Don't Be The Boss...Be The Pack Leader!!

When we switched philosophies to being the Pack Leader, not the "Boss", the changes in my pack are truly inspiring - they are with me...they will follow me and they are not all obedience trained! Here are some of my "key differences" between boss and leader:

To be a boss is "human hierarchy" - Bosses make demands, issue orders and expect staff to do exactly as they are instructed - between humans we can have this structure as we understand the rules, but for a dog "a boss" is not a leader, rather they are someone who gives commands and believes that a dog should obey the boss's demands always BUT

• Sometimes dogs refuse to obey the boss..."oh how I remember this one!!"
  
• Dogs have various ranks, while they may not be the boss as you the human are, a high ranked dog can still be the leader of the pack and that can over-rule a boss..."Eddie was the leader of the pack here!"
  
• Middle ranked dogs can feel insecure in such a structure as bosses have various ranks below them, like middle management, with middle ranked dogs = fighting between dogs over status/rank. While lower ranked dogs can feel insecure - Dogs can feel over-powered by a boss and behave fearfully or overly-submissive even using learned helplessness. "3 male Terriers would competitively fight...and fight!"
• Dogs cannot be bribed or negotiated with - a tactic used by some bosses. "Often Max would refuse a piece of food if there was something else he was focused on!"
• A dog does not follow a boss, they may do as they are told but this is not the same as following naturally out of respect, more likely through training obedience or for a "pay rise" which means a dog will only do something for a treat!! Or they do as told out of fear of consequences such as "being ignored" or "time-out" - human psychology dogs do not understand. "I put Alfie outside once as a consequence for not recalling - he just curled up on the bench and went to sleep quite content!"

Being a Pack Leader is dog, not human, psychology = successful communication between species. A Pack Leader is a rank and status a dog respects, the consistent structure and pack dynamics are those a dog understands - so we have follower dogs who respect us and want to please their leader - they want to work for their leader and place in the pack! Dogs do not follow unstable leaders - they only follow calm assertive leaders, to rant at a dog, use angry/frustrated energy or use physical force then these are actions of a boss or a weak leader which dogs do not respect and will not follow unless made to = back to being more of a boss again!

• Pack Leaders claim the alpha, highest rank/status, we have equal ranked follower dogs - we do not acknowledge any dog ranks in our packs = no fights!!
  
• Pack Leaders use calm assertive energy not physical dominance or aggression, "dominant type" dogs become follower dogs no longer acting-out dominance over the pack.
  
• We don't need commands, energy alone can have our dogs following our lead. Our dogs behave with calm submission with "no touch no talk no eye contact".
  
• We can give out verbal "commands" or physical signals (body language) - once we have taught them we can use them to direct and redirect our dogs, not to boss them around!
  
• Our dogs follow us out of respect - we do not bribe them or ask them to do things, the power of positive projection "energy" is a language our dogs understand.
  
• We communicate with clear and consistent rules, boundaries and limits - Discipline.
  
• We understand the need for "exercise first", we don't shower our dogs with affection first, our dogs earn their affection = natural dog pack psychology and behaviour.


• Human Leader with Follower Dog creates a bond of trust, fulfills our dogs need for the natural structure they understand and need.

I believe we should all be our dogs pack leaders, benevolent leaders not the boss!

Peace returns to our lives, chaos gone - balance achieved between people and dogs Cesar's Way! As I said at the start - "inspirational" this is also a great word to describe Cesar Millan - the original, genuine Pack Leader! Make being the "boss" old school, "Be The Pack Leader" - use energy not so many human words ...get in tune with your instincts, avoid humanising dogs and too much human analysis to solve dog behaviour problems over-complicates - So keep it simple, work with nature not against it and live in the now - dogs do!

Stay Calm Assertive - Stay balanced

Pack Leading = Contented Canine Companions!

Good Brush - Good Dog!!

The key here is to change a dogs association with the combination of human and the brush.

