How Do I Know If I am The Alpha Dog and Pack Leader?

When it comes to your dog, they have more than likely been trained since they were a puppy to help them grow into a trusting, loving, and obedient pet.  This entire process has helped them to build a very strong bond with the humans who own them.  It is within your dog’s nature to be especially loyal and follow you, as their owner and master, to the end of the world and back again.  With that being said, you may think that this is a sign of respect to you from your dog.  You may feel as though your dog looks at you like you are their alpha, and it is for this reason that they are well-behaved and gentle with you and your family.

With that being said, not every dog is actually going to understand what their position in the pecking order actually is and will more than likely try to test any type of boundaries in regard to who the alpha leader actually is.  If this does happen with your dog, it is going to be able to cause you many different problems, as well as your family and even other dog owners too.

The bottom line here is going to be that if your dog does not respect you as the alpha and leader of the pack, you may have to deal with more serious problems down the road.  So what are you supposed to do to make sure that you are considered to be the only alpha?

How to Know if Your Dog Respects You

Do you go to sleep every night thinking that you are the ‘top dog’ in your house and your dog gives you the respect that you deserve?  Here are some of the different signs letting you know that your dog may actually not see you as the leader that you may think you are.

  • You Dog Doesn’t Pull the Leash When You Walk Them

Are you walking your dog or is your dog walking you?  If your dog is constantly taking the lead whenever you take them out for a walk, it is going to mean that they think that they are the alpha and are actually taking you for a walk, not the other way around.  When you think of it, it is going to make sense as the leader of a pack is always going to be the first one that is out in front of everyone else.

How your dog walks on a leash is going to be a telltale sign that they respect you or they don’t.  If your dog is constantly walking by your side (opposed to the occasional squirrel sighting), they are going to not be pulling on the leash and are waiting for a command from you, you are going to have their complete respect.

  • Your Dog is Constantly Brining You Prey and Toys to Gain Approval

In the past, the ancestors of your dog would be in a wild pack that had a very clear hierarchy.  With that being said, there is actually a theory where the dogs in the pack below the alpha are going to bring them toys and even some dead animals (which is their way of mimicking the practice of bringing prey home) to the alpha and the rest of the pack as well.  When you think about it, what better way is there to show your respect and submission than to offer a valuable gift of some type of ‘food’, even if the offering is a rubber toy that they enjoy playing with?

  • Your Dog Doesn’t Leave While You are Speaking to Them

If your dog didn’t respect you, the most obvious sign of disrespect is going to be walking away from you when you are talking to them.  This is going to be a huge sign of disrespect and rudeness, as well as mean that your dog has literally no respect for you whatsoever.  Essentially, if your dog walks away from you when you are speaking to them, the amount of respect you think they have for you (which includes your though that you are the alpha of this pack), is essentially going to be none.

  • Your Dog Listens When You Give a Command

If you are the pack leader, you should be able to command the respect of everybody in the room.  On top of that, you should also have everybody paying very close attention to whatever it is that you are saying.  If you see that your dog is listening to you whenever you give them any kind of command, it means that your dog does respect you.  In fact, you may even find that after you give them a command, it is followed up with a quick lick to you as well!

When your dog does not listen to you or any commands that you may give, it is a complete sign of disrespect and is going to mean that they do not have any respect for you whatsoever.  To break this down even further, if your dog does not listen to you when you give them a command, it means that you don’t have as much power as you may think in the hierarchy of your house.

  • Your Dog Doesn’t Get into Your Seat

One of the ways that you can tell if your dog respects you or not is going to be whether they jump into your seat after you have gotten up.  If you see that your dog is taking your seat whenever you get up, there are many different possibilities to what it can mean, but one of those is going to be how your dog thinks of you in terms of the hierarchy of the household.

The alpha is considered to be the one that is in charge of the entire pack.  This means that they are expected to get the very best of just about everything that is available.  This means that they are going to get the very best foods, the very best drinks, the best company, and even the best seat in the entire house.  Essentially, if you are an alpha in the household, your seat is going to be considered a throne to your dog.  So, when they take your throne, it means that they have pretty much zero respect for you.  What does this mean?  It means that there is a power struggle going on in your home!

  • You Get to Choose Your Own Seat

When it comes to choosing your own seat and your dog, there is actually going to be a lot that can be said by who is able to select the seat that they want first.  Is your dog going to go for the prime real estate that is the better seat before you have a chance too?

If your dog does respect you, they will allow you to choose the first seat by moving out of the way and letting you sit down without any problems.  While there is going to be nothing wrong with having a good snuggle, the moment that you even think about going to a particular seat, your dog should move out of your way and allow you, the pack leader, to claim your preferred position.

  • Your Dog Gets Close to You for Protection

Whenever you take a seat and relax, your dog is going to show you respect by wanting to sit or lay down right next to you.  This is not only a sign of respect, but also to let you know that they are seeking your protection as well (you are the pack leader after all).

  • Your Dog Doesn’t Sit on You

Keep in mind that more often than not, your dog is going to want to sit next to you and be as close as possible, which means that there are going to be those times when they are actually sitting on you.  However, there is going to be a very fine line between this type of sitting on you and the complete lack of respect type of sitting on you.  Keep in mind that cuddles are going to be absolutely fine, but your dog may try to exert their authority by dominating you and your space.  If this is the case, you are going to need to nip it in the butt as quickly as you can.

The true sign of an alpha dog is going to be that you will never let another dog or member of the pack sit on you.  What this means is that you simply need to not let your dog sit on you and you will retain your status as leader of the pack.

When it comes to your dog and whether or not they respect you, there are actually going to be many different ways to tell how they really feel.  When you pay attention to how they act around you, you will have no problem figuring out if they respect you or not.

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