Your Role As PACK LEADER

Your role as PACK LEADER...
Dogs, like other members of belonging to the canine genus (including wolves, coyotes, African wild dogs etc) are pack animals. In any organized and peaceful pack, there are leaders, middle and the lowest, Omega. You should be Alpha or leader. Even though your pup is your family and in many (too many) instances, given the same regard as a child. I do not say this to imply your dog does not deserve affection and love. Only that he is a DOG not a human and what you apply to him as a human is incorrect.
Failing to be the leader of your pack will make a dog unhappy. This can manifest itself into many behaviors from dominancy to fear biting. If you own a dominance minded canine and do not lead, he will attempt to do it for you. I say he but can apply to females just as much as males. More submissive dogs will become stressed and fearful and untrusting of you. In every case, no matter what your dog's natural inclination is, you MUST be pack leader.
For some people this conjures up being a bully. Not true. Some people have trouble disciplining anything because they equate it with being mean. What is mean is leaving your dog(s) without a leader. I have said this for years and years.
In some breeds, particularily the working breeds (Rott, GSD etc) it is vital to maintain control. Many of these dogs, purchased at pets end up in shelters or put down due to unstable temperament. No dog is born bad, we humans make them bad. Without knowing it we can destroy their chances of a happy life as a well adjusted pet. That is why only certain types of people with an understanding of a dog's mind should own these large and powerful breeds. I used to breed Rottweilers. I gave it up due to the surge in popularity, everyone wanted one, very few understood the responsibility of owning one. I adored my Rotts but I was leader of that pack, always.
While the French and English Bulldog are not nearly as challenging, there are some hard cases. Bulldogs (what we know as English which is not the proper name at all, it is simply Bulldog) were bred to fight bulls. This was a very long time ago and while most of them retain none of their former ferocity, as in every breed or mixed breed, some dogs are simply leadership material. French Bulldogs too have their dominant minded members. Both are very muscular and very strong breeds.
A good breeder will do some puppy testing. There are many things we can do to determine which pup(s) in the litter are destined to be leader, had they been born wild. A good breeder will tell you which are which in a litter.
In the case where you are visiting a breeder, keep this in mind. The most dominant pup, will also be the most out going. This is where many people begin to go wrong. The dominant pup will waddle over to you first. He will wag and lick and be very charming. Many people chose this pup. They will say things like "our pup chose us." Not true, he is merely the dominant one. Again, try very hard to remember these are dogs. They do not associate with our emotions. Unless you posess the temperament and knowledge to deal with dominancy in dogs, and there are varying degrees, this is your first mistake. Know who you are and what you are capable of dealing with.
Every time someone has talked to me about a dominant dog, they seem bewildered. You often hear things like "he bit with no warning". Not true, ever. Every dog gives a warning, they just missed it. Dogs do not just go nuts and attack. There is a reason why they do what they do and they will warn before they do it. The time between a warning and the action will vary but they do warn, always. A wagging tail can be a warning. Stillness can be a warning and usually is. A sideways look can be a warning and almost always is. The dog does not have to lunge or growl or carry on. Many signs of danger in dogs is silent body language, something most humans miss.
You cannot make a dominant dog behave and love you with petting and treats. Treats are a human thing. And a dominant dog can take them as his due. A dominant dog will not respond to spoiling or affection. He will only take it as encouragment. You can not convince a dominant dog to listen to you using manipulation. It will not work, ever.
On the the other side, we have fearful dogs. These are the Omegas who know their human is not leader. These dogs need leaders too. As much as a dominant dog but for different reasons. If you do not lead, they do not trust and some will bite out of fear. An Omega needs a pack leader to trust.
There are things you can do to insure that you are the boss/leader at your house. Right away when you get the pup home, any breed or mixed breed will benefit right away from these things. Assuming you have chosen the right pup for you, become the leader and stave off any issues you may have when the dog matures.
1. Take a puppy course. These are fun, a great way to socialize your pup, meet other dog lovers. Socialization is the key with any dog. Any breed. If your pup never sees another dog or people until he is grown, he will not know how to behave when he does. Even if he is not Champion obedience material, you will master leash training, sit and come. You have to be put yourself in the teacher role and he the student. It is important that dogs walked on leash walk beside you NOT in front. You lead not him.
2. Once you have managed to teach him how to sit, make him sit before you feed him. Randomly make him sit, without a treat. Always giving a reward is not good. Treats are again a human need, not a dog need. Sometimes the dog just needs to submit to your will.
3. Never step over a sleeping dog. Ever. Only dominant dogs get to rest where they please without interruption. Do not startle him, but nudge him gently, call his name, get him to move, if only a few feet. Make sure he knows that you want him to move. Make sure he does move.
4. Never allow your dog, when accompanied by you, exit your house first. Only dominant dogs go first, only leaders lead. You are the pack leader. This is another reason to master sit. Sit him and make him wait for your OK to go out. You go first. If you are only letting him outside to potty, without you, fine. But if the two of you are going anywhere together, you go first. Lead, do not follow him out.
5. Many pet owners allow their pets on the furniture. This sends a very distinct message in the dog. Only lead dogs have elevated look outs all the time. I am not saying that you should never allow your dog on the furniture. Only that a dominant dog will take this as a sign that yes he is equal or better than you. If you want the space he takes up in your chair, on your sofa, make him move. Do not sit on the floor or take a lesser position because you do not want to move him. Same goes for your bed. Allowing your dog to sleep in your bed, all night will encourage the dominant dog to take over. If you want your dog in your bedroom at night, buy him his own bed. Many nights finds me surrounded in bed by my dogs. But it's a visit, given with my permission. They are made to get down before I sleep.
