dogs eat in the same order as their ranking in the pack. The alpha dog eats first and does not share its food. It is especially important never to feed your puppy scraps from the table during dinner. This gives you lower status in your puppy's eyes and it encourages begging.

    • 3
      Play with your puppy often.

      Play with your puppy often and "win" more than you "lose." Playing frequently with your puppy will make you interesting and fun and will make your puppy want to give you its attention. In games (tug o' war, for example), you must prove your dominance by controlling the toy most of the time. Be sure to let your puppy "win" sometimes, too, or it will be discouraged and won't want to play.

    • 4
      Make sure your puppy pays attention to you.

      Do not give your puppy attention every time it seeks it. When your puppy interrupts you in the middle of another activity, just continue what you are doing, ignoring your puppy. Lower-ranking dogs must give the pack leader their attention, not the other way around.

    • 5
      Be the first to walk through doorways.

      Be the first to walk through doorways and entrances. The pack leader goes first into new territories and the lower ranking dogs follow. Whenever you walk through a doorway, hold your puppy back, using his collar, the leash or your foot. Eventually, your puppy will learn to wait and follow your lead.