This method helps fearful dogs to recover mental and physical stability.

First after exercise, some real energy draining exercise, wait until your dog is truly calm submissive - relaxed body (not tense) and relaxed mind (not focused). Have some treats at the ready or prepare your voice for some gentle praise. Put a leash on your dog so that you have control, we don't want your dog running off to hide now! Sit down or having the dog standing on a table if they are really small, so you can make good warm eye contact. Hold the brush as far away from your dog as you can without letting go of the leash, preferably far enough away that your dog does not show a negative reaction! No talk and No Touch just encouraging yet confident eye contact.

Reward only calm submissive behaviour and mind. You are communicating to your dog this is a good thing - the brush being held by the human!

Gradually, - slowly and this is key, bring the brush closer to your dog, only moving the brush ever closer as your dog does not react negatively. Reward as you go - only for calm submissive behaviour. If your dog carries out unwanted behaviour then go back a step to when they did not act-out but do not give up now else once again they win the context! Keep going until you have the brush touching your dog and reward - as ever only reward calm submissive behaviour...I can't say this one enough as to praise anything else is to reinforce acting-out around the brush! If you do need to break this up into different sessions then always end a session on a positive note - so you still win the context!

Keep exercises short at first, building up to being able to groom your dog using any tool, this is systematic desensitisation and it works! Soon you may well have a dog who loves to be groomed - still having problems then Email me for personal advice.

Believe it or not but I did have to do this with my Gt Dane some 5 years ago who was fearful of the brush! Monty's sheer size made me more wary of a bite and I lost my confidence a little, so I used this approach instead!

Cesar's Way - dogs prefer to return to balance, aggressive behaviour is insecure behaviour, rehabilitation of the behaviour will change their response enabling recovery to begin!

Once again though - consult with a "Pro" if you can - maybe try thinking of it this way - would you expect to learn how to be a top singer without a vocal coach, the same is true for grooming or any other canine behaviour = contact a dog psychologist who can help you to understand your dog and teach you how to achieve balance between owners and dogs.

Cesar's Way - It works when we work it - Stay Calm Assertive

Grooming Gremlin!

This is the name of an episode of the Dog Whisperer Show with Cesar Millan, Season 1, and also the nickname of our Chihuahua mix Jack, who way back was just this - a complete nightmare to groom he truly transformed into a Gremlin!

Jack would snarl and "air bite" whenever I came near him with a brush and as for scissors...then his growl sounded worse than one from Max the Dobey! Small Jack may be but is size only, he is a naturally high ranked dog who given the opportunity will dominate others! This was Jack dominating me, only alpha dogs get to choose who they groom and when/how they do it, Jack thinking he was higher ranked than me was warning me off.

Another reason dogs can become "grooming gremlins" is through fear - they are afraid as they have been hurt before (not deliberately but hair snagged with a comb for example or their mind reads the human's energy which may be over assertive) or they may simply have a general fearful/nervous nature, so they growl/bark basically to protest the grooming/vocalize their fear and it works - the owner stops and begins backing away so "hey" the dog knows this behaviour works to keep human from grooming them so guess what? They keep on doing it!

Either way a dog wins the context so they keep on repeating the unwanted behaviour and aggression indicates insecure dog (unstable mind) who needs our help.

With Jack the rehab began with me establishing myself as his Pack Leader, I would not allow any dominance posturing from this little dog, though he could look cute! Once I made a decision to groom him I had to check first that my energy was completely calm and assertive because any hesitation on my part would mean Jack would win again! Well he snarled, he yapped, he escalated his protest trying to bite me (and managed one time) but I did not back down, eventually he submitted to the grooming and to this day is no longer a gremlin - just ask the Dog Groomer!!

For Jack this process is part of discipline - after exercise and before affection = Jack is calm submissive before and during grooming..... sometimes he falls asleep!

