No matter how much your dogs love and care for you, there are still instances where they may bite you or terribly scare you by growling. There are several dog owners who complain or wonder why their Huskies act awfully like this and like that.
The Indication of Being an Alpha
When some dogs are being scolded, they may growl and display scary attitude. There are also times that some of your dogs are so angry and tried to bite you when you just instruct them to vacate your seat. Most of you may become shock at first because of unacceptable behavior. These behaviors are indication of being an alpha, which indicates dominance. That is why these dogs often taken over the leadership of the place or family they are in. In usual setting, you are giving orders to them but alpha dogs want to do the reverse.
Dogs’ Love for Socialization
Like Human beings, your beloved dogs also love socializing. They are also firm believer in so called social level or order. Of course, the upper or top rank of dogs’ social groups is the leader, the supreme boss or the alpha. These dogs get the best of everything such as:
- Best toy
- Premium foods
- Great place
- First eat
- foremost attention
The supreme dogs get what they want and other dogs, in lower ranks, respect what their boss wishes. Like in any battle, when the top boss is being challenge or threatened, everything goes physical, which serve as warning for the other lower dogs. When your dogs belong to alpha group, dominance will always be there. So always be careful in dealing with them.
But some of these dogs may just fit in and choose to be a follower when finally include in your family. But other dogs that are really born to be leaders and dominant may not do the same. So just be observant.
Without knowing that some of your dogs belong to alpha, you often treat them the same or equal. You may often let your pets sleep beside you on your bed treating them as family and not subordinates. If you don’t properly train your dogs, some of them will disobey whenever you give command. That would particularly display the characteristic of supreme dogs.
Alpha Dogs as Smarter Pets
Even your tiniest Chihuahua can act as superior dog. When you have a little cute dog, you often take care of them like a small baby. You attending to their needs and give them what they want. With this treatment, your dogs develop the feeling of dominance or supremacy. Most of the time, with their superiority, alpha dogs are often smarter, affectionate and confident. These are some of the wonderful characteristics of superior dogs. They can get along well in both strangers and your children. But when you forced them to do the things that they’re not in favor of, they will act the way you despise.
When Alpha Dogs Are Threatened
If they are threatened, alpha dogs may growl to someone and may try to bite them. But they could also do the same at their owner (you). When other dogs tried to get what he’s eating and get the place where the dog is staying, a brawl may happen. You should be watchful to avoid any unwanted incident. Sometimes they are territorial so avoid other dogs to get near their resting place.
The Dogs’ Need of Head or Leader
Like other human beings, dogs also want to belong in a group (of dogs) where they could fit in. It is in their instinct. They often want and need to be led in a pack.
Not all dogs want to be a supreme one. They also want leadership from other dogs. In your family setting if owners can’t give the leadership wanted by the dogs, they will try to dominate instead.
If you let their supreme feeling to rule at your house, you will surely have a problem with that. If you’ve observed that your dogs give respect to you but not all members or family, it is still a problem for you to handle.
Be the Head of Your Family’s Pack Ranking
Being an alpha should just rule among dog pack and not in your family. Never let your dogs act as more dominant than you. Your dogs should be placed at bottom part of the pack order in your family. Let your dogs learn their lesson. They should follow instead of acting supreme than the family. Though you often treat them equal as you, there should still be boundary.
When puppy Huskies are born, their mother acts as an alpha and she needs to be respected by them. With their mother, puppies are given a secure place to learn, to grow, and to be loved. They are given a secure home that is why they are free to do whatever they wanted such as to play.
While there are dogs that wanted and like to be superior, still, many of them want to be led and be one of those ordinary ones.
Knowing How To Be Your Family Pack’s Leader
As an owner, you often try hard to understand what your dogs feel or what they are trying to say to you. But your dogs may also feel the same towards you. There are times that you feel insecure and uncomfortable to give them an instruction. Your unusual or unclear behavior may somewhat confused your dogs. If you are unconfident in giving them clear orders, they may take over the leadership. A superiority attitude may develop among them.
If you want to initiate obedience, you must set rules like what trainers usually do. How do these trainers efficiently instruct the dogs and follow their orders?
- Trainers act as an alpha, which urge your dogs to act like a good follower
These people stand tall and act gentle yet firm. They use great eye contact and firm voice in order to project a certain idea, which they can get whatever they wanted.
