Despite good intentions, many new dog owners do not take the time nor have the inclination to try to understand their new puppy from the pup’s perspective. We humans do have larger brains than dogs and are thought to be able to reason and have a higher level of thinking than other members of the animal kingdom. If this is so, then why is it so difficult for people to use their supposed "higher intelligence" to try to understand their dog?

Couple this basic lack of understanding with inconsistent or lack of training and it is no surprise that behavior problems (that are, of course, "all the dog’s fault"), no communication, and frustration for both human and dog develop. This usually results in the dog being re-homed (at best), discarded, or euthanized before the people get another dog and the cycle is repeated. Whose fault is this? The dog’s? Doubtful. I propose that the majority of these problems are due to the human’s ignorance and lack of understanding of basic canine behavior. This leads to the human’s inability to learn how to become and function as a respected benevolent leader.

There are many components of a benevolent leader. These components, when combined harmoniously enrich the relationship between the dog and human. Understanding, communication, affection, and respect develop between dog and human. Before delving into the components of a benevolent leader, we must first define the meanings of benevolence and leader.

A benevolent individual is one who is friendly, good, kind, gracious, thoughtful, helpful, considerate, and altruistic. All of us have probably experienced such people in our lives from time to time. A well known and living embodiment of benevolence is H.H. the XIV Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. On a much smaller scale, each of us can access benevolent qualities in our day to day relationships with our family, friends, and dogs.

A leader is one who guides, directs, prompts, and induces others in their actions. A leader is as close to home as the "head of the household" or as far away as the head of a large organization. In the dog’s world, the leader is the "alpha" of the pack – the highest ranking dog. In a dog pack, the alpha dog is respected by its subordinates. In a human-dog pack, the highest ranking individual is also the leader. Just because humans have entered the equation does not guarantee that the human automatically becomes the leader. As in a pure dog pack, leadership is earned. By learning and applying the components of a benevolent leader, the human grows into that role.

UNDERSTANDING

An effective leader understands every individual (leader included) in the group. Each individual is appreciated for who they are. Strengths and weaknesses of everyone are all known to the leader. Each individual has worth and can contribute to the group’s well-being. Such a leader inspires the group members to be the best they can possibly be.

It is no different in a mixed species group such as a human-dog group/pack. The human members learn about and appreciate the canine members for who they are and what their strengths and weaknesses are. A thinking human also really knows his/her own strengths and weaknesses. Dogs are not furry people like some misguided folk think. Dogs do have a different way of thinking than humans as well as strong instincts that prevail. These instincts are clearly reflected in their natural behaviors – particularly in the differences between breeds (sled dogs pull; terriers dig). Dogs are intelligent sentient beings who are capable of great sensitivity, bravery, creative thinking, loyalty, observation, and compassion. Dogs are masters of living in the present moment – they don’t obsess about the past nor worry about the future. By living in the present moment, they reflect a positive or negative situation with considerably more honesty and clarity than the majority of humans.

Dogs use their observation and thinking to try to figure out what pleases the humans in the pack. Dogs are very honest in their communication and behavior. They are free of deceit. Dogs, especially the primitive Alaskan Malamute, are opportunists. If "something" is to their benefit, they will take the opportunity! Not only that, they will remember the situations that were rewarding. If another opportunity occurs again, no matter how long ago it happened, the dog will once again take advantage. (I think they keep a little notebook somewhere tabulating all these opportunities! J) For example, one of my girls, Zhouma, is an escape artist. Nothing is more delightful for her than to run free. The last time she got out after finally running into the pasture area, she methodically ran along the entire pasture fencing looking for another escape route. Unfortunately for her, there are no holes in the new fencing!

A leader must also learn the stages of a puppy’s development. Each dog grows and matures at a different rate. In my own pack, Dorje at two years of age was considerably more emotionally and mentally mature than my youngest male, Justin, at two years of age. In our fast-paced "want-it-yesterday" society, many people are impatient as their pups transform through the pre-adolescent and adolescent stages. It is as if these people enjoy the cute fluffy puppy stage and as the large breed pup gains size, the people expect these dogs to behave like a mature dog. They may look similar to a mature dog, but their mental and emotional level is still clearly fixed in puppyhood – some longer than others.

