Rayden

A dog that has made a lasting impression on me in the past few years is an 85% timber/arctic wolf X husky by the name of Rayden.. He is a stunningly elegant dog that can leap with grace out of any situation - no matter how high the fence! His owner has put a lot of time in to making sure he had consistent training from the beginning as you have to when you have a dog that's a little more 'wild' than the rest. That's not to say he's without his behavioural quirks, but in general, he is the wolf/dog you want beside you when there's tension in the air between other dogs. With just a lift of his upper lip he reveals his sparkly, white, HUGE fangs & that usually settles any dispute without a noise...

Not long ago I had the pleasure of listening to Geoff Bowers share his vast knowledge of wolf behaviour, how it relates to your dog (a.k.a wolf) & how to use this knowledge in training. His talk was so interesting and relevant that I feel it should get a mention. Bowers is from the U.K but now lives in New Zealand where he has developed his own dog food brand K9 Natural Dog Food with the catch phrase "Feed Your Dog's Inner Wolf". Check out his website http://www.k9natural.co.nz/ for product information, some very useful dog training & care tips, and some fascinating reading sources for those who want to learn more about the wolfiness of our dogs.

Consistency in Training

Consistency is key in training!

It's hard work, but as I've said before, you have a dog so by association you are his/her role model and therefore, you are his Pack Leader.
Once you get in to your role, I guarantee you'll find it easy and rewarding beyond belief. And you will also see that there is plenty of time for cuddles, love and affection. Just not during your dog's 'work' hours - not while he's 'on the job'! This is a concept we human-doings must surely understand in relation to our own work lives. In light of professionalism, no matter how much we may like it, we prefer our loved ones do not disturb us or drop in on us during our work day for cuddles or random chatter.
Our 'work' gives us purpose in our lives and this is no different in our canine buddies. Your dog would have a job within his pack in the wild. He might be in charge of digging a hole for the pack to sleep in to keep cool, hunting to keep the pack fed, or watching out for predators. Give your dog a job, train him to do his job and make sure he works hard every day. Then at the end of the day you and he can enjoy the rewards of affection and share in the sense of achievement that comes with having purpose and responsibilities in your life.

There are no bad dogs, only bad pack leaders

Your dog picks up on your energy. High pitched, squeaky voices, angry yelling or soft, weak directions are all varying vocal tones a dog can become conditioned to react to. That sounds a little confusing so I'll give you an example.
The first time your dog heard angry yelling he came out to see what was happening and in the heat of the moment you or another person a) chased him away aggressively b) yelled at him or c) everyone stormed away and your dog was left alone.

In your dogs head now: angry yelling = negative outcome.

Here's another example: you come home from work and open the door. Happy to see your dog you speak in a high-pitched, excited voice and he jumps up on you to say hello also visibly excited.

In dog language: high-pitched voice = jump up on person.

Now of course when someone comes to your house that is scared of dogs they may walk in, see your dog and speak in a high-pitched, squeaky voice to say "please take your dog away from me!" and what will your dog do?? He'll jump up on the person because that's what he thinks he's supposed to do. Then you react aggresively to move your dog off the guest, most probably put on a stern voice to scold him for jumping up, so he slinks away as he's conditioned to do.

Can you see the confusion for your dog? Dogs don't think so much as they are conditiond by events, action = response, throughout their puppyhood. There can only be one outcome for one action and this needs to be consistently reinforced through continual training and practice.

Exercise

If you have to start work early, get up even earlier to make sure your dog gets some exercise before you head out for 7-8 hours. I know, I know, I can hear the sighs from here - 'Get up even earlier?!'. In reality, if your dog were in the wild like her ancestors, she would spend about 10 hours a day on the move with her pack. I'm only suggesting 30 mins - 1 hour in the morning. If you don't like exercising in the morning, then just throw her in your car and drive to the nearest dog-friendly park or beach. Let her run off-leash and wear herself out, it does help if there are other dogs to socialise with too (I call it the 'self-exercising' dog). Not all of us have the fitness to run with our dog for an hour or more, so this way they do it for themselves.

If these ideas do not appeal, then be prepared to spend some money on a dog walker. In many places you can either provide a trusted dog walker with keys to your house or leave your dog in an accessible area of your property. Your dog walker will come and collect your dog, walk her & return her for between $10-$20/day. This is the way to go if life is just too hectic to find the time to do it yourself.

In saying this, can I underline that there is really NO REPLACEMENT to taking your own dog out walking & running every day. It is all part and parcel of establishing yourself as Pack Leader. A dog walker will assume that role too and they will be the leader of all the dogs out walkign each day. It is the only way to maintain control of the pack & be certain, in the case of off-leash walkers, that they will all return to the walker at the end of the day.

I know I'm probably pushing it now, but when you come home from work once again, your dog needs another, this time longer, energy-burning walk. And this time it needs to be you that does it!

Structure Your Dog's Day

Let's face it, we're all busy human-doings. Non-stop, on the go with all the increased responsibilities that life demands from us.

But, you got a dog.

You either chose to get one, someone gave you one or maybe one just wandered up to your door and chose you. Either way, you are a dog owner AKA a Pack Leader. You may only lead a pack of 1 but your role is no less important than a Pack Leader of 10 dogs.