Dog Psychology Archives - Page 2 of 19

Dog Psychology

Mastery

Mastery is very important when it comes to having balanced packs, particularly mastering the walk and mastering leadership. But what does “mastery” mean? Basically, it means command or grasp of a subject, or the state of being in control. Note, though, that mastery does not mean “being the best.” There are many people with a mastery of chess who could not beat the world champions no matter how hard they tried, although they still know enough about what they’re doing that they could beat a dozen amateurs at the same time. Mastering the walk and leadership just mean that you

September 21, 2020 No Comments

A dog takes a break after walking on a nice spring day.

All About Dogs

10 Of The Smartest Dog Breeds

Pack Leaders always want to believe that their dog is the smartest on the block, and while this may be true, a smart dog can come in many forms. Of course, a smart dog is just potential without a human willing to put in the time and effort to train and channel the dog’s intelligence. While all dogs are trainable, it’s important to understand your dog’s inherent abilities in order to know how to motivate him and bring out his natural intelligence. Here is a List of the 10 Smartest Dog Breeds. Is Your Dog One of Them? Border Collie

September 21, 2020 No Comments

Be the Pack Leader

How To Respect Your Fellow Pack Leaders

As a dog lover, it’s likely that you enjoy meeting new pups — whether they belong to friends, family members, or neighbors. But sometimes the excitement over getting to know a new dog can cause you to inadvertently overstep the boundaries of a fellow Pack Leader. Here are a few guidelines you should always keep in mind to help respect the rules, boundaries, and limitations set by other dog parents. If the Pack Leader asks you not to let their dog jump up on you or sit in your lap, comply — even if you don’t mind You may enjoy

September 16, 2020 No Comments

a dog sits outside waiting for ball to be thrown

Dog Care

How To Stimulate Your Dog’s Mind

Stimulating your dog’s mind and challenging him to try new things is one of the keys to fulfillment. Finding ways to work with a dog’s instinctual nature can bring out the best in them. The walk offers a structured routine that allows you to bond with your dog, but playtime can give you more opportunities to challenge them, enrich their lives, and establish an even deeper bond. Many owners think “play” means letting their puppy run wild, but play sessions can be productive and fun too with some focus that allows a mental component in addition to the physical. A

September 12, 2020 No Comments

Be Aware of Your Energy

A Powerful Paradox

In the years that I’ve been working with dogs, I’ve met some pretty powerful people. Not all of them are necessarily famous, but a lot of them have daily lives where they’re in charge of many others, or they run Fortune 500 companies, or they’ve been elected to office. They’re the kind of people who can make things happen with a word, and their subordinates listen to them — sometimes out of fear, but usually out of respect for their knowledge and authority. No Authority With Pets But there’s a reason that I’ve met these people. They’re very powerful in

September 12, 2020 No Comments

All About Dogs

How to ‘Tsch!’

One of the things Cesar is best known for is his use of the sound “tsch” to correct dogs, but the sound itself is not the secret to its success. If you have trouble making the sound, you can use anything, really — a snap of the fingers, a clicker, or even a word like “hey” or “no.” The important part is that you use the same sound consistently. What makes “tsch” work is the intention and energy behind it. “Tsch” is only effective when you deliver it with calm, assertive energy and have an intention — that being what

September 7, 2020 No Comments

Dog Psychology

How to Tell Which Dog is Alpha: Dog Pack Hierarchy

Cesar’s Fifth Natural Dog Law says, “Dogs are social pack animals with a leader and followers.” They are happiest when they have this structure because the followers want to be told what to do and know what the leaders expect of them. By the time a dog is an adult, it knows its pack position instinctively and is not going to change it. This is why you can’t turn a follower into a leader. If you put a dog like that in charge, it will become anxious or fearful because it won’t know what to do. The Source of Dominance

August 24, 2020 No Comments

All About Dogs

6 Tips For Mastering The Dog Walk

Here are six dog training tips on how to walk your dog and master the dog walk. When I’m out with my dog pack, I often walk about ten dogs at a time, sometimes even off-leash if I’m in a safe area. People are amazed by this, but it’s simple: the dogs see me as their pack leader. This is why dogs follow me wherever I go. Here are 6 Tips for Mastering the Dog Walk Walk in Front of Your Dog Walking in front of your dog allows you to be seen as the pack leader. Conversely, if your

August 24, 2020 No Comments

A dog owner trains her puppy on rules, boundaries, and limitations.

Dog Psychology

Pack Leadership Technique 3: Establish Rules, Boundaries And Limitations.

Because of their nature as social pack animals, dogs want us to tell them what they’re supposed to do. Their goal is to help the pack survive, and they do it by following the pack leader. It’s the job of the pack leaders to provide protection and direction. Establishing and enforcing rules, boundaries, and limitations is how they provide direction to the pack. Rules, Boundaries, and Limitations ‘ Rules refer to what a dog is and isn’t allowed to do: Stay off of my bed but sleep on yours; don’t jump on people; don’t pull on the walk. ‘ Boundaries

August 15, 2020 No Comments

All About Dogs

5 Ways To Make The Walk More Interesting

Dogs need walks. Walks provide them with exercise, help you assert your position as Pack Leader, and bring some fun to the day for both of you. But what do you do when that fun fades and you and your dog seem to just be going through the motions, bored and waiting for the walk to be over so you can go back home? It doesn’t have to be this way, and we’ve come up with five dog-walk tips designed to alleviate boredom for both you and your pup. Take the road less traveled Lots of dog lovers come up

August 15, 2020 No Comments