Being aware of how old a pup is mentally can really ease any unrealistic expectations an owner may have. By not putting excess pressure on the immature pup, the pup and human will relax; stress will ease. A stressed individual (human or dog) cannot learn. If the expectations are reasonable, when the pup meets and exceeds expectations, both the pup and the person are rewarded. The pup enjoys the positive reinforcement and the person is rewarded by the pup’s behavior and increased abilities.

Routines are very important to dogs. Events – particularly good ones like dinner times – should become predictable. The stress of uncertainty vanishes. In a routine-based household, the pup can deduce what will be expected. As an example, my morning routine on days when I am working is very clear. By the time I’m ready to leave, the two girls who are left inside are quietly waiting for their biscuits. They know they have a long quiet day ahead.

As the understanding of our dog’s basic nature and as an individual increases, so too does our understanding of how he communicates. Dogs have a very rich non-verbal communication. Learning the nuances of facial expression, body posturing, and body movement not only increases a person’s basic observational skills but will increase their ability to communicate with the dog. I term this rich non-verbal dog communication "canine-speak." While many of the aspects of this non-verbal communication seem to be innate in our dogs, if the pup isn’t able to learn how to "speak canine" due to not being around other dogs, they will have difficulty. People can learn how to mimic some of the dog’s non-verbal communication. Signals to play, calm down, display dominance, and displeasure can easily be done by people. Watch the dogs and see what signals they use then mimic and "speak canine" with your dog!

Malamutes are extremely primitive. Because of this, their non-verbal ("canine-speak") and verbal language is highly developed. Pups all learn how to speak-canine first from their Momma. When the pups are re-homed, it is extremely important that the pups are heavily socialized with other pups in a controlled environment such as puppy classes. In these situations, the young pup learns more about "speaking-canine" with other breeds of dogs. Some breeds who are further from their primitive roots haven’t the same level of innate understanding of canine-speak that Malamute puppies have. These pups seem perplexed but with more exposure do learn the basics of canine-speak. I’ve seen this frequently at the puppy classes that I help teach.

Speaking canine is just one advantage of having a pup be exposed to or live with a well-behaved/adjusted older dog. The older dog really does mentor the pup in what is and is not acceptable behavior. I also suspect that the older dog conveys to the pup what they can get away with and how far they can push the leader! The mentorship relationship between an older and younger dog is one reason why I strongly counsel people to wait before adding a second pup to the household until the first one is an adult and well versed in acceptable behavior. Generally, having two years between the two dogs is sufficient but with a slower to mature individual, a longer gap is definitely needed.

Communication between individuals (human-human or human-dog) must be authentic. Lies, deceit, and other forms of poor speech are inherently harmful to both parties. Honest communication with the other individual is beneficial to both and increases the understanding between them. Verbal and non-verbal communication that does not match is deceitful. Dogs and people who are very observant will focus on the individual’s body language/non-verbal communication. Why? The non- verbal/body language is honest and is the basic core means of communication of both dogs and humans. For dogs, they are more attuned to observing canine-speak in their own species and easily transfer this understanding to humans. How many of us have given conflicting verbal and non-verbal commands? I know I have – and my dog(s) always followed the non-verbal command.

Having an understanding of the non-verbal canine-speak and the verbal sounds of our dogs helps us anticipate what our dogs may do next. This is imperative for any pack situation (two or more dogs). A quick warning from the leader and a disagreement between dogs can be stopped immediately before it escalates.

The use of the clicker in operant conditioning provides a clear and concise way to communicate to another being. It is successfully used in zoos throughout the world with a huge variety of different animals. Being able to instantly say "yes" to a pup during a training session clarifies the lessons in an immeasurable way. (For those who understand the theory of operant conditioning and shaping behavior, this is a simplistic view – but it does illustrate the communication aspect.)

