Dogs are pack animals and many of their behaviors suggest this fact. When you get a new puppy one of the foremost and the most foremost things that you can do is to confirm authority. You are the “pack leader” and you must act accordingly.

Instinctively a new puppy will spend a immense quantity of time trying to confirm their place in the chain of command of their new home. They usually try to do this by trying to start their own authority. Some breeds such as terriers have more domineering personalities while other breeds tend to be more naturally meek.

The moment when your puppy comes home he needs to have his position in the pecking order established. He needs to be alert that you and all of the individual family members in your home are authoritarian over him. This is not a matter of punishment but it is something that must occur if he is to become a happy and well brought-up member of your household.

There are a few simple rules that you must follow to determine this authority. If not your puppy will be receiving mixed signals and it will make training much more demanding as he will be bewildered as to what you really want and who the authoritarian member is.

The leader must at all times eat first. Do not let your puppy eat before you eat. If you are planning on eating about the same time as you plan to feed your puppy, you need to make your puppy wait until you are done. Or you can have your puppy eat at a entire different time than you eat. In the start you may want to call your puppy to you to get his food and make him wait before you give it to him. You can teach him to sit and then give him his food.

Touching and handling a dog provide strong signals to him about who is in charge. Your puppy may complain and cry or even feign that you hurt him at the beginning when you handle him for simple grooming rituals. If he does this you must absolutely disregard him and persist on concluding. You must always follow through with what you start with a puppy because he will find out rapidly when you really mean something and if you are wishy-washy he will get another puzzling signal.

Most puppies will nip and bite at things when they are very young. You must hinder this behavior straight away and let your puppy know that it is not satisfactory with a quick reaction of a “No” and a tap if needed. Remember that you are the pack leader and the pack leader does not ever get nipped.

Showing your puppy that you are the main leader is the most imperative thing you can do to have a well-behaved dog later on. Stay away from aggressive games like “tug’o'war” where he can show too much control. Reward his good behavior with praise and treats and pay no attention to his bad behavior as you start on the process of obedience training. Following these simple rules can help you train your puppy to be well-mannered and subservient.

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