Actionable Ways to be the Pack Leader

In Episode One, Chrissy and Cara discuss the importance of learning the language of DOG so as to facilitate a deeper understanding of your dog's behavior and psyche. They touch on Canine to Five's three foundational principles of DOG: How They Live, How They Learn, and How They Act with specific emphasis on 'How They Live.' Since it's established that dogs live in a hierarchal pack setting, in Episode Two, Chrissy and Cara build on this principle by defining with that means. They go into depth about the importance of pack leadership and give the listeners actionable tools on how to be the pack leader! Tune in.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:13

Dog is love, like the roots of the trees and the stars up above Dog is love, judgment free, unconditionally

SPEAKER_01 0:40

So last week, we talked a lot about canine psychology and how critically important understanding dog and how learning to speak the language of dog is to your relationship with your pet. We touched on how even just having the basic understanding of primal canine culture can better inform how we interact with our own pets, right? Yep. Right.

UNKNOWN 1:05

Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

So with that said, we introduced everyone to what Chrissy calls the foundational principles of the dog, of which there are three. They are how they live, how they learn, and how dogs act. And all three of these principles are intrinsically linked with one another. But last week, we dove into the first one, which focuses on their environment and how they live, which we said was a hierarchical pack setting. So today we're going to sort of build on that a little bit because a lot of that has to do with that hierarchy and being the pack leader. So we're going to... Yeah, we'll shelf right now the other two principles that we will have to get to. Yes. And we're going to discuss how to be a pack leader... At home. In your living space. Yes. With your dog at home. Correct. So without further ado... All right. So there's three ways. So there are three ways to help you build your pack leadership with your dog. Uh-huh. And I think I said this in the last podcast, which is really cool. I'm not adding anything more to your daily routine. Right. You're already going to be doing this stuff with your dog. Right. But we're going to coach you to be more intentional. I like that word. Yeah. More intentional with what you're already doing in your house with your dog. Great. Okay. Okay. So the three things that at K9to5 we offer up is coaching. Human first, dog second. So the way that you go up and down stairs, in and out of the doorways, in and out from inside the home to outside the home, and then in and out of the crate. Oh, yeah. And then how you're going to feed a dog. Okay. And then how you're going to walk a dog. Got it. Again, you're doing all of those things. Already, we're just asking you to be more intentional. Okay. All right. So should we talk, let's talk about that first one. Sure. Right. So human first, dog second. And why? And why? What's the psychology there? So the psychology is, is that the pack leader is going to be the one delegating where we're going and what we're doing. Right. Right. So I'm going to lead the pack. Now, this is different from when we're like traveling around. from territory to territory to go out hunting, blah, blah, blah, blah. This is a domestic setting. This is domestic setting, yeah. So when you are taking a dog outside from the inside of the house to go to the potty or go out for a walk or get out to the car, you're always going to want to go first and the dog second. Right. And you have many dogs that are going to rush doors, try to get out first, things like that. So What we're going to use is that principle we'll talk about a little bit later is how dogs act. They act territorially. So we're kind of touching base right now. So what you're going to do is you're going to basically be territorial of that space. So you have a bubble around yourself. Your dog has a bubble around him or herself. You can always go into your dog's bubble, but they can never come into yours. So when you're standing at a doorway, put that bubble there. And anytime the dog approaches you, just walk into their space to back them up. Right, and this actually does tie in lovely with everything that you said last week about how important calm environment is. So this is a beautiful segue to that because if your dog is acting wildly or sees a squirrel or there's something that gets it all excited, your job as the pack leader- is to calm, is to use your calm energy. Yes. To create calm energy in that dog. Yeah. So what you're doing is you're also taking a pause when your dog's excited to get outside. Right. To go for that drive, the walk or the play.

SPEAKER_02 5:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

So you're just taking a pause also. Right. That then you can kind of bring the energy down. Yeah. Get them in a calm mindset. So they're taking that calm mindset from one environment out to the next environment.