Yes, dogs can learn to understand the strange sounds we make. Many dogs have very impressive vocabularies of the verbal words we use. Dogs can also increase this skill by learning how to listen for known words. By doing this, such dogs can listen to a sentence and understand the general meaning from the known words put together.

Managing one’s environment and having clear and defined limits of expected behavior that are consistently maintained are the keys to having a well behaved canine companion. Doesn’t seem too hard to do, right? However, in my experience, this is the biggest problem area of many dog owners.

Managing the environment really isn’t too hard at all! Much of it is common sense. For instance, if you don’t want the pup to get into the garbage, make it inaccessible. In my home, any "enticing" garbage is behind cupboard doors. Any less enticing garbage such as plain paper can be accessed by the dogs – but is ignored. Shoes, dirty underwear, and socks are always targets for puppy teeth. Easy enough to stop by putting laundry in a lidded hamper, keeping shoes in a closed closet, and keeping a close eye (and/or control) on the pup.

Over the many years that I’ve been raising and educating Malamute pups, I’ve tried many different ways to clearly teach skills and acceptable house-manners to my pups. In teaching the house-manners, I use the basic premise that the pups must earn the privilege of being loose in the house. My pups are under tight control when inside – in crates, on leads, or on tethers. As they start to demonstrate more understanding of what behavior is acceptable, more privileges are earned. I can assure my readers that my pups are very happy and content with the tight controls. They clearly know the boundaries and rules they have. If, after earning more privileges, the pup makes a poor choice of behavior and loses the earned privilege, I do believe they understand. (The lost privileges are never lost for long either!) Combining this clear teaching of acceptable behavior and getting educated in basic skills, my pups – and clients who have followed my method – are rewarded with ladies and gentlemen as early as six months of age. These six month old puppies are still puppies with all the joy of puppy behavior attached – they just have developed more self-control and confidence than most pups of their age.

Managing the environment also includes the usage of barricades and crates. Barricades not only form a physical barrier (e.g. a six foot fence) but can also form a mental barrier for dogs who have learned to respect them. Dogs do have the ability to transfer lessons learned in one area to another. Barricade use is one of them. To illustrate: My baby puppies are all exposed to barricades from an early age. Not only do I have a permanent "kiddy" gate separating the family room from the dining room, but I have a portable barricade that can be secured in the hallway or a door. Even propping the barricade in a doorway also is used. As my adults were all exposed to these barricades as pups, they all respect them as adults. This past year, I have created three gardens within my large yard where the dogs play. Just having the large rocks delineating the garden areas wasn’t enough to deter the dogs (especially the boys) from hopping into the flower beds. After surrounding the gardens with a low wire garden fence, the dogs have not hopped into the flowers. Physically, the boys can easily clear the low fence, but mentally, a barricade is in place. Interestingly, during the past winter and the resulting heavy snowfall in the yard, the dogs did not go over the almost completely buried wire fences.

A new barricade in my home is a set of French doors connecting the dining room with the sun room. The dogs enjoy being in the new area of the home, but when the doors are closed, they do not go through. Both Sila and Pema have nosed the door open – one time. After telling them "no" in a firm voice once, neither has repeated that behavior. A new rule was clarified – no entering the sun room unless the door is open.

A dog’s crate, always available to the dog, is an excellent and safe place for the dog to retreat to for a nap or when he needs respite from a high energy and/or stressful situation. This usage of the crate by the dog must be honored by all members of the house. Bothering a dog when they have retreated to their den for sanctuary is unacceptable. My friend, Daphne, taught her children that if either of her dogs went into a crate and the child bothered them, the child would be disciplined – no matter what the dog’s reaction was. In this way, she taught her children to respect and honor another being’s personal space.

House rules should be clearly decided upon before a pup goes home. All scenarios should be thoroughly discussed and thought through. For example: Is the pup going to be allowed to jump up on people when they are full grown? How big will the dog be? Are there small, elderly, or challenged people in the family? Dogs want to jump up to get to the person’s face – what could be done to fulfill that need yet still be safe for all members of the family? One solution could be building a low (such as 18" high for large dogs) sturdy table that the dog is allowed up on. (This table can also double as a place for grooming and training.)

