Newsletters
July 2012
I hope you enjoyed last month’s newsletter. this month’s featured article is The Importance of Being Alpha. I’ve had a great response to my referral program. Keep sending those pooches and get you free night’s boarding!
Featured Article – How to Correct Excessive Barking
Dogs bark for many reasons. They may be warning you of something, burning off excess energy, anxious, lonely, asking for attention, instigating play, greeting you, or just plain bored. Some breeds bark more than others because they were bred to bark (for example, Lhasa Apsos were bred to give warning barks as indoor guard dogs in Tibet).
You don’t want to stop your dog’s descended from wolves, and deep within the psyche of your dog lies instincts it has retained from its wild ancestors. In order to live with and communicate with your dog you need to understand why you must maintain alpha position in the “pack.”
Wolves live by rules and have a social structure. The entire pack cooperates under a single leader. Lines are clearly defined. The leader of the pack always goes first. For example, they eat first, and then the rest of the pack can eat. When your dog growls at you when you are eating, he is saying, “I am the leader and you must wait.” Here are some other examples of alpha dog behavior and how you can establish yourself as the pack leader:
1. By far, the most unacceptable alpha behavior is baring teeth, growling and/or biting. NEVER tolerate these behaviors, even if done while playing. This is a threat and it means your dog sees you as a subordinate meant to be dominated by him. Tell him “no!”
2. Less obvious signs include:
constantly demanding attention by being pushy and begging. Also, if he is constantly leaning on you, putting his paw on you, or touching you in some way, this is not your dog loving you, it is your dog displaying dominant behaviors. Tell him “no”, then ignore him and push him away until he stops this behavior. Once he is obeying you and submissive, reward him. A dog that is constantly nudging you is not only disrespecting you, he is being the alpha dog.
3. Dogs are much more territorial than humans and demonstrate “ownership” of certain areas and people. If your dog refuses to get off a piece of furniture, you need to “re-claim” it. Also, sitting in high places, looking down on everything shows he overseeing “his domain”.
4. Likewise, when your dog is guarding you from others approaching, people think they are being “protective”, however, it’s actually “claiming” behavior – in other words, your dog “owns”you.
5. Persistence about getting through the doorway first and walking in front of humans demonstrates in his doggie mind that he is the leader.
6. The number one cause of separation anxiety is a human’s lack of leadership. In wolf packs, lesser members never leave the leader. It’s a sign of disrespect. So, when you leave your dog and he shows signs of high anxiety (barking, whining, overly excitability), he is letting you know he’s not happy that you aren’t letting him be in control AKA alpha.
Why are correcting these behaviors so important? Dogs are happiest when they are secure about the pack order and know the rules to follow. It’s cruel to punish a dog when he disobeys you, if you never showed him what is expected of him. Humans are happiest when their dogs are relaxed and respectful of their surroundings, so let your pooches know what behaviors are and are not acceptable. Show him what pleases you, so that he never has to hear the words “bad dog” come out of your mouth again. 
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Did you Know? Amazing dog rescue stories
An elderly woman was saved by her 12 pound Yorkshire Terrier who fought off an 80 pound Akita and survived with only 9 stitches
A pit bull named Lilly risked her life to pull her unconscious owner from the path of an oncoming freight train
A five pound Chihuahua named Zoey from Colorado, made headlines in 2007 for rescuing a one year old child from an approaching three foot rattlesnake
A half wolf/half German shepherd saved an elderly couple from a treacherous snow storm. When she found her owners trapped by snow, she went to work, diligently digging out a tunnel through which she would pull the couple back to the safety of their home.
Honey was the 2006 Dog of the Year, an award she earned by saving her owner from a violent car accident. When she and her owner found their SUV rolled over and stuck upside down in a deep ravine , she struggled free and ran 5 miles to get the attention of a man and bring him to the scene of the accident, saving her owner’s life.
If these stories don’t demonstrate the love and bond between dogs and their owners, I don’t know what else would.