Should you act as ';Top dog'; or treat your dog as an equal?

I've read a lot of information about treating your dog like you're the leader of the pack. That sounds reasonable, but I wouldn't want to do that all the time... how about snuggling with your dog and playing? Should you make your dog submissive but still treat him like a member of the family?Should you act as ';Top dog'; or treat your dog as an equal?
There is nothing wrong with being loving and gentle, but your dog still needs to know that you are in charge. My dogs get snuggled, but only when they are behaving and being respectful. My dogs sit with me on the couch but only when they are invited. My dogs are very much part of my family and they are loved immensely but they also know who is in charge and they are respectful of me. If I tell them to get off the couch, they get off - end of story. If they want to be snuggled then know they will get snuggled but they also know that it's going to happen only if they are respectful.


Being top dog and being in charge doesn't mean that your dogs aren't loved - it just means they know who is running the show. You establish dominance and then reinforce that by giving your dog love and affection as a reward for showing you respect.Should you act as ';Top dog'; or treat your dog as an equal?
be the leader,


but reward him sometimes
hes a family member
some human in the household MUST be the alpha
You and all the humans in the family are above the dog
you should be the team leader
my dog is the leader, i follow
i think y have to show the dog who is boss yet at the same time let it know that you are its lovign kind owner who wants to have funa nd play and cuddle....hope this help ya a bit....good luck
you can be equal and snuggle and such but in some situations like biting and food and play. you need to remind him that your the leader, if not he will control your home and thats can be a disaster! its just basically controlling behaviour
my dog is my best friend so i treat him well, and he sleeps in my bed with me
You should be the ';leader'; in your dogs eyes when you need to be to inforce good behavior. You should look up the Dog Whisperer on Google.com... I just watched a show of his on Animal Planet... he is amazing!!! Good luck.
So long as your dog knows you are 'top dog', all should be well (otherwise the canine behaviour problems really start!). Similar theory to children...they need to know who the boss is, so they know where they stand, but you can still snuggle, play etc with either!
I am alpha dog because I prefer the dog to obey without the need to always discipline him.
Your dog needs to know you are the alpha dog, you can be as loving to you dog as you want but they need to know you are in charge.
i spoil all of mine..... they love it!! you get a better ';i will be your friend type of relationship'; rather than';ugh fine i'll go on a walk with you';
You should always be top dog. Remember dogs work together in packs and have their ';Alpha dog'; You never want to think your dog is at a higher level then you are. Make sure you reward him or her for their good behavior!
your pet is a member of the family and should be treated so.


if you cant you shouldn;t have one
never act as one of them! they want you as master!
my dog gets treated like a family member. She sleeps where she wants , she eats when she is hungry , she barks we let her outside and we pick up her poo, well I don't pick up every-ones poo in the house but we love our dog !!!
Your dog is never your equal. You must be Leader of the Pack, otherwise known as the Alpha Dog. Doesn't mean you can't have fun with your dog, it just means you are the one in charge, not your dog.
If youre training him be top dog but if you want a great companion treat him as an equal. either way be sure to love him. still scold him if hes bad.
Yes you want to make your self the alpha, or dominant one. Even in nature if you watch pack of wild dogs or and K-9's there is a pecking order of dominance but they still interact in a social manner.