I will emphasize that experienced trainers can and do make mistakes no matter how long they have worked with dogs. The difference between an experienced trainer and an inexperienced one is that the experienced trainer recognizes the error, knows how to fix the error, and then does it. We all make mistakes. Because the inexperienced trainer doesn’t recognize his error, the mistake grows and becomes a huge problem unless it’s corrected.

House rules vary from home to home. That’s not the problem. The problem that inexperienced owners make is deciding on the house rules they want for the adult dog in the future then not applying those same rules for the cute fuzzy puppy. For example, if you don’t want your adult dog begging at the table while you are eating, then don’t feed the puppy while at the table! Teach the pup to lie down and wait. If you must share a tidbit from your dinner, at the end of the meal get up and put the tidbit into the dog’s dish. The dog is rewarded for good behavior during the meal and the person is rewarded by giving the dog a tidbit. Don’t allow behaviors for the puppy that you won’t allow for an adult dog. That is confusing, inconsistent, and unfair to your dog.

Over the years, thoughts and practices on "acceptable" styles of discipline and punishment have evolved. For example, the once touted and used "alpha dog rollover" is now out of fashion. Years ago, I used and carefully taught that punishment. I have not used – or needed to use – that method for over fifteen years. Why? I evolved as a trainer and teacher of dogs and dog owners. If an owner has used the principles of clarity (of lessons and acceptable behavior) and consistency in reinforcing acceptable/non-acceptable behavior and has laid a firm foundation of learning when the dog was a puppy, the owner will have earned the dog’s respect. Such an owner will not need to "show dominance" in such a rough and potentially dangerous fashion.

The need for strong physical punishment vanishes when a relationship between human and dog has been built with clarity, consistency, and caring. Verbal discipline in the form of sharp words, disappointed and/or disgusted tones, loss of privileges, and/or banishment or isolation of the disobedient dog is more powerful and effective than any physical punishment. It is also not abusive.

Using spray bottles of water (perhaps laced with vinegar) are effective tools for milder discipline. Some dogs enjoy spray bottles so this doesn’t work for them! One person can break up a fight using a vinegar spray solution. Using an occasional well-timed neck scruff grab or hand over the muzzle is effective particularly with young dogs who have limited amounts of self-control. These two physical reminders mimic an adult dog’s discipline of a pup.

Strong physical punishment is not only potentially abusive, but it can also break the dog’s spirit. Dogs, like people, do not fare well with physical or emotional abuse. Dogs are probably more attuned to negative energies in their environment than people sharing the same environment. Dogs cannot escape these situations physically, so they withdraw into themselves. Move a dog from such an environment to a safe, nurturing, and positive environment and they will heal – probably faster than their human counterparts. This, I know is true. Before escaping to the Cariboo of B.C., my dogs and I were in an extremely unsafe and negative environment. After a couple of years in safety, my dogs were much happier and certainly showed a much faster recovery rate than I did.

The following scenario happens frequently. In a family, one individual is consistent in reinforcing the house rules while another individual isn’t. This second person allows unwanted behavior slide – tries to ignore it, makes excuses for the dog, and basically doesn’t make the effort to be consistent at all. The dog quickly learns that this second person can be manipulated to their desires. The person "gives in" to the dog as it is easier to do. But after a while, this manipulated person gets fed up with the dog’s nagging and "button pushing" manipulative behavior. They lose their temper, become very angry, and become verbally and/or physically abusive to their dog. This is very unfair to their dog. Being blunt, this is abusive behavior. The dog was only exhibiting behavior that the lax person allowed by their inconsistency. Sadly, this type of scenario happens to children as well.

