Are you my leader?
How did you do on our quiz, “Does My Dog Respect Me?”
If you scored high on this quiz (and your dog is a happy hound that doesn’t fear you), congratulations. You are a good leader and probably have a wonderful relationship to show for it!
If you scored low on this quiz, don’t feel bad, dogs have been working their magic (training humans) for at least 10,000 years!
You can see from the questions we asked that good leadership is based on:
1) Your dog respecting your personal space
2) You controlling “life rewards” – the everyday things that matter most to your dog: attention, play, food, toys, access to other dogs, off-leash time outside, etc.
To be a respected leader:
1) Don’t let your dog “walk all over you” – literally. Would you let me snatch something out of your hand? Bat at you to demand something? Jump on you, uninvited? How about bark in your face? (Space management is an important concept we teach in our courses – simple body blocking techniques make a big difference.)
2) Take control of life rewards and show your dog that polite, under-control behavior leads to good things while pushy, out-of-control behavior never gets him anywhere.
Combine this with bonding elements where you have fun together (play, petting, long walks, etc) and you’ve got the makings of a magic relationship with a well-mannered dog!
It’s fascinating that different people in your household may get different scores with the same dog! Try it. You’ll also find that you will get different scores with different dogs. Every relationship and personality is unique.
Read here for more keys to leadership:
Who is the Leader? Defining Factor #1
Who is the Leader? Defining Factor #2
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