SPEAKER_00 5:17

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 5:18

And then That way that will transition and your dog will always kind of be in that common set that you're working towards. Right. So if you, I mean, if you have trouble with, if you're having a dynamic, you know, issues with dynamics, family dynamics with your dog, you should never be, let's say, just opening the door and letting your dog barrel out, you know, to go chase a squirrel or whatever it is because that's, That energy, that wild mindset is going to – that dog has now assumed the role of the leader. And so what the dog is being taught is that they're being put in a leadership role. I need to go outside and protect our territory and make sure those dogs don't come on our lawn.

SPEAKER_00 6:09

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 6:10

So, yeah, you want the opposite. Right. Right. Yeah. Because, you know – And so what you're doing is you're bringing control into the situation. Yes. Your dog already has that innately in them. Like they want to be territorial because that's how they act. We'll get to that. But by not opening the door and letting them rush the territory line or the threshold or the fence, whatever it may be, then so you're controlling that. Environment. Environment, yeah. You're controlling that urge for their primitive self to come out. You're controlling the behavior too. Yeah. You're controlling, you are assuming the role of the pack leader. Correct. And not only that, but when we assume the role of the pack leader, you are relinquishing that job from your dog so that they can relax- so important yeah right so it's like we'll come back to this point a lot but yeah being a pack leader is a big job yeah and it takes a lot of delegating a lot of like i mean multitasking sounds like something you're going to be coming into motherhood yeah where you're multitasking constantly that's a pack leadership role so um this is really important when we talk about dog walking How to walk the dog. Yeah. Because you just, you want to give your dog a break and you'll understand it better when we talk about the leash training. But anyhow, so for right now, this one particular one for human first, dog second. Yes. Out of threshold steps and in the crate, right? So you're going to have that space, that bubble, and your dog can't come into that bubble. When you go to open the door, he or she might get excited. Right. Okay. So stop, pause, relax. Recalibrate. Yeah. Recalibrate. Reset. And then small baby steps until you get to the point where you can open that door and the dog is calm and waiting for you to tell them what to do. And like you said, it could take. Some time. Yeah. Especially if you have an older dog that you're now going to detox from this behavior. Right. Yeah. It's going to take you some time, but it's so important. Yes. Okay. And then it's really important about the crate. Yes. So this kind of all like falls in this. So, okay, you're not going to crawl yourself into the crate and then come out first, right? So usually when you're creating a dog or a puppy, they're excited when you come home, right? So you're going to either do two things. You're going to go and do whatever you're going to do or need to do until the puppy calms down. Right. So like maybe you need to use the restroom, drop your stuff off, like unpack the book bags, like whatever. Do all that kind of stuff and give your time, your dog time to just kind of settle itself. Okay. Or you can go over to the crate and then just take some time for yourself right there. Maybe take a couple of deep breaths.

SPEAKER_00 9:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:16

And let your dog relax. Get settled. Right. And never open if the dog is barking, if the dog is whining, if the dog is furiously shaking. Or what about when they're like scratching? Or scratching or pawing at the crate. No. And there's a command for that, right? You can give commands for that. Well, yeah. Or do you just wait? I think it's more about like the body language and the interaction. So it's more about, but you can, but we'll get back to it. But it's, It's more about just taking deep breaths and waiting until the dog is calm. Calm. Okay. Then what's going to happen with the crate is that behaviorally, how they learn, which we'll talk about next episode, is you're going to unlatch the crate. Right. That noise is going to- That's a reward, right? Yeah. Like they're going to, oh, here we go. The gate's going to open up. Yeah. So when you do that, they possibly will go back up into that excited mindset. So unlock it and then hold it closed.

UNKNOWN 10:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 10:15

Oh, that's really interesting. Let the dog calm down a little bit. And once it's back into that calm mindset, then you're going to open up the crate door a little bit. And then you're going to see how the dog responds. Is he going to bum rush the gate and run out? Or do you see him like being like, okay, I got the message. I need to hang back here into the crate.

