Presiding over every wolf pack there is a leader, or Alpha-wolf, which keeps
               order within the pack. This wolf informs other wolves about their status on a
               particular day -- about how well they are doing, and about how poorly they are
               doing. Depending on the Alpha's style of leadership, the role might be that of a
               dictator or a guide, or the Alpha might adopt either of these roles at different
               times. All subordinate wolves look to this Alpha for leadership and direction.

               Domestication has not nullified in the dog this ardent need to lead or be led.
               While dogs are light years distant from wolves in some respects, in other matters
               they still mimic wolves closely -- especially in their need for an Alpha figure to
               guide them -- and failing the presence of such a guide, the chance to assume the
               position themselves. For your dog, there should be absolutely no question as to
               who is the Alpha-figure in its life. You are; or more accurately, you'd better be!

               Trainers often express the above theories to their classes and private clients in
               crude ways that accentuate the "control" the owner must gain to be the "boss."
               Trainers will often say "Let him know who's boss!" and then hand out a few
               folklore corrections to whatever problem is at hand. Trouble is, just applying
               those few corrections--even if they do seem to address the behavior problem at
               hand--will not, by itself, elevate the wimpy owner to anything approximating
               Alpha-status in the naughty dog's mind. In fact, the
               dog might rebel fiercely, getting into a dominance fight with the owner. Or it
               might correct itself on one set of problems (say, destructive chewing) and
               substitute another (marking in the house instead of chewing). A few folklore
               corrections down the pike and the owner is still not Alpha.

               Often a more holistic approach to bad behavior is called for--a literal "hit-list" of
               changes that are imposed on the dog in order to rattle its brains, disturb the
               status- quo and slot the owner in the starring role as Ms. or Mr. Alpha once and
               for all. Little things add up--and just as it was probably a plethora of little
               infractions, little slips, little forms of naughtiness that allowed the situation
               between dog and owner to deteriorate, it will be a series of little changes and
               renovations that will bring the relationship back into
               sync and stop the problem behavior.

               No Quick Fixes

               If you are the owner of a problem dog, please reflect on the above comments
               before reading on. You probably would prefer a "quick-fix" solution in this
               article--just one or two techniques that will cancel whatever behavior problem
               you are now putting up with from your dog. I must say to you: it's not that easy
               or that simple. Your problems with your dog, at root, are relational. The dog
               probably fancies himself the Alpha. Or he doesn't know who is. Or doesn't care.
               Or doesn't want to know. Whatever the case, you're not it. You might be
               regarded as a friend, as a companion, as a littermate, as a lover, or as all of the
               above, but you're not regarded, at least not fully, as the Alpha. To grab that role,
               you have to take a radical approach to your problem dog. I am going to suggest
               20 different ruses you can pull to convince your pushy dog that you are the boss.

               This more holistic approach is rather new in dealing with dog behavior problems
               -- but not totally new. Until rather recently, trainers tended to hand out 1-2-3
               remedies to behavioral inquiries, without addressing the underlying malaise that
               affects the owner/dog relationship. Lately, there have been some heartening
               efforts toward a more all-encompassing approach that helps owners to identify
               problems and solve them, and restructure their relationship with the dog. Carol
               Lea Benjamin's "Alpha Primer" (AKC
               Gazette, September 1985) is an excellent example of this, as is the chapter on
               behavior problems in Training Your Dog by Joachim Volhard and Gail Fisher,
               (Howell Book House, 1984). Both programs are designed to help you up your
               Alpha-status. My RRRR program (Radical Regime for Recalcitrant Rovers) is
               simply, with my own personal flourishes--gathered from too many years of
               experience with too many problem dogs and too many problem owners. I offer
               my RRRR program to you with my sympathy and
               support.

               Some final tips before the hit-list: don't modify the program, and keep it up until
               the behavior problem stops. Obviously, act on the behavior problem itself using
               sensible and humane methods, but add the RRRR program if you are
               experiencing any of the following:

                    housetraining problems
                    destructive chewing
                    digging
                    chasing people
                    chasing cars
                    jumping up
                    over-barking
                    growling/biting
                    fighting with other dogs
                    not coming when called
                    predation

               These are all major behavioral problems and they call for a radical approach.
               Besides specific corrections for the problem, apply the following program for the
               dog which is exhibiting any of the above problems and apply it today.

                 1.Give your dog two obedience sessions a day practicing whatever exercises
               the dog knows. These      sessions should be 10-20 minutes long. Do not praise
               physically during this session. Use only verbal      praise and keep the session
               moving. Give the commands quickly--dazzle the dog.