First and foremost become the alpha, then worry about socializing as equals.
A dog doesn't realize that you're a human and it's a dog. It just thinks you're another dog in the pack. You need to be the alpha of the pack so that your dog will be obedient. However, there is nothing wrong with snuggling and all of that stuff. It lets the dog know that his/her alpha is pleased with him/her.
our dog definitely thinks he's top dog, you should see him sit on the couch and survey his kingdom. But really he's just one of the family, because we're the ones in control at dinner time lol. I love my dog's personality, i wouldn't want to make him submissive. The point of having a dog is to feel it's love so snuggling and playing is the most important part.
It's like with kids,,,,,you have to be the boss/leader, but that doesn't mean that you don't hug and snuggle your kids. What all this is about is making sure you are the leader first,,,then loving on the dog once it's been established. It can be with different things daily, and again, you don't hug and kiss your kids while you are correcting them right? You wait until they accept the correction, and change whatever behavior they were doing to get the correction. Then you love and hug.
the human should always be the pack leader per the Dog Whisperer . He's not saying you can't play %26amp; romp w/him Ceasars just saying to remain in control instead of the dog walking you.
Yes and yes. It's the same way that parents ';should'; treat their kids. All because you're in charge doesn't mean you can't hug your kids. Same goes for dogs. Being a good leader means that yes, you love them, you'll take care of them and treat them with respect. But it also means that you have very set rules that you expect to be followed the will be followed with appropriate punishments if they're broken. I snuggle with my dog all the time but we both know that if she breaks a rule she will be punished for it.
Treat him as your top dog, but some boundries though and make him know it that you are firm with these boundries





Puppies should be brought home at the earliest at 8weeks.





Chihuahua; Highly strung and snappy%26amp;yappy


Cocker Spaniel are snappy with children


Border Collies-4KM walks daily%26amp;acreage.


Beagles; Not suitable 1st time pets-Are difficult dogs-4km walks and indoor livestyle, as they will bark and howl if left outside and there known diggers.


Havanese;Not suitable 1st time pets-Are difficult dogs-4km walks and indoor livestyle, as they will bark and howl if left outside and there known diggers.


All Huskys are dominant and need a 6 feet fence and large yard are not suitable for children





Malamutes are dominant and need a 6feet fence and large yard and are not suitable for children


Fox terriers


Australian Cattle dog-4km walks


Heeler-4km


Maltese Terrier-too highly strung


Shi Tzu-Too Highly strung


Pomeranian-Too high strung


German Shepherd; Willing workers, loyal and affectionate.


Rottweirlers; Not 1st time pets, they need firm handling as there a strong willed and dominant breed.


Bernese Mountain dogs; large fenced yard and loads of exercise, there strong big dog.





Excellent Children dogs; Labrador,


Greyhound-indoors as cannot regulat body temperature, Golden Retriever, Staffy-inside dogs, Mastiffs.





Small dogs are generally too highstrung for young children





A responisible owner would want to look up links, not just go on other people opinions, other peoples opinion of these best children dogs may not suit your lifestyle.





Dogs are only obiedent if you put the time and effort into training them and let them know from word go there are boundries. puppies need 3 feeds aday.





The best place is a Shelter-they know what breed will suit your lifestyle


Animals Shelters are the BEST PLACE


Make sure you choose a breed suited to your lifestyle, don't make your choose on the cute factor, fluffy factor, breed alone or colour.don鈥檛 buy from a petstore.








NEVER BUY FROM A PETSTORE





PUPPY INSIDE PETSTORE ARE FROM PUPPY MILLS








A reliable breeder would never sell to a petstore, where as a backyard breeder%26amp;puppy mill would





TRUE Reason Pets are Surrended





Unwanted Gift





owner sadly passed away.





owners had no time





owners were moving





relationship breakup





elderly owner was too ill





too exuberant for his very elderly owner.





owners were moving into a rental property that wouldn鈥檛 allow pets





owner was moving.





elderly owner was going into a nursing home





surrendered to us because their owner was having a baby %26amp; didn鈥檛 want them anymore





owners were moving interstate





abandoned by his former owners





Adult dogs are generally better with children, then puppies
You are the alpha male, which means that you have to establish disclipline and control. Dogs are like three year old, and if they notice that you do not control them, well, they will eventually be ruining the whole place. Examples of what a dog can do, is eat food from a table, jump on furniture that he or she is not supposed to be in, breaking china and household stuff, and so much more. Training a a key to keep a dog with disclipline, and order. They are still part of the family so reward him or her, and love them.
You definitely need to be the alpha dog in the relationship. That doesn't mean you can't provide affection.
top dog!! that does not mean no affection tho, just not all the time and when he hasnt earned it!!