SPEAKER_00 10:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:36

All right. And the calmer you are, the calmer they'll be. Sure. And then you just go ahead. If the dog kind of comes towards the front of it, you close that gate again. And so he's not getting the behavior he wants, which the door is open, right? So he's going to settle himself back down.

SPEAKER_00 10:50

Got

SPEAKER_01 10:50

it. He or she, sorry.

SPEAKER_00 10:51

Yeah, yeah,

SPEAKER_01 10:53

yeah. Okay. So then once that happens, you have your dog calm, you're going to open up the crate door. And again, that bubble that we talked about with the front door going out, you're going to step into that space and you're territorially taking over the entrance of the crate.

SPEAKER_03 11:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:09

Okay. Okay. Okay. Yep. And then the dog might bum rush again. If that happens, step back, close the gate again. Okay. Damn it. He's back. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm back where I started. So he's going to start behaviorally learning that he has to stay in this calm mindset to get to the next step and the next step and the next step. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. This is so good. Okay. So you're standing in the crate. So you open up the door again and you stand in that space. And if the dog is calm- then what you do is you just turn around and walk out. And this translates not just for a crate, right? I mean, if you, let's say your dog's in a mudroom behind a gate, any sort of threshold, right? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. All right. So that's the first one. Okay. Human first, dog second. Yes. I'm not expecting you to crawl in the crate. That's how you do it with the crate. So that when you're walking away, you're first and the dog second. Right. Especially and this is also important with like stairs. Yes. Up and down stairs. Up and down stairs. And especially if you have older parents that might be coming to visit you or kids because you don't want the dog to take them out as he's barreling down or she's barreling down. Sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 12:22

So that's the first one. Got it. The second one is how you feed a dog.

UNKNOWN 12:26

Ah, yes.

SPEAKER_01 12:27

Okay. So when you feed a dog, again, there's going to be many steps from you opening the bag or wherever your dog food is, refrigerator, canister, whatever it is. That, all of this is going to create excitement in the dog because they're going to get the food. It's finally dinner time or breakfast time, right? Right. And then just a little bit of, canine psychology here. The alpha eats first. Correct. Right. So very important to keep in mind that you are the controller of the food. Yes. Right. Yes. Yeah. OK. So tell us more. OK. So you're going to go over to the food and you're going to prepare the meal. Yep. Dog's going to get probably excited. Sure. Stop. Yeah. Just stop at that the that moment and just either stand still or Let your dog calm down. You might have to correct them. Whatever it is, just start the process of just making the meal and them being in a calm mindset. I just keep thinking of Rosie. When she

SPEAKER_03 13:37

just like drools uncontrollably.

SPEAKER_01 13:40

Rosie is a bull mastiff. She's sleek because she walks every day where she used to. But she is, she's got a... She likes dinner. She looks forward to her meals. Yes. So any of that, you know, that's all natural instinct of the dog. They're going to start salivating and things like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But anyhow, so you're going to prepare the meal. Got it. Dog needs to be in a calm mindset again. Here we are. Yep. Back to calm mindset. You're all Yeah. So important. Okay. Okay. Got it. And this is, again, going back to that bubble. Now you have a bubble around you. Dog has a bubble around them. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 14:35

And

SPEAKER_01 14:36

you're standing in front of the dog bowl, the food.

SPEAKER_03 14:38

You're in between,

SPEAKER_01 14:39

right? Yeah. In between. And you're going to stand there in presentation that you're eating first, right? Okay. I'm not going to ask you to eat the dog food. I'm going to just put you in this zone defense so it looks like you are. Right. Right. So if the dog tries to come to you, which is going to happen, especially if you're going to try to detox the dog from different behaviors and you're starting this with an older dog. So it's relatively easy to do with a puppy. Yes. Easy to do with a puppy, but it can be tricky with an older dog. Okay. Well, there's so much. Well, with a puppy, if you got the puppy from a breeder that trough feeds, which means puts the dog food all in one container, then there's going to be this frenzy to eat. Yeah. And so if you get a puppy from that type of breeder, then yes, they're going to be excited and want to bum rush it. It's like being a child in a family of six children. Right. If you don't eat, you're hungry. Yeah. So get in there. So pro tip, when you go to, if you're purchasing a dog, always ask the breeder, do you individually feed or do you trough feed? It's interesting. Okay. Good tip. Yeah.

