A Tale of Two Kittens and One Puppy » On being a benevolent leader

Being the alpha dog was paramount in dog training circles for many years; in some, it still is. So much so that trainers may still recommend you do alpha rolls with your dominant dog.

With the rise of positive training methods, it’s now more recommended that you be a benevolent leader. In fact, most trainers who advocate positive methods say that’s what alpha dogs are anyway.

So just what is a benevolent leader? According to “Taming the Dominant Dog“:

Being the “Alpha” does not mean acting like an ogre with your dog. In fact it’s your responsibility as a pack leader to treat your dog humanely and fairly, and to protect him from physical and emotional harm. Being an effective pack leader means being authoritive without being harsh, gentle and kind without being over-permissive. Like a good parent, being “Alpha” means combining the best traits of a guardian, teacher, ally, friend and benevolent leader.

But if you’re a novice dog owner like me, sometimes it’s hard to determine just what your dog is. Is he dominant? Chester likes to jump up on the couch, for instance. And yes, we sometimes carry him around, which is said to give dog an inflated view of their own worth.

Yet Chester gets off the couch when I tell him to. And he’s not allowed on the couch unless he sits & stays. That’s part of being a benevolent leader.

Is he submissive? He sure looks it sometimes when I get angry (yes, I try not to, but I’m human): ears down, tail slightly tucked. He’ll do a submissive roll when he first starts to play with new dogs, but then he tries to hump certain dogs — which is said to be dominant behavior, but also can just be excitement.

And part of being a benevolent leader is about controlling resources (food, toys, petting, play, etc.). From “Leadership, respect . . . and the dog food bowl“:

Part of good leadership and respect habits branch from the control of resources: food, water, rest areas, and access to outside. A good leader provides an adequate amount of each; not too much, and definately not too little. Leaders in the canine pack let the others know when they can eat, drink and sleep. We, as human leaders of dogs, don’t need to be so strict, but letting dogs know where the food comes from does help with leadership symbolism.

But I often find myself with first parent jitters. I’m trying so hard to raise a happy, healthy dog who’s self-confident. I know for sure I don’t want the stereotypical chihuahua, the kind that nips, growls, and humps everything in sight (hopefully, neutering will help curb that tendency).

But I’m human! Sometimes I lose patience, even though I know I shouldn’t. Animals are so forgiving, though, and that’s one of the things I love about them.

Hopefully I’ve become a mostly-benevolent leader. Chester mostly seems like a very good puppy, and I’m sure he’ll be an even better dog someday — some of it due to me, but most of it probably due to his own good nature and his foster mom’s great work with him.

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