As mentioned earlier, using banishment from the leader’s side is highly effective for Malamutes. This type of punishment reaches their mind. Malamutes are very tough physically. Watch a pack of adult Malamutes play and it is clear that they are very rough physically. This is partly why reaching their mind is so powerful. It is said that a Malamute is happiest when some part of their anatomy is against their special person. Having their special person not want them near really hurts! Using a crate as a place to have a "time-out" can be very effective – provided that the dog knows why they are going to the crate. For example: If a couple of my girls have a scrap, the vinegar spray bottle comes out. After the fight ends, the girls either disappear into their own crate voluntarily or are put into their crate along with verbal negative reinforcement. The door to the room where the closed crates are is shut– they’re in isolation. After a suitable cooling off period, the girls are released from their crates. The one who started the fight is "grounded" – she is put on a lead and, like all of the other girls, is made to behave impeccably. My dogs all know I have no tolerance for fighting so the cooling off period in the crate is effective – for us all!

Before a person can teach anything to another being, they must first understand the material. Seems logical, doesn’t it? But how many people get a new puppy and think they know what to do because "they had a dog when they were a kid?" Anyone who has taught any sort of dog-related classes will testify, the classes are really for the owners! An experienced trainer can have a pup doing a variety of behaviors quickly – but when the pup returns to the owners, the owner can’t get the pup to duplicate what the pup did with the trainer. Skills must be learned for the owner/handlers as well as the dog. It is very advisable to take classes with qualified trainers. Experienced trainers are usually increasing their own knowledge base constantly. Learning from such an individual benefits both the owner and the pup.

Other than learning how to move one’s hands, feet, and body when teaching a pup, the new handler must also learn the, often frustrating, skill of patience. Teaching a pup well is not done instantly. That is a huge disappointment for many in our "want-it-yesterday" society. For example, I tell those handlers who I’m helping; teaching a dog to "heel" is done one step at a time. Giving a command to a pup and then waiting for the response requires patience. New handlers show their lack of patience by repeating the same command over and over. All they are doing is teaching the pup to wait for the fifth – or twenty-fifth – command before responding!

A puppy’s Central Nervous System (brain and nervous tissue) is fully developed at eight weeks. It makes far more sense to me to teach the new pup what is expected from the time they enter the new home than to "let the puppy be a puppy" – whatever that is. The earliest lessons that the pup learns are what future skills will be built upon. Building a solid foundation of desired behaviors with a young pup negates the "need" for behavior modification, problem solving, and "re-training." In times of stress and/or life and death situations, the dog will revert to its first lessons. Here is an example that I read about many years ago and is still with me. A breeder had taught all of her pups to come to "puppy-puppy-puppy." When her kennel was in flames, she opened all the doors to the runs, ran to a safe spot in the yard and called "puppy-puppy-puppy." All of her dogs of varying ages ran to her and were saved. A horrific event was lessened slightly as her dogs were safe.

Young pups can learn a tremendous amount in a short time. I must be very clear here, the puppy education must be very pleasant and rewarding for the pup, gentle in nature, short in time, and repeated a couple of times a day. Lure methods and/or clicker training are gentle and rewarding for both pup and handler. The very basic skills of tummy-side up (being held in the owner’s arm in a passive submissive position), sit, down, stand, come when called, and leave it can be bolstered with simple tricks such as paw, circles/spins, and bow. These foundation skills can be easily taught to a three month old (or younger) puppy.

But as the pups grow and more lessons are added, there are times when a previously learned skill disappears. When this happens, the dog is focusing on the new skill. Experienced trainers ignore this sloppy work of the previously learned skill at this time. Why? When the dog understands the newest skill, the sloppy work then "magically" disappears and returns to its state before the new skill was added. If the trainer had focused on "correcting’ the sloppy work, then that particular behavior would become worse. In ignoring the sloppy work, the trainer uses the shaping shortcut of extinction. In extinction, undesired behaviors are ignored – thus not rewarded positively or negatively. Without any reinforcement of any kind, the behavior disappears – or is extinguished. Here’s an example: Aleena, a pup that I have bred, came for a play date with Pema, her sister. Before we went into the yard, I had Aleena sitting beside me on a lead while I talked to her owners. Aleena, like her littermates, is very vocal. She was excited to see me and really excited about the chance to play with Pema. She was sitting beside me as she knew that was what I expected of her – but was still vocal. Eventually, as her noise was being ignored, she became quiet. I immediately gave her quiet praise and stroking (and attention) – then rejoined the conversation. Aleena became vocal again. Eventually she became quiet, got more positive reinforcement, and the conversation continued. The length of time she spent vocalizing decreased dramatically as it just wasn’t getting any attention from us. When she was quiet, then we went into the yard and she had an enjoyable hour long play with Pema as her big reward.