UNKNOWN 16:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:02

It's a huge tip because if you get a dog later on in life that is like in that frenzy pack mentality of eating the food all together, there's a chance that they could have bloat, which is a really big deal and can take the dog's life, which is where their stomach turns because they eat so fast. So yeah, it's a huge question to ask. Also, too, and we have seen this a lot, are how if you don't control the environment with which that your dog eats in, your dog can become territorial of the food. And since this, obviously, we're talking about ways to be the pack leader. So you're trying to avoid such a situation. But maybe you adopt a dog that didn't have You know, is a dominant breed and that dog didn't have a strong pack leader from its foundation. So now you have this dog who becomes aggressive over the food, you know, and you're trying to break that cycle. Right. And if that's the case. Yeah. Just shelf this part. Okay. And then we'll do the thresholds and the dog walk and then we'll get you back to the food. Right, right, right. So focus more on establishing trust in other various ways with that dog. Yes. And then we would dig into this in a more troubleshooting kind of way. Okay. All right. So you're zone- Go back to zone defense. Yeah. So you're zone defensing. Bull's down on the floor. You're standing in front of it. Dog is just hanging out like in front of you. They're going to try to kind of go around to the left, to the right. And you're just going to calmly move to the left and to the right. Using your body. Using your body. Yes. And then if the dog approaches the bull and you, you can just take a step towards it. Okay. And push it back again, just like the threshold. A step toward the dog. Yeah, calmly towards the dog to take over territory. Got it. Okay. That makes sense. And then what you're going to wait for while you're doing this zone defensing is for the dog to sit on their own or even better if they lie down and shift their back hips to the side. If your dog lies down and he is She is on her back hips ready to pounce. There's a difference. It's really important to know that body language of a dog. Okay. The dog has to shift to the side. You know the difference. Of course. If you have dogs, you know that difference. Because what you're looking for is for your dog to relent. Relent, yeah. Almost, right? Like you're looking for your dog to say, okay, give me the cue. Yes. You're like, okay, I get it. I, you know, I give up. Yeah. Yeah. Or just, yes. Relenting to you being the pack leader and eating first. Right. Yes. Because out in the wild, remember when we talked about wolves. Right. The pack leader and his or her betas are going to eat first. Right. And then there's a, again. A pecking order. A pecking order of who's, you know, who comes up next. Yeah. Okay. And then, so as soon as you do see that shift, is it a command? What is it? So you can add a command if you want. Okay. Like dinner, chow time, things like that. But it's not- Okay, go. Yeah. That's what we do. Okay, go. So just as long as you say it calmly. Yeah. Not like, it's dinner time. So just calmly. What are you saying, Chrissy? Yeah. So you can put a command to it if you want. Yes. I don't. I just walk away. Okay. So that's funny though. So with moose- Less with Junie because I swear she's a fake lab. Moose is Kara's older lab that has passed away. Juniper, Junebug as we call her, or I call her, is her new chocolate lab. Yes. So less with Junie, but with Moose, that was the one thing. I did so many things wrong, but that was the one thing I did right. But if I walked away, she wouldn't touch the bowl. And that's a sign of the respect. I had to give her the command. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Like, and, and when I find, when I would say, okay, you know, okay, go. She would eat. Yeah. But if I walked away from her, she would just be staring at me like, really? Yeah. So that you must have, without even like thinking of it, you've must've put that con, command in I must have yeah and then so she was waiting for that release command to go eat yeah but if you put that command in great it's not needed if you don't want to do it okay but it's literally just walking away and you'll and you'll see when you when this like clicks uh-huh you're gonna see the dog is gonna watch you walk away and then if you are not far enough they might just be like oh I need to wait because they don't know if you're gonna come back and eat again And remember this too, a pack leader in the wild engorges himself or herself and then walks away. She will never go and come back. Okay. So she or he will eat until they're full. Until