By Lisa Colon Tudor, CPDT-KA, Owner KissAble Canine, LLC

What does leadership mean? Does it mean that I have to be dominant? I need alpha status, right? Shouldn’t I be walking in front to be in charge?

These are the kinds of questions that I discuss with every new client, specifically what it means for the owner and their dog. Leadership is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ concept. How one owner leads their Yorkie may be entirely different than how one leads their Greyhound. This is because a dog’s personality, drives, and needs has an impact on what leadership obligations the owner should fill. An owner can achieve great canine leadership by understanding the theory behind it and worrying less about physically acting tougher than the dog. Suzanne Clothier send it best in her book Bones Would Rain From the Sky, “Real life with real animals is not rigidly linear, but a beautiful and fluid weave of understanding and reciprocity among the various members; authority is often not absolute but rather highly situational.”

I define canine leadership as the ability to mitigate your dog’s decisions to a short, few acceptable ones through positive communication and guidance. A good leader understands the dog’s situation and gives him direction about what to do next. The leadership must be consistent and benevolent.

Let’s look at taking a dog for a walk. In the first few seconds out the door the dog is thinking: whats that smell? where did that noise come from? Is that a cookie on the ground?

A good leader will give the dog just as much information about what to do in that moment as the dog is reading from his environment. It may be to sit still, or it may be to go sniff and pee on the tree. If the owner does nothing, then the dog will assume he is left to make his own decisions. These doggy decisions usually include some combination of the following: should I eat it, pee on it, play with it, hump it, bite it or sleep on it? Clearly, these types of decisions are natural to a dog, but often may not be what we want them to do.

Let’s not confuse good leadership with intimidation. Leadership through intimidation is a dangerous course. Intimidating a dog is an unhealthy relationship and is doing more to break the human-animal bond than to build it up. Physically placing a dog on its side, grabbing its scruff or hitting it over its nose are not actions of leadership. They are actions of anger and frustration.

Now to clarify, leadership is a 24/7 job. That’s dog ownership! However, when my dogs are really “off-the-clock” I let them know. My cue that marks free time is, Go Sniff. This means my dog can be free to make their doggy decisions. I have heard the following words that refer to a dog’s free time: All Done, Patrol, Playtime, OK! and Release.

If you are interested in expanding your Canine Leadership, KissAble Canine can help. We service the Washington, DC area. For details and more information about services check us out online at www.KissAbleCanine.com or call us at 703-574-3383. And come find us on Facebook!