How to be the Alpha Dog for your Jack Russell
Owning a dog, especially a Jack Russell, is not as easy as just bringing your dog home, feeding it and playing with it. Owning a dog involves a commitment on your part. As such, one of the first things you will need to prepare for your dog is for him to be included in dog obedience training.
However, to make it easier for yourself in obedience training your dog, you will need to establish this role, popularly called the “Alpha Dog” role, for yourself. In this role, you essentially take it upon yourself to become your terrier’s pack leader. It is important for you to take this position because you can adjust your perceptions to be more like your dog, not the other way around. Dogs also cannot understand the consequences of their actions.
In the role of Alpha Dog, you will have to complete a specific set of tasks on a daily basis. This set of actions established the control and structure needed to shape your dog’s life. Ideally, you should start implementing these strategies as early as possible.
I would like to share with you some of the strategies that I have used successfully.
Alpha Leader Strategies
It’s important to do these things daily and consistently so they become part of your, your dog’s and your family’s lifestyle. You need to come up with a set of “rules” because then it’s easier to enforce them if something doesn’t conform to those rules. Rules can be something as simple as not yelling at your dog when he barks excessively, etc.
As an Alpha Leader, you will need to ensure that you observe and practice the following:
• Set up and make the whole family understand the rules
• Introduce and enforce rules immediately – as soon as you bring your dog or puppy home
• Be consistent in applying the rules
• Never apply the rules when you are angry or tired
• Never yell at or hit your dog
• Never reinforce fearful or aggressive behavior
• Always reward good behavior with affection and treats
Your Jack Russell is a very smart dog. Even with rules in place, he will always challenge you for the position of Alpha Dog unless you have established that dominance first. Here are some important factors to note in the process of establishing yourself as an Alpha Dog.
• Be calm and assertive – As a leader, you must be calm and confident at all times. You must always be consistent and persistent in your actions. On your dog’s part, before you allow him to do anything, you must ask him to remain calm and obedient. This is especially important during leash training and feeding time. Training your dog to be calm and submissive will also make it easier to avoid the symptom of anxious behavior known as separation anxiety.
• Reward your dog – Like all of us, dogs can be conditioned to rewards. For example, when you train your Jack Russell to sit and give him a treat the first 10 times he sits, he will associate the fact that sitting is a good thing. Later, you can replace the treat with praise, and he’ll likely continue to sit because he’s waiting for your positive attention. After all, it will be enough to simply respond to your command.
• Body language is key – dogs respond to many stimuli and body language is one of them. Stand tall, keep your head up, and don’t back away when addressing them. You don’t have to look them in the eye or shout, and you should always be confident and in total control.
Find out how to be Alpha Dog for your Jack Russell and you will find that your dog will respond to your commands and will also be easier to train and obey. On top of that, the dog problems your friends have with their dogs are strangely no longer present in your Jack Russell when you become his Alpha Leader.
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