Condition Benji to enjoy gentle handling and restraint. Conduct regular grooming sessions, telling him how great he is when he's cooperative. Even dogs with short coats can be gone over with a soft brush or a grooming glove. One or two very short, positive sessions are better than one long session. While you’re at it, be alert for bumps, cuts, fleas and anything out of the ordinary.
Don't start with a battle. If your dog has a matted coat, splurge on a professional grooming job. Get a referral from your veterinarian to a groomer who uses gentle, dog-friendly techniques. Once your dog's coat is in order your own grooming sessions can be short, sweet and less stressful for you both.
If Benji has trouble keeping still, consider using Peanut Butter Therapy. A tiny smear of peanut butter at nose level on a washable vertical surface such as the refrigerator door will distract, reward and control the dog's head for a few strokes of the brush. Once Benji's happy being handled, get him used to being up on a table or bench for grooming. It’s easier on your back and it helps him accept being out of his territory and at ease in yours or the vet’s.
Muzzle Control Is a Natural Leadership Gesture
When dogs are playing among themselves, the one in the dominant role sometimes expresses his position by putting his mouth over the other dog's muzzle. We can talk to our dogs using their own language by mimicking some of these signals. Does Benji enjoy being stroked and petted? Finish by putting your hand over the top of his muzzle. Gently hold it there for a few seconds. Don't squeeze this is not punishment, it's just a new ending to your routine petting and attention.
Some dogs may try to mouth your hand. If so, discontinue the muzzle control exercise until later in the ALPHAbetizing program when Benji’s attitude adjustment is well under way. Another option is to apply a taste deterrent to your hands.
Leaders Control Territory
Most of the world’s wars have been fought over territory. But not everyone during those times really cared about the boundaries. Same with your dog. Territory may not be important to Benji; perhaps he places other valuable resources higher on his list. Benji may care more about food or toys, for instance, but teaching him to be mannerly and out of the way is still important.
The ALPHAbetize Yourself program is not entirely about rank reduction, it’s about laying a foundation for training manners in general. Rank just happens to enter into it for a lot of dogs.
If you feel you need an edge on leadership, don't allow Benji to get into the habit of occupying strategic positions or passageways in your home. If Benji is lying down in a hallway or a doorway and you want to pass, ask him to move over or nudge him gently with your toe. Don't step over or around him, just say “shoo, shoo, get out of way” and shuffle your feet in his direction or nudge him with your toe. If for no other reason than safety, he needs keep out of people’s way.
Provide him with a legal alternative for a resting place. Benji should be shown that there are places at home where he can relax undisturbed. You might be interested in providing him with a crate as his private den.
At your front door, car door or fence gate, Benji is apt to get excited and want to barge through ahead of you to see what’s new on this part of his turf. This is a security risk and bad manners. Restrain him with the leash or a verbal command. Have him wait until you pass or until he is invited to go through.
Leaders Get the Best Resting Place
Owners of dominant dogs report that most challenges have occurred over possession of a resting place. The ALPHAbetize program is designed to help prevent these thoughts from entering your dog's mind. Companionship is one of the finest features of sharing your life with a dog. While life together is not a democracy, you can be a benevolent dictator. It's fine to have Benji in your bedroom, just not on the bed, until you are very sure he acknowledges you as leader. After a while, you can begin inviting Benji up for visits once in a while. The same concept applies to chairs, if you allow Benji on furniture. Periodically ask him to get off a chair. The first couple of times you can bribe him with a treat a bribe makes getting down happen. Then you can graduate to rewarding him as soon as he gets down getting down makes the reward happen.
If Benji is already giving you trouble over resting places, the ALPHAbetize Yourself program is not for you. Get some help from a pet problems professional.
Leaders Are Teachers
Instead of concentrating on the negative, accentuate the positive! Train an acceptable behavior to take the place of the wrong behavior. Now you can reward instead of punish. Praise Benji for lying down for a pat rather than punishing him for jumping up on Junior. Reward him for sitting at the threshold instead of dashing out the door. One behavior competes with the other. Just be sure the one you want has the best reward!
Leaders Are Fair, Kind and Consistent
A long-term relationship based on trust will help keep communication channels open. This is the foundation upon which to build future training programs.