Of course I am a professional - so folks don't try this at home unless you are very experienced with your dog who respects you as Pack Leader first - check out Cesar's Way or consult with a behaviourist first as such behaviour can be a symtom of many other underlying problems! IMPORTANT POINT - Any dog of course who seems to suffer pain when grooming 9aggression can be a reaction to physical pain) should consult with their vet first so the dog be checked-out first in case there is a medical expalantaion.

Remember Jack's top tip - growl and my owner stays away!! - So owners don't hesitate - be calm, be confident, be assertive = Be the Pack Leader and then you can groom whenever you wish! Remember too my top tip - If in doubt have your dog wear a muzzle as to get to practice reactive, unwanted, aggressive responses means the dog gets to practice the behaviour so they just get better at it - get in a pro to help you rehab and Stay Safe.

Another way to help a dog who is afraid of the brush/scissors coming up next.

"Oh no another dog over there!!"

Today I have been watching some of Cesar's DVDs and came to a sudden realization, well actually it was a moment of recollection really!!

In the summer here at the beach we get used to people and their dogs visiting the beach frequently, my dogs are taught to avoid both. So when winter comes we are more used to having the beach "other dog free", so my pack get to run free much more. Thing is when I see another dog at this time of year I slip back into old thinking "oh no there's another dog here on lead everyone"...well I am only human! The dogs pick up on this weak energy of mine, on the outside I am saying to the pack "don't react, be submissive" and yet my energy is clearly saying something else - that I don't want these other dogs on the beach right now this is my time!

In the season 2 of Cesar's DW shows there is an episode called "Spooked Hootie" where the owner is thinking that she is over a previous incident when Hootie was spooked by children, then realizes she is also thinking "oh no children are here" as Hootie has become afraid of children, Cesar explains on how this means she is 2 energies - the superficial energy saying to Hootie "It's all OK" and the real energy which was saying "Oh no chidlren here" therefore holding onto the past issue, unintentionally reinforcing Hootie's fear! Dogs know when we are acting, they know which energy is real. Hootie recovered from his fear really well once the owner truly let go of the past and changed her own and Hootie's association with children.

So my most reactive of dogs the Ratpack Terriers were picking up on my real energy in not liking the other dogs around, ignoring my acting energy of it's all OK. So they have begun acting-out again using aggressive vocalization and posturing dominance!

I caused this "relapse" - just watching this episode has reminded me of this - the power of our energy, I must truly let go of this thinking pattern and believe that it is a good thing to have other dogs around again! All summer when I truly did not mind my dogs passed by other dogs just great, my energy was calm assertive then to keep them all under control and I did not feel frustrated with other dogs being around.

This can apply to any context, a dog who gets excited upon seeing another dog can lead the owner into thinking "oh no another dog we have to pass-by" and then their dog does exactly what they do not want them to do..jump about! Think about it and be totally honest is your energy truly calm assertive or are you saying something else to your dog from your inside energy?

Positive projection works - when we are truly seeing and believing in the picture we want rather than the one we do not want...we leave behind the old energy - we move-on by changing our thinking patterns as well!

Fireworks...And The Dogs!

When the bangers go "bang" so does Peterpan!

Peterpan, being an anxious type dog, fireworks = stress for him ... particularly the bangers on fireworks night ...tonight the 5th of November, ....and unfortunately "bonfire night & fireworks parties" go on for many nights afterwards! This can be a tough time of year for some of us animal owners! This is how we get through this nightmare of seasons...and I am still at a loss to understand why humans like fireworks anyway?!!

Most of my dogs are not bothered by fireworks but we still drain as much energy as we can do to make sure all are resting when it gets dark! We begin the day with exercise...we then exercise some more and for Peterpan even more!