- Trainers tend to love while being tough at the same time
With this kind of behavior or personality shown by trainers, dogs often become soft and submissive. This is because all the characteristics shown by the trainers are the characteristics of alpha. They respect and recognize these behaviors. So as an owner, loving them and being tough will enable you to instruct them easily. To be an alpha, you should straightly stand up and become firm in what you did.
- Be able to walk tall with confidence
You need to practice utilizing a new voice tone. It should be deep as well as firm. You should also be specific in giving them command. You should always remember that asking your Huskies to do a task is different from telling them to do it. As an alpha, you must know that you are authorized to give the commands. Allow alpha dogs to learn their lessons.
- Don’t allow your dogs to rule over you
Act as an alpha and let them know who’s more dominant between of you.
These types of training for personality have something to do with your dogs’ obedience. It will be quite enough for them to change their alpha behavior.
REMINDER: Acting like an alpha may successfully discipline and teach most of your dogs but NOT all of them. When you are dealing with dogs that are growling at you or even attempting to bite you, acting like an alpha will sometimes not be enough. These dogs need to have adjustments regarding their attitude or behavior and environment.
Sudden Shock among Your Dogs
With the major alpha dogs, change in behavior can just worsen their reaction. It might threaten them to the extent of being more aggressive in their actions. These major alpha dogs may respond with authority and dominance. Oftentimes, they suppress any threats.
What Would You Do In This Situation?
When an alpha dog knows that he can literally beat you, returning the violence or aggression will not work. Remember that when you still haven’t established your alpha behavior, hitting or shaking them may not work and can be quite dangerous for you. They will just respond violently so be cautious.
When your dogs become aggressive towards you, you may try the following:
- Think Because You Are Smarter Than Your Dogs
Getting rid of the alpha attitude of your dogs can be through outthinking him. Instead of doing violent disciplinary actions, you can think of non-violent and more effective way on how to place your dogs to where they should be and it is to the bottom of your family pack. To make it more effective, you should involve your family in doing it.
- Adjustment From Everybody Is Needed
When your dogs already threaten to bite people and growl at them, this is one serious case. It brings danger. That is why change regarding the behavior and attitude of the family is needed in order to avoid further risk. No matter how you love your dogs, you can’t avoid risky behavior like this so always be prepared.
- Treat Them as Who They Are, A Dog
This matters to pacify and correct their harsh behavior. For ultimate dog lovers, this could be rude. But with the existing lawsuits regarding dog bites, caring for the safety of others is very important. Properly handling or managing the alpha behavior of your dogs will enable you to avoid lots of discomforts and other related problems.
Adjustment Regarding the Alphas Attitude
It is hard to initiate immediate change regarding the attitude of your alpha dogs. It may take some time. But the important thing is that you don’t quit easily in teaching them what they need to know, what they need to understand and to do. Though your dogs are often treated as one of your family members, it is still important for them to realize that they are still different, that you are more superior to them.
Naturally dogs look for companion, food and guidance, which they often find on humans’ premises and care. But with the alpha attitude, your dogs behave the way they shouldn’t. They demand for food instead of asking for it. They eat, play and do whatever they like to. With these attitudes, as an owner, you must teach them that they should work for what they want before they get it.
Some Tips on Training Alpha Dogs
The following are some methods you can impose in training your dogs:
- If your dogs don’t even know how to properly respond when you say ”sit”, then teach him using convenient means such as through praise or reward food.
- Remember not to overdo praising them. Even just a simple “Good Job” praise will do.
- Whenever you dogs desire to go outside to take a walk, play or anything that they desire, tell them to do something in return such as instructing them to sit. When your dogs do what you told them, praise them afterwards and let them have whatever they wanted.
- But when your dogs don’t obey you, walk away from them and ignore their demands. At first, your dogs may not get what you are trying to tell them. With this, ample training is crucial.
- When they want to have their toys, give them instructions first. This will teach them to realize that their every wish will just be granted if they do something in return. They should work for it.
- If they want foods, instruct them. Before you open the door for them, you should give them instruction on what they are going to do for you to do it. If your dogs did what you told them to do, then give them the reward. Let them have what they asked.
When Dogs Don’t Obey or Respect Other Members Of The Family
When your dogs develop respect on you yet not with your entire family members, you should do something about it. To avoid some gap, you can allow your family members to feed the dogs. The scheme on instructing and training your dogs should also be done by each of the family members. Dogs should not just respect you. They should do it with the entire members of the family.