6. While your pup is small, mess with his feet. Dominant dogs hate their feet touched. Spread his toes, lay him on his side or back and hold him till he relaxes. This is not play time, do not roll him around or get into a wrestling match. Just quietly hold him till he relaxes then let him up, no praise. Let him up and walk away.
7. Tone of voice and body posture is super important in all things but especially with dominant dogs. Many women have trouble mastering the quiet, authoritative tone. By virtue of gender, many of us have higher voices that get higher with emotion. A lot of women have less assertive body posture too. Femininity can be used against you with dominant dogs. As women become stressed or angry, the voice can get even higher. Resist this, remain calm. This is why most not all but most dog trainers, especially in the field of personal protection dogs are male. They are usually larger, have lower voices and are less emotional. Screaming at your dog will do nothing for any dog be it Alpha or Omega. I know a lot of women who despair that the male in the house can control the dog but not they. Some dominant dogs see this voice raising as a need for protection and become even more excited. Omegas become more fearful. Women, and men, stand up tall, speak with authority and lead. Also a lot of women do not want the dog "mad at them" This is a dog, he will not be mad at you if you lead. Ladies, this is a dog, not a child, not a human friend. While you should nurture and love it, you must also be leader of it. Remember that dogs do not experience emotion as humans do. They live by another code.
8. Other subtle signs of dominancy. Leaning on you. Pawing for attention, nudging under your hand, demanding you pet them. It is not cute or sweet. This is your dogs way of telling you that he is control. Get up and walk away, step away. Do not push, do not comment, simply change position so he cannot lean or nudge. If you dog is leaning while you stand, step away and step in front of him. Make him sit beside you. Do not allow him to lean on you. You choose when you give affection or attention, not him. Do not reward bad behavior. Do not pet to reassure or to calm down, this only tells your dog he will get affection and attention when he is behaving badly.
9. When you are sitting, anywhere and your dog puts his feet on your chest, shoulders, elevating himself to be at eye level or higher, this is bossiness. Do not allow it. Get up, no comment no pushing, just get up. If you are lying down and your dog stands over you, even licking your face, sit up. Any position that allows him to be physically above you is a no no in a dominant dog. Do not allow it unless you give him permission. Face licking is often a sign of your leadership but can be a dominant posture, depending on your dog.
10. Exercise is a must, yes even for "lazy" Bulldogs. A dog that has no physical outlet, will often become unhappy, neurotic or bad tempered. Of course, with the Bull breeds you need to be careful of heat but they still need exercise. Be it on the leash for a walk or in the back yard playing fetch.
Physical punishment is never a good idea. If you are a scrapper and you chose to get into a fight with your dog, you better win it if he is dominant. Many dominant dogs when faced with a physical owner will fight back. This can cause you to either become fearful or even angrier. Neither is good. We are humans and have the power of higher thinking, use your head not your fists, feet or rolled up newspapers. Remain calm at all times. No emotion, no screaming or yelling.
For those of you who think that being the boss will make your dog not love you? WRONG. He will love you more in fact. I am Alpha in my home and my dogs adore me. They adore me above all other household members. Some of them, the most dominant will only listen to me. If my daughters have issues, I back them up always. This lets my pack know that they will not boss my children around. Both of my kids are nearly grown so the dogs do not push it too far. As babies, they lived with Rottweilers, unfettered. It is important to note I did not say unsupervised. My children were taught the do's and don'ts of dogs very early. I used to freak people out when I would bring my Rotties to a parade or picnic, off leash. People would pick their children up, give me looks. However, after I "downed" the dogs, meaning I made them lie down or sit and they would obey and not test me, people would approach the big mean dogs and walk away happy. In addition being a breed that belongs to the AKC Working group, they had jobs to do. This kept them very happy. Rottweilers and other working breeds really must have a job and they must have a strong leader.
What gives me the right to tell you these things? I have raised guard dog breeds as mentioned, owned a couple of rescued bad asses, owned imported SCHIII (protection) Rotts. I had total off leash control of all of them. I am a Professional Groomer and for years had people with dogs no one else would do, come to me. I am very proud to say that grooming them was not an issue for me. Other groomers would only touch them if they were knocked out cold on drugs. Recently (May 06) a friend of ours asked me to help him with his Chow Chow. Notorious breed with groomers, most will not even touch them. I spent some time with this girl, away from her home on leash. This dog would not even allow her family to comb her rear end. It took some time but I am very proud to say she is groomed now. No drugs. I have all my appendages. Her owner is astounded.
I get a lot of emails about dogs biting kids. In every case, they say the attack was unprovoked. Not true, sorry. Here are some scenerios, real life in which a child was bitten.
Dog is on the couch He is lying down. Child sees the dog and comes to the couch. The child is above the dog. The child may reach over the dogs back or neck or get in his face with the child's head level or above the dog. The child may lean into the dog. Many parents see this as affection. Guess what? Many dogs see it as a threat. This is why children are often bitten in the face, the face is level with the dog's face. As adults we are taller than any other dog. Not kids. In addition the child may be making direct eye contact as well. Many dogs take this as an act of aggression if it comes from someone they see as inferior or threatening. Kid gets bitten and the adults scream about no warning. The dog warned, I bet you everything I have.
Another story, child is chasing the dog. It looks fun, the dog is tearing around, enjoying himself, may chase the child, may not. The child is laughing the dog is "grinning". Dog decides enough and ends the game, diving under the bed, behind the couch or in his crate. Child follows. Child is bitten. "They were playing!!" Yell the parents. Yes they were until the dog distinctly said enough. He said it loud and clear. I am done now. Child did not heed this. Followed the dog to his sancutary and is bitten as a warning to respect the dog's wishes.