Regarding the Alpha Debate

[spookychick13]

Dog Training: Animal Experts Debunk the Alpha-Dog Myth - TIME

I found this to be a pretty interesting read.

[ruckusluvr]

yeah i have been knowing about this for about a year now.
there is even some debate that does are NOT even pack animals. much-less have an alpha.

who knows... no one is a dog. i bet the dogs themselves dont even know.

[DaneMama]

There is no one true alpha in our pack. If I were to classify them in a hierarchy I would put Bailey on top. But she is not always alpha, just depends on the situation. Sometimes Emmy gets a hair up her butt and decides she's top dog LOL

ETA: Cesar Millan is a hack and a fraud. I dislike him greatly!

[spookychick13]

I am surprised it isn't Shiloh!

[DaneMama]

Her and Bailey but heads but Shiloh almost always backs down or walks away. Especially when Bailey means business. They have gotten into it a few times (in the past but not lately) and they just put up with each other now.

[spookychick13]

I don't think either of our dogs are in charge to be honest...it's definitely Echo the African Grey.
Ha. She let them both know who is boss right away.
She actually likes Jack but still hates Flip. Brat.

Flip has a screaming monkey toy and we call it "Mon-Kay" (don't ask, but Flip goes and gets it when we say it).

Just recently Echo has taken to yelling 'MON KAY!!' and poor Flip goes running to find it.

lols

[RawFedDogs]

Dog Training: Animal Experts Debunk the Alpha-Dog Myth - TIME

I found this to be a pretty interesting read.

This is a good article. I wish more people realized this. A wolf pack is not really a pack at all, rather a family of Dad, Mom, and all their offspring. Mom and Dad are the leaders and teachers. Pups follow their parents the same way we all do. We don't fight for leader of the family. Mom and Dad are always the leaders.

In my latter days of training professionally, I would try to emphasize to my clients to stop thinking of this as dog training but think of it as teaching your dog desirable behaviors and teaching him to live in the human world. Be his leader, teacher, and mentor. Don't be his trainer and you don't have to dominate him. If you lead, the dog will gladly follow.

OOPS!!! rambling ... sorry

[DaneMama]

We have screaming monkeys too! Bailey's favorite toy...and there is no other way to say it other than MON-KAY??? With an emphasis on making it a question LOL

[yuffie]

why do you hate cesar millan danemamma? i read his books and have seen his tv show and think he has a lot of good information and has helped a lot of dogs and people.

[RawFedDogs]

why do you hate cesar millan danemamma? i read his books and have seen his tv show and think he has a lot of good information and has helped a lot of dogs and people.

I'm not danemama but I'll be glad to answer your question. CM learned his training techniques from his Grandfather when he was a child. These techniques were out of date before he ever began. He uses techniques that are abusive and cruel. SOME of what he says is good information but if you are not knowledgable enough to know the difference, then stay away from him or his techniques.

There are 10,000 dog trainers around the US that do a better job at what he does every day. Back in the day I was a professional trainer, my day was about what you see on CM's show except I didn't have to be rough or abusive on my client's dogs. I saw the same type dogs with the same type problems. I worked with the clients exactly as he does except I showed them how to use positive reinforcement to get the same results.

CM is an actor ... a showman. NEVER forget you are watching a TV show. It has a script. You don't see what goes on when the camera is turned off or you don't see what was edited out of his show. He is a very good TV personality but a medicore dog trainer.

Watch Victoria Stilwell's show "It's Me or the Dog" on Animal Planet. She is 10 times the trainer CM is.