Anticipate Alpha Dog’s Behavior
Always become observant regarding the behavior of your dogs. This is very important for you to correct it and avoid further risks. If ever there are times when your dogs growl at you when you scold them, remove what cause it. For example if it’s due to trash can, then you can remove that trash can, which your dogs are fond of. When your dogs want to go outside your house ahead of you, do commands and let him wait first.
Petting Your Alpha Dog
When in a realistic dog pack, the dog followers will always be grooming, touching as well as licking the supreme dog. When petting an alpha dog, you can do the following:
- In terms of petting alpha, you can lessen cuddling them and just bring it back when you observed that there’s particular improvement in their attitude.
- You can also lightly pet them through letting them sit first and pat the head for a bit. Afterwards, ignore them.
- But when your dogs, badly want your attention up to an annoying point, tell them to stop. Say NO. Does it in a firm voice and then neglect them.
- Remember to pet them if you are in the mood of doing so and not because they want you to do it for them.
- When petting alpha dogs, don’t kneel down to their level. The dogs may misinterpret it.
Games for Alpha Dogs
Playing games with your family is fun. But if you will be playing with alpha dogs, always be careful in choosing games to play. The games like tug of war, rough house or wrestling are not advisable to them. This is because these games just encourage your dogs to aggressively beat you physically using their awesome teeth.
Look for a suitable and safe game for them. Safe games may include catching Frisbee, fetch as well as hide and seek. Make sure that you are the one dominating the game from the beginning ‘till the last. When playing with them, know when they are tired. Stop playing before your dogs get back and be bored at playing.
When Sleeping …
Sleep wherever you want to sleep but never let alpha dogs sleep there. Some of you often let your dogs sleep in your couch and in your bedroom. But when you have an alpha dog, it shouldn’t be like that. These types of dogs may think that you are the same, equal as them. When they thought that way, you will surely face bigger problems.
When you allow them to do it, alpha dogs might take over your bed. The worst thing is that they may growl at you when you instruct them to get off it. You may have difficulty in controlling this behavior so let them know that your bed is off limits. You should do the same thing when you observe that they are fond of sleeping on your furniture. Don’t allow them to have an access to these things until they’ve learned their lesson.
Introducing Crate Training For Alpha Dogs
Crates for dogs have so many uses. This works best for dogs having attitude problems such as alpha dogs. It’s a perfect den for them. When your dogs need to chill, you can let them stay there at night and let them eat there.
In crate trainings, you can do the following:
- You can begin crate training through letting your dogs eat inside of it.
- Close the crate’s door. Afterwards, allow your dogs to stay there up to 60 minutes.
- When they tantrum, just neglect it.
- When you observed that your dogs are terribly annoyed and noisy, don’t let them out. Do that if they already behave and keep quiet.
- During bedtime, you can have the opportunity to train them. Tell them to sit and whenever your dogs obey you, give them rewards such as candies or anything that they will love. Praise them whenever they’ve done good deeds.
Problems regarding your alpha dogs may not be resolved at once so patience is needed. This training guide aims to develop some respect between you and your dogs without physical means. Training your dogs may not be that easy. Some dogs can easily show improvement while other dogs may not be trained that easy. It will be dependent on how your dogs respond to your training scheme.
When alpha dogs already accept you as superior, you can see it on how they approach you. One indication is that they lowered their heads slightly. You can also see their ears back. Whenever you arrived, observe how they greet you and your entire family members. If they greet not all of them, it’s something that you still need to address and solve.
The Need for Obedience Training
Initiating another different way of life to your dogs can be a bit difficult. But since they badly needed it, maintaining your focus and long patience is vital.
When you have dogs as your pets, you should know that training then plays a great role. Teaching them how to obey instructions will enable you to deal with them easily. What does obedience class or training teach you? Here are some of the benefits that you can have.
- It helps you to learn being an alpha.
- You learn how to enforce rules and commands.
- Know how to get respect from your dogs and learn how to effectively keep it.
It is important for you to learn that obedience training last for a lifetime. It’s a continuous process. So keeping your patience and focus whole heartedly with the training program is a great move. You and your family should take time to participate in obedience training. Your training will not just benefit you. The dogs can also enjoy a happy life through it. They will be having more freedom, be more confident and more comfortable with their surroundings.
