Leader of the Pack

My husband and I became the reluctant parents of a bulldog lab mix. Devoted as she was to us she was unruly, hyperactive, and randomly aggressive toward other dogs. At the end of our ropes, we bought this book. It helped us realize that we had been unknowingly giving our dog the message that she was the leader of our pack. When we assumed leadership positions she not only behaved better, she seemed relieved that she no longer had to fill a role that she did not want. She is now a relaxed, obedient dog that we have grown to love and cherish more and more. Most wonderful of all she no longer displays aggression towards other dogs. No matter how happy and relaxed she is...we are much more. This book is worth far more than we paid for it.

This book is something every dog owner should read! I bought it because I was having an aggression problem with one of my dogs. It not only gave me the answers I needed for that problem, but opened my eyes to many other problems I had created in all three of my dogs. I considered myself pretty knowledgable when it came to handling dogs, but this book was an eye opener. Things I thought were cute, are NOT, and that was a shock to me. This book is great if you are having problems, and great if you just want a heads up to be informed on dog behavior, as well as people behavior! With this book I realized it was really a problem with me, and not so much my dog. She was just doing what I was allowing her to do. This is a must read!!!!

This book is the most succinct, well-written treatise in print on what is takes to own a dog. A previous review of this book criticized it because it discusses the dog's ancestry to the wolf and ignored the years of domestication of dogs. The wolf ancestry of domestic dogs cannot be ignored when owning a dog. Alot of people are not meant to be dog owners or should only own certain breeds. This book delivers critical information on behaviorism. We teach dog training using Karen Pryor's technique's of positive reinforcement, but this alone is not enough to be a successful dog owner. Owning a dog is a lot of work and owning a rottweiler is not the same as owning a golden retriever. People must understand the canine psyche and be equipped with the knowledge of how to demonstrate pack leadership over a dog, along with training, in order to have a 'good dog'. Pack leadership is needed along with the principles of positive reinforcement to elicit good canine behavior. One is not a replacement for the other. This book is required reading for the beginner dog class. It equips the students with the knowledge of canine behaviorism they need. Every dog owner should have this book. Every potential dog owner should read this book and use it to decide if they are meant to be a dog owner. It is an excellent book.

I took in a young Lab/Akita mix without a home. As he quickly grew, so did his attitude. When I finally braved obedience training, I was amazed. He was a very smart dog (almost too smart:) The trainer recommended this book to help us. It was a savior, every step that we took, the house bacame more and more peaceful! It even added some structure to our already chaotic house! He turned out to be a better dog than we ever imagined possible. The step by step instructions were very well laid out and very easy to implement. I also liked the correlation between domestic and wild dogs. All it takes is patience and determination!

This is the best text for owners who are having difficulty attaining leadership status with their dogs. The lessons are written in plain English while drawing on sound, non-confrontational behavioral theory. The authors take the angle of basing each lesson on what is known about the functioning of a wolf pack. The position of dominant vs. lower-ranking wolves is explored. Who eats first? Who sleeps where? Who initiates play? Who goes through narrow passageways first? Especially interesting to me was the explanation of how meaningful body posture and physical positioning is to dogs. I especially recommend this book to dog trainers working with the general public or to any dog owner whose dog who perhaps has JUST BEGUN to exhibit dominant behaviors such as pulling on the leash, ignoring known commands, guarding of food or objects, or giving warning growls when disciplined.I would not recommend this book to owners trying to correct biting problems with a dog who already has a history of fear or dominance aggression. If that is your problem, you need to ask your vet for a referral to an animal behaviorist.