# Pack leader



## Shmoodog (Jul 26, 2016)

Hi, i just got a 7 1/2 week old puppy and how would I go about showing him I'm in charge?


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Be firm and consistent. Start with something simple like teaching sit. You can't do much at 7 1/2 weeks. This is the time you get to cuddle and hold him. Get him used to being touched. Do practice vet exams. Touch his paws and near his tail area and around his mouth. Massage his abdomen.


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## Ripley2016 (Mar 6, 2016)

Shmoodog said:


> Hi, i just got a 7 1/2 week old puppy and how would I go about showing him I'm in charge?


Make him sit before you give him food. Walk through doors before he does when going in and out. Always follow through on every command - don't give him the option to decide not to do something if you know he can do it. Be the boss and treat him like a dog, not a child. (I have two small children so this is especially hard for me, LOL!)


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## Shmoodog (Jul 26, 2016)

Ripley2016 said:


> Make him sit before you give him food. Walk through doors before he does when going in and out. Always follow through on every command - don't give him the option to decide not to do something if you know he can do it. Be the boss and treat him like a dog, not a child. (I have two small children so this is especially hard for me, LOL!)




I have a step to get outside and inside and he can't get up the step so how would I go first?


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

Don't get too fixated on pack, alpha, all that stuff and forget to play with him and have some fun. Its as important as anything else you'll do.


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

And take every opportunity to praise him when he does something right!Even by accident.Make him want to make you happy!


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

Forget everything you think you know about being a pack leader / alpha / boss. It's all part of dominance theory training which has been thoroughly debunked. Studies on actual dog packs show a fluid hierarchy and transient "pack members". All that stuff about the "alpha" eating first and going through doorways is bull. In nature pack leaders don't even eat first. Your dog walking ahead of you isn't going to make him think he is calling the shots. Though it is a good idea to train threshold boundaries for safety's sake.

Basically the only advice you should take from Ceaser Millan and his cronies is that bit about exercise and your self exerting a calm energy. No need to pin your dog. No need to hang him and choke him out. No need to micromanage every moment of his day.

Learn up on the 4 quadrants of conditioning. Find a good balanced trainer who emphasises positive reinforcement during the puppyhood stage to guide you.

Be consistent. Be fair. Set up expectations. Set your dog up to succeed. There should be far more praise for good behavior then reprimands for unwanted behavior.

And enjoy puppyhood. It doesn't last long enough.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Puppies are puppies tons of repetition their little brains are just that and still can't grasp many things. When they don't listen it is not because they are challenging you they are babies. All puppies are different also. Patience is key in the puppy phase.set them up for success what dogma said when they do what you want and praise them up down left and right.
I do know that they are not young kids but it often reminds me of what they did at school and we do at home reward the positive it will make anybody want to shine.- it is a process. Everybody wants recognition even the animals. Yes most of all have fun so important.

This was a good book about puppy stages


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

Have fun. Build a good relationship. Start to shape behaviors you want in the dog. Introduce marker training. Reward the good stuff. Play a lot.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

Same doggie all grown up. Start shaping what you want now. It makes life easier later. Don't worry about being the boss right now. You already are.


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

David Winners said:


> Same doggie all grown up. Start shaping what you want now. It makes life easier later. Don't worry about being the boss right now. You already are.


Yes. This.  

There is ALOT you can do with setting the foundation for things you want later. 

Here's some of what I did between 8 and 16 weeks that help built a foundation for things later on. I am a fan of clicker training but you can use what ever marker and reward you like/you pup responds best to:

Foundation for off leash obedience: Take the pup to a safe place outside where he can be loose. Let him explore. Imagine a 3 foot radius circle around you. Everytime the pup enters that circle - click and reward. If he chooses to stay in the circle - reward like crazy. Lots of treats lots of play. This firmly established in your pups brain that sticking to their human is much better then anything else they can do off leash outside. 

Foundation for loose leash walking: have the pup on his leash. Walk around a bit. The moment that he puts any tension on the leash you stop immediately. When the pup puts more slack in the line. Click and treat and continue on the walk. Leash pulling can become a self rewarding behavior. The dog pulls and it gets to where it wanted faster. Teach the pup from the get go that pulling gets him no where. It's kinda like training a horse - you start when they are foals and you can physically control them. They learn to give to the lead and then when they are pushing 1000lbs - they still think you can out power them because they never had the opportunity to succeed at pulling.

Foundation for place: Take a sleepy puppy and put him on the mat you will use for the place command. If he tries to move off of it - just plop him back on until he falls asleep. 

Off button foundation: periodically during the day give your enough/settle command. You can physically hold the pup still for a few seconds if you need to. And reward. Also mark and reward calm behavior. Build duration and introduce at increasingly high levels of excitement over time.

Recall foundation: Take advantage of your pup's natural instincts to follow, go out into a big open area and break out into a run. Get ahead of your puppy. Turn around squat down and call him. He'll already be running towards you and when he gets there PARTY TIME. 

Doing these things makes training the command much easier when the dog is more mature.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

If dogs going through doors ahead of us means they're in charge then I am doomed lol.

I always use this example: I walk my dogs offleash in the woods all the time. They are frequently ahead of me, off to the side, all over the place. When we get to an intersection of trails, they stop and look back at me to see which way we are going because even if they are way up ahead, they are still following me.

And also, don't let your puppy get in the habit of doing anything that won't be cute when an 80lb dog does it.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

With these young pups I like to: teach them tug by the rules and, when doing well, add fetching, sits, downs (no stays), recall short distances, walking on leash and, most importantly, learning to follow you off leash, impulse control at the door. Basically all the basics in the next two weeks at a itty bitty puppy level. Super fun. And yes, forget about that Alpha stuff; its outdated and interferes with the fun of having a pup. I have raised them this way for the last 20 years and it worked great.
Oops, forgot to mention socializing; There is a fabulous thread on this on this forum.
Read the poem about the land shark some where on this forum.


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