Here are my top tips:

• Drain energy from your dog - exercise! Try faster paced exercise such as running or cycling or even games of fetch it...over and over again!
• I Feed just before it gets dark as my dogs naturally rest after food.
• Take your dog out for another walk just before it gets dark or as close as you can to a display if you know when it is due, allowing time for a dog to get settled into the resting zone pre-fireworks!!
• Have the TV...radio...stereo on and loudish - but "Watch out" as some soap programmes do indeed feature "fireworks" so keep the remote handy!
• And - if there is a lull in this distraction noise - try singing, laughing or coughing loudly ... I do!!
• Use Dog psychology to overcome unstable mind - Ignore any acting-out e.g. protests like whining, shaking or pacing around - as to acknowledge or try to comfort a dog is using human psychology - with dogs to do this and share affection when the mind is unstable is to reinforce the wrong energy, mindset and acting-out behaviour...so don't be tempted to cuddle! Trust me - dog psychology enables your dog to move-on and out of the fearful-zone much more quickly - this is how I help my dogs to recover from fear of fireworks. If you must "cuddle" find a human instead...or a teddy bear :-)
• Humans - Clam Assertive energy please! Picture the calm scene you do want and don't even think about the fireworks as a dog will know if you are anxious or focused on them in any way!
• If the acting-out is too much e.g. aggressive/destructive/toileting/vocalization - then I step-in with calm energy to correct, for the most nervous of dogs it is best to have them leashed to avoid getting accidentally hurt by a dog who is frightened, give a leash "pop" and remember to redirect the dog - what do you want them to do instead?
• Remember too that it is very hard for an excited or nervous dog to sit/down calmly - have something else prepared for them to do instead! - Have a way for the dog to release pent-uo nervous energy - I have a chew toy for Peter so he can displace his frustrated energy!
• Reward relaxed behaviour with your mind - think "good dog" as your dog does understand this energy as rewarding from us and keep your facial expression "happy" - smile so you are communicating "relaxed human relaxed dog"!

I have some Rescue Remedy for Peterpan which helps him to calm down, I take some too :-)
Off for another walk now - Peterpan you will be tired!!

Stay safe - Stay Calm Assertive

Breed....BOB!!

Introducing you to a "Mix of breeds" dog - BOB! In this picture he is "in touch with his Border Collie side"!! And here he is with 3 Tennis Balls...each one is "Bob's Ball"!!! Bob ...check out his colour and markings .... you will not grow up to be a real Border Collie ... you are 6 yrs now!

Thankfully Cesar believes dogs as "Animal first" then "Species Dog" then "Breed" then "name" = which means that I can fulfill all my dogs through exercise even if I do not know their true breeding!

So how do I fulfill Bob's "breed"? Bob who is Border Collie (BC) mixed with a Jack Russell Terrier (JRT) ...well he goes on two walks every day - one where he seems to be more BC so he plays ball over and over again, the other with the Terriers brings out his JRT side so he sniffs around, goes under vegetation searching, digs holes in the sand and much more that Terriers do - today he chased a hare across a field..no chance of catching up with this fast animal but he tried - totally in tune with his JRT instincts!

All my breeds for sure see themselves as animal then dog, but will "breed pack up" when resting - the Setters lie together and the Terriers next to each other as well as on top of each-other!

There are so many ways we can fulfill our dogs or their breed through exercise without having to "give-in" to their more primal instincts or behaviour! I mean though I do work some of my Terriers to catch rats I am not going to turn this into a sport by giving them a bunny each day to fulfill their instinct! So instead I drain their energy through walks and far more appropriate sport like chase it games - back to that trusted tennis ball...oh man do I get through bags of tennis balls thank goodness they are sold in a £1 shop!! Oh and Bob just loves the squeaky toys but they do not last long - he gets the squeak out in seconds! He will go into a pet shop and not act like most dogs he leaves the food and treats alone but picks up all the toys he can to see if they have a squeak!

To end with a little humanizing between us Human Pack Leaders - if I could say what Bob's dream would be it would be - Wimbledon - a job as a "ball boy"!!!