Is a Dominant Dog the Alpha Dog?

Does your dog have dominant tendencies?  Are you confused at what that actually means?  Is dominant and being alpha one in the same?

A dominant dog isn’t necessarily the alpha dog.  Some dogs are born as dominant beings.  They are hard-wired from birth with the genetic makeup to be “bossy.”  Puppies will exhibit the behaviors in subtle ways that will grow to be less subtle as they mature.  Some of the characteristics are:

• Marking their territory
• Kicking up their hind legs after they “mark.”
• Wrapping their front legs around you.
• Talking back or getting in the last word when corrected.
• Nudging another dog to get ahead of them or out of their way.
• Holding their head over the head or body of another dog (and/or their human).

These are a few of the more obvious characteristics.   You don’t train their personality out of them, you work with it.   You need to be more dominant than they are.

Here’s a photo of a dominant little guy who is not quite annoying enough for the Dane to say “stop that!”  I can guarantee if she did, it would only take once!  He is definitely macho in his actions around the other dogs – unfortunately for him, no one sees him as alpha.