                 2.Have two formal eye contact sessions with your dogs each day. Problem
               dogs look at their owners only when they feel like it. Up the eye contact.
               Practice formally. Put a leash on. Sit the dog. Step around in front and animate
               the dog saying, "Watch me--I want your attention right now," in a low,  growling
               tone of voice. Do not yell. You want three to five seconds, (not minutes) of
               locked, sealed eye contact. Once you get this moment, end with light verbal
               praise.

                 3.Have your dog hold one 30-minute down each day. This is very important.
               These downs can be  done during TV shows, dinner, reading, etc. Enforce it! If
               your dog doesn't know the down, teach it immediately, as well as the stay
               command. For now, sit on the leash and measure out only as much as the dog
               needs to hit the dust. If the dog jumps up on you, whip the leash down hard with
               a "No !" If the dog stress-whines, give the dog a slap under the chin and say "No
               !" If the dog bites on the leash, whip it diagonally out of its mouth. During this
              time no petting, no toys, no soothing, no
                    nothing. Long downs make you look Alpha.

                 4.Move your dog into the bedroom for overnight sleeping. Read the chapter
               "Where is Your Dog This Evening?" in How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend by
               the Monks of New Skete (Little, Brown and Co.). This simple exercise has
               tremendous bonding effects. Remember--in the bedroom, problem dogs do not
               belong on beds. You'll look like littermates--you want to be Alpha, remember?
               If the dog jumps up on the bed, tie the dog to the foot of the bed.

                 5.Exercise is very important. Problem dogs usually don't get enough aerobic,
               sustained exercise, which is what they need to calm them down. Putting the dog
               out in the backyard for three hours is no solution--he isn't exercising, he's
               exercising and resting, or just resting--period. Use a leash and jog or run with
               your dog. Sometimes a bike can be used. Keep moving. A good guide: for a
               little dog 1/4  mile with no stopping, four times a week; for a medium-size dog
               1/2 mile with no stopping, four  times a week; and for a large dog 1 mile with no
               stopping, four times a week. I'm not even asking you to run with your dog every
               day. And a mile can go by quite quickly. Obviously, if your veterinarian advises
               against exercise for your particular dog, you'll have to skip this step.

                 6.Whenever you leave home, leave the radio on--easy listening music, not rock
               or talk shows.  Stressed tones of voice usually keep dogs on edge--and talk
               shows feature people who call in with   problems and stresses.

                 7.Feed two times a day, if possible in the early morning and the early
               afternoon. Place the food down  and leave it 10-15 minutes. Leave the dog and
               the food alone in a quiet room. Then, return and pick up the food even if the dog
               hasn't finished. Do not make a "thing" out of the dog's not eating--you may be
               engaging in faulty paralanguage and encouraging the dog not to eat even as you
               try to get it to eat. This method of feeding keeps food in the dog's stomach
               during its waking hours, eliminating hunger tension and giving you more of a
               chance for a calmer dog.

                 8.Re-evaluate the diet--in my opinion high-quality meat meal-based rations
               surpass soy-based rations.
               Drop all "people" food from the dog's diet. The dogs know and it doesn't make
               you look Alpha.
                    When your dog doesn't have problems, you can slip in some people food but
               not now. Remember, little things add up -- usually to big problems. And never,
               ever add anything to the food after you've  placed it down--not because you
               forgot an ingredient, not because you want to encourage the dog to eat. The dog
               will simply learn to wait until something yummy is added, and again, you won't
               look Alpha.

                 9.Give absolutely no food treats for one month. Yes, that's right, zero treats.
               Zilch. None. Cold turkey. Owners often place themselves in a subordinate
               position vis- a-vis the dog by giving too many treats or by giving them in the
               wrong way. Stop for one month. If your dog's problems clear up and the month
               has passed, give one treat a day only if the dog sits. Never give a free treat carte
               blanche--make the dog do something for the treat. But nothing for one month.

                10.Stop petting, stroking or fondling your problem dog for minutes, not to
               mention hours, at a time. Get your hands off the dog and pet for only seven to
               ten seconds and only if you've told the dog to "sit" or "down." I know you love
               your dog, but love isn't enough. If it were, you wouldn't be having the behavior
               problem you're having. What your dog needs from you now to help him out of
               his behavioral jam is scratch-type petting, quick and light, not seductive stroking.
               It would shock most owners, but problem dogs are often pooped from
               petting--yet they oblige and stay for it because they're addicted to it.