Education is on-going with dogs. It is 24-7 – literally. One may not be actively working on skills with the dog, but by just maintaining consistency with house rules and expectations of desired behaviors, the dog still learns what works – and what doesn’t.

Respect is earned. Think of an individual who you respect in your life. They don’t demand it, it is not their entitlement, but because of who they are and how they behave they have earned your respect. To earn respect, a leader must be clear in expectations, consistent in all actions, be able to communicate clearly, understand the needs of the individuals, educate others when needed, and be a genuinely caring person. A person must also have these same qualities to earn respect from a dog. If this isn’t happening, then some facet of how to earn respect is weak or missing. Often the problem stems from a lack of consistency from the person who the dog doesn’t respect.

For the adult who is being ignored and not respected, they must consciously adopt all of the principles of a leader. The dog knows that they can manipulate this person – and does. To help in gaining respect, the manipulated person must focus on all of the components of a respected person. Perhaps the ignored person could teach the dog a new skill - ideally one that the dog has not learned before. Trick training is superb for this as it has no pressure, won’t interfere with the main house/pack rules and boundaries and is enjoyable for both dog and person. Teaching tricks (and any behavior) using clicker training is highly recommended as it provides a clear method of communication that the dog can understand – particularly if the dog has been exposed to it in other phases of its education. For the dog who has learned to manipulate the ignored adult, this is a huge bonus as the dog "thinks" they are getting the silly manipulated human to make that funny clicking noise and – best of all – give them a treat!

Even children can earn respect of the family dog by teaching simple tricks such as "shake a paw" and tricks that stem from that such as "waving" and "high fives". I do suggest to new owners with families that they consider doing this as it’ll increase the status (and, in turn, respect) of their children from an equal or puppy status to "human" in the dog’s eyes.

By gaining the dog’s confidence, the leader demonstrates that they are worthy of the dog’s trust. An easy method to help a pup gain trust in the leader is the simple exercise of "tummy side up". In this exercise, the handler sits on the floor and the pup is gently held against the person’s belly in a passive submissive position. (The larger pup is positioned between the handler’s legs with the pup’s pelvis on the floor. The handler holds the pup with two hands around the pup’s chest. This allows the pup to wiggle/struggle while the handler maintains a calm, secure, and non-threatening hold of the pup.) This is a very vulnerable position for the pup – which usually elicits struggling at the outset. As the pup realizes that he is safe, he starts to relax – and trust – his handler. As the pup relaxes, then the handler can start to handle the puppy all over including feet, mouth, and genitals. It is extremely important for pups to accept being handled in all parts of their body.

As the pup grows and develops, they all have some form of "fear periods" in which they become uncertain in different situations. With a handler who exhibits confidence and calmness, the pup learns that the new scary situation is safe for them. Respect and trust grows.

When we purposefully socialize our dogs and discourage outward signs of dominance towards other dogs, we are taking away one of their defense mechanisms when our dog is approached by a strange – and potentially nasty – dog. We must be our own dog’s advocate and show – even, if necessary, by putting ourselves between our dog and the on-coming one – that we will protect them. If we don’t show that we will be the alpha of the pack and fulfill the protective function, then the dog will be forced to protect himself when threatened. Trust and respect of the handler diminish.

By showing that we, as a leader, are trustworthy and our dog’s advocate in keeping him safe, the dog knows he is always safe with his leader – no matter what the situation. This increases the dog’s respect.

The final quality of a benevolent leader is caring. We all need to be validated as individuals. We all want to be happy and cared for and liked by others. We all appreciate being honored by others for who we are. Dogs are no different. I firmly believe that dogs are true masters in teaching us how to show and give unconditional love. How hard can it be to give a fraction of the dog’s love back to our own dog(s)?

Conclusion