One of the most important occasions for dogs to establish hierarchy is at mealtimes. Simply and understandably, the alphas have the best or first pickings; it ensures they can stay strong to lead the group while reminding the rest of the pack of the status quo. While some lower-ranking dogs may try to edge in to take what the lead dog is guarding, the alpha will put them back in their place with a snarl, a growl, a bearing of the teeth, or maybe even a snap. Some people believe their dog already respects them as leader because he or she will sit nicely and not eat until told to, but this is obedience, not leadership, and your dog may actually think that he or she has got YOU trained to give your food up just by sitting nicely. Once the food is on the floor, your dog knows it’s his or hers and not yours, so that waiting until you say ‘OK!’ really has little bearing on how he or she perceives his or her status.
Going Back to the Wild
At 1:00 of this video is a great clip of British wolf expert Shaun Ellis asserting his role as pack leader to four adult-sized wolves he has hand-reared. Hunching over the carcass of a deer in which he had secreted a sealed bag of all the prime bits, cooked for his benefit, Shaun sees off several challenges for the prized organs by snarling and growling in the face of a large wolf who is doing the same in an attempt to force Shaun to back down. If he had shown fear or weakness and allowed the challenger to move in on the best pieces, it would have been a clear indication that he is not fit to lead. But he didn’t; he defended the organs and his status as pack leader remained assured, and balance was maintained within his pack.
How to Prepare
So, for this lesson, you need to first procure the carcass of a deer or any similar large prey animal—no, just kidding; all you need to prepare for this technique is a small snack, such as some cookies or fruit, or, if you prefer, just get ready to do some award-winning acting before a drooling canine audience. Let’s assume you prepare your dog’s food in the kitchen, and it is something that your dog is always hungry for (a natural diet of raw, meaty bones is not only extremely healthy for your dog, but always scoffed heartily—wolfed down, if you will—unlike processed pellets that we tend to feed out of convenience and misplaced trust in advertising; but more on that in a later article). Simply prepare your dog’s food bowl while completely ignoring him or her, and place it on the kitchen counter next to your snack when ready. Remember, if your dog is, like most dogs, tired of eating processed convenience food, do this exercise with something he or she will relish, such as a raw egg, or a piece of meat, or anything else that dogs love (and is healthy for them, if possible).
Wait While Ignoring
Now, your dog has probably up until now been given his or her food immediately after it’s prepared, or perhaps after telling you to give it to him or her by sitting nicely or staring (you thought you were controlling your dog at this point, didn’t you; you weren’t—your dog is under the impression that all it takes is a little trick or two of his or her own to get the food he or she was coveting). This time, however, you will completely ignore your dog after the food is prepared, and instead of giving it to him or her, you will act aloof and pretend to eat from the bowl. You can eat the snack you put the bowl next to or just pretend to be eating the dog’s food, but the whole time you must ignore your dog completely. If he or she makes a noise, ignore or correct with an ‘Ah!’ or ‘Eh!’ sound. If your dog tries to jump up, step into him or her making the same abrupt ‘Eh!’ or ‘Ah!’ sound as though to say ‘Hey! Back off!’ or ‘Don’t you dare!’ (Don’t say these things; project the attitude behind them using posture and tone). Then act aloof again and continue to pretend to eat the dog’s food.
Reward Respectful Behaviour
You will notice out of the corner of your eye that your dog will stop demanding so much now and will probably be sitting nicely. That’s great, but not good enough—all the time your dog is staring at you or the food, it is a demand to have it, so keep on pretending to eat until the moment your dog looks away, even briefly. Now, you could put the food down at this point and then walk away (don’t watch your dog eat, as it will seem like you want the food he or she is eating, and, as you’re not getting it, your status will be lowered). But better is to wait even longer until your dog shows absolutely no interest in the food. This may take a little time, but if you’re prepared to wait, it will happen. Your dog will likely turn his or her back to you and lie down—a clear signal that he or she respects and trusts you. If you wait until that moment to put the food down, then you will find your dog listens to you so much better later.
Act, Dammit! Act!
When practicing this trick, really put on an Academy Award-winning performance: act totally regal, with head up and showing aloofness; totally ignore your dog; really pretend to enjoy eating the food that your dog wants; and act out feeling full with what you’ve pretended to eat and no longer wanting any more just before you put the bowl down. Have fun with it. Enjoy the various reactions your dog will go through as you demonstrate your top-dog status with his or her food. And have a very clear vision in your mind of how you expect this to turn out but also know how you will correct any unwanted behaviours so they don’t take you too far off track. Really have fun playing at being the alpha—just fake it til you make it—and realise that you being your dog's leader is in fact rewarding for both of you.
As I Say Every Time, Consistency is Key
Do this with you dog every day, with his or her food, with treats, with toys, even when he or she wants to go for a walk, and you will feel a whole much better relationship develop between you as you are now acting more consistently with your rightful role as the one calling the shots. Get all your household members to practice this, and even have house guests do it if your dog has shown issues with strangers (remember to have them walk your dog too). After a while, your dog will assume the non-demanding, respectful position almost as soon as the food is ready, but you should still wait a while to give the impression that you are eating first—you could, though, praise him or her at this point if it doesn’t provoke excitement.
Assumed Leadership
This is the clearest, most powerful way to show your dog where he or she belongs within your household hierarchy. But here’s something that I so often see when teaching people these tricks at their homes: after I have lead the dog on a walk after going through doors first and totally controlled his or her behaviour, he or she will usually assume a non-demanding, non-eyeballing position as soon as I prepare his or her food, even if he or she had always got excited at feeding times previously. So don’t be surprised if this goes much better than you’d imagined; if you have been practicing the previous lessons properly, your dog may already know never to challenge you for food.
Summary
Here's a quick recap of the most important points:
- Meals are the most powerful times to establish hierarchy
- Alphas eat first and get the prime bits
- Having your dog sitting and staring at his bowl until you say 'OK' is NOT leadership in a dog's eyes
- Put your dog's food next to a snack you want to eat
- Pretend to eat your dog's food by eating the snack or just acting as though eating from his or her bowl
- Act aloof and ignore throughout, but watch your dog from the corner of your eye or in a reflection
- Really act the role
- When your dog stops staring, you can pretend you've finished and put the bowl down
- BETTER: Wait until your dog not only stops staring, but also turns his or her back and/or lies down
- Correct any jumping up but otherwise ignore
- Do not watch your dog eat, as you don't want to give the impression that your dog now has something you want but can't get
- If your dog is understandably bored with grain-based, convenience foods, such as dry or canned food, consider a natural diet of raw, meaty bones (more info in the next series) or healthy treats that you know he or she likes
- Be consistent—that goes for others in the house too
Seán
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