                11.Don't allow the dog to go before you in or out of a door. Make the dog wait
               by giving the "stay" command, or at least go together. If you allow the dog to
               barge in or out of the door before you, you're telling him something pretty
               powerful about who controls the territory. The dog will say, "I do--after all, I
               always go first and that wimp goes second." If this happens three or four times a
               day, the dog really gets to stake a claim to the territory he enters first, with
               ensuing problems. Quick examples: dog is allowed to barge out onto the street
               and has a problem fighting other dogs. Aren't you setting the stage for the fighting
               by allowing the barge? Another: dog chews destructively when owner is not
               home. If you routinely let the dog crash into the house before you, aren't you
               telegraphing to him that the home is his territory--to chew up, to trash, to
               "rearrange" at whim? Don't allow the dog to go before you in or out of territory!
               Again--little things add up, usually to big problems. If that phrase is beginning to
               sound like a mantra in this article, I'm getting through.
                12.Pick up all the dog's toys and leave one, perhaps his favorite, down. That's
               all he gets for one month. When a month passes and the problems clear up, add
               one toy a week.

                13.Stop playing any and all tug-o-war games. When you let go you look
               subordinate, and you're teaching the dog to bite down hard while in your
               presence. You're okaying serious mouth play. A no-no for a problem dog. Play
               only fetch and if the dog doesn't bring the object back to you and release it, get
               up and walk away.

                14.If you have to have the dog get up and move because he is in the way, make
               the dog move. Don't refrain from doing something or stepping over the dog
               because you don't want to bother him. If you're Alpha, you can go where you
               want when you want. Even if you have to change the channel and your dog is in
               front of the TV--make him move. Believe me, if you don't, dogs notice. Little
               things add up.

                15.Resolve to stop yelling at your dog and instead speak in a low tone of voice.
               If you yell, the dog will learn to wait for you to yell. Change your tonality, not
               your volume. Most problem dogs are yelled and screamed at. Most have tuned
               their owners out and learn to wait for louder and louder yelling until they finally
               don't hear their owners at all. You'll probably find you have to couple a physical
               correction with your lowered tone of voice to get the dog to tune back to your
               station on the dial --
                    Radio Station Alpha. So don't hesitate to use a shake, a swat under the chin
               or a leash correction if necessary. But stop yelling.

                16.If your dog knows the "down" command--really knows it--pull a "surprise
               down" on this problem dog once a week. For instance, you're in the kitchen
               doing dishes and you hear Rover waltz in. Wheel on him, give both the hand and
               vocal signal and command for "Down!" Recalcitrant Rover will probably look
               shocked, and then do it. If not, you'll have to enforce it. The surprise element is
               the key. Remember, just once a week. Each down is a notch on your
               Alpha-belt, and combined with your daily long downs you'll look like Eva
               Peron--which is how your dog needs to see you right now.

                17.If your dog is aggressive, immediately employ a qualified private trainer to
               work with you in your home. Please don't wait. One session can work wonders.
               The situation could get out of control. It certainly won't get better without
               training. Your dog is just growling, you say? You're in trouble--big trouble. A
               growl is a bite that just hasn't connected yet. Don't delude yourself. Call a trainer
               -- yesterday! Institute the RRRR immediately, even before the trainer gets there
               to tell you what to do specifically for the aggression. You'll make his task easier
               if the RRRR is on a roll.

                18.If you have a shy or aggressive dog, neuter the dog right away. Male or
               female. Right away. Don't breed the dog. The problem could be partially
               genetic. The spay or neuter operation could help calm the dog and is a card you
               should play, in my experience, regardless of the age of the dog. The only
               exception is a very old dog which cannot risk the surgery. Otherwise, in my
               opinion, this step is merited and could be of great help.

                19.Whatever the problem is, be sure you understand the corrections that are
               outlined for you by your trainer or in the books you read. Apply those
               techniques as well as the RRRR. You'll find that instituting the RRRR rarely
               interferes with specific corrective techniques and almost always aids them in
               effect. I've had many clients who did nothing about specific problems such as
               chewing or aggression (usually because they were too busy, too tired, or too
               scared to act on the problem itself) but did begin the RRRR program--and the
               problem lessened and in some cases disappeared. I won't promise you that, but
               you will find the RRRR will greatly aid your specific corrections for whatever
                    problem plagues your dog.

                20.Finally, to balance the harshness of the RRRR program, create a little jingle
               for your dog. The jingle can be based on a popular television ad, and should be
               light, lilting and friendly -- sometimes just substituting your dog's name where the
               product name was in the jingle will achieve the desired effect. Sing the jingle to
               your dog once a day--even from afar. I've used jingles from McDonald's ads
               and toothpaste ads. Just sing it out to your dog once a day--and make eye
               contact--and don't go over 10 seconds.