Heard of the Pack Mentality?

I've been reading Cesar Millan's book, Cesar's Way, and have already learned so much. I can see where I haven't been training my dogs the right way so that they are content and happy.

I've been treating them as if they were people, like my babies. That's not what dogs want or need. They need to know that I am their pack leader and that they are safe and secure as the followers.

One thing I read last night explained the importance of letting the dog come to me instead of walking up to a dog and giving it a pat or a hug. As puppies the mother trained them to come to her for food. She was, perhaps unknowingly, teaching them that she was the boss.

Fast forward a few weeks and they are in their new homes. Their new families run to them, pick them up, hold them, all of which is basically telling the puppies "you are the boss, I am the submissive one." All wrong.

What we need to do when we meet a new dog is let him come to us. Wait for him to nudge us or rub up against us. That is the signal that he is the submissive one. Now we are free to pet him and still maintain the position of leader.

That's just one thing I have learned. I recommend Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems to anyone who has a dog or who is around dogs.