when they're done, they're done. Yes, they're done. But you know, you just never know. So the other dog is just going to wait and make sure that you're fully have left the kill the food sure sure and then once that happens then they'll slowly and gradually go to the bowl and then eat it so guess what you have instilled a pack leadership relationship with your dog and then secondly you are giving the highest reward food And that dog is in a calm mindset. So you're rewarding the calm mindset. Yes. Rewarding the calm mindset. That is so critical. Oh my gosh. That is so critical. And you're doing that also with the threshold or the crate, right? Because they're calm mindset and then they get the reward of going either outside or to the car or out of the crate. Right, right, right. Yeah. So you're constantly throughout the day, whatever you're doing, you're trying to reward the dog when they're in the calm mindset versus is the excitable mindset or the territorial mindset. You want to be constantly reinforcing the calm mindset. Yes, and that does translate to dogs and or wolves, say, in the wild because the pack leader is going to be stable, even, calm. calm mindset and for safety reasons right because remember yeah remember if that if he doesn't have or she doesn't have a pack that is calm then that's going to be a source of sound or draw negative attention yeah to the pack from the yeah from a predator from a predator yeah so this is like primitive this is safety yes okay so we have talked about human first dog second We've talked about the feeding rituals. Let's talk about our favorite, the walk. Our favorite and the most important. Yes. The walk is the most important relationship builder that you can do with a dog. The most important routine with a dog. Yeah, it's the most important. And also- domesticated the least thing that usually dogs get of leaving the territory. Right. Right. Because dogs, in their nature, travel. Yeah. They migrate. They walk. Yeah. They move. They're moving. They're looking for a place to den. They're looking for food. Yeah. So they'll leave the territory to go hunt and then come back. Yeah. So that walk isn't just, oh, I'm going to go take Buddy for a walk right now. It's primal. Yeah. It's primal. I mean, that's what I love what I do is because we offer that to the local dog. We offer... that availability to go out, not only by itself, but with a pack setting and go out into, you know, pass their territory line and go out into the world and walk together and then come back. Yeah. So it's the most important, the dog walk. Agreed. Okay. So let's talk about it. Then this is the one that it's a lot of info. Ready? So when we go out for a dog walk, We're going to, if you have a puppy or maybe like a dog that marks or something like that, you're going to go out back to let them go to the bathroom first. Okay. And get that out of the way. Got it. Then you're going to come back and perhaps go out a different door maybe. Okay. Or, you know, so like if you're going to the back door, then maybe leave from the garage or the front door to go for the walk. Yeah, because the walk is business. Like it's all business. Yeah. And you want to associate that Differently from going out back. Okay. Oh, this is what I always say. It's great with dogs to compartmentalize each event. So when you do one event, like go out back to do the potty for a puppy, end that event and then go to the next. So by going out to a different door that shows represents the ending of that one event. And now we're going to go out for a walk. Okay. All right. Okay. So we're going to leash up the dog. Mm-hmm. And then you do have some tips on this on your Instagram too, by the way. For sure. That's awesome. Yeah. So we're going to leash up the dog. Now, we at K9to5 believe in the prong. And the reason we use the prong collar. So the prong collar is, it comes now in different colors, but it's the one that kind of looks like teeth together. They're prongs. They're prongs that are connected to each other. And the reason we use that is because we believe it's the most organic tool on the market. Because when used correctly, it simulates a bite to the dog's neck. It's the same correction the mother would give a pup. Correct. That was out of line or that the pack leader would give an unruly member of the pack. It's a nip. It's a, you know, it's a little shh. Yeah. A little bite. And you all listening, you know this because you've seen your dog play with other dogs. Right. And so if two dogs are playing, they'll pin one down by the neck and they might squirm out of it and then play chase and go around. Sure. And then the other one will pin the other one down by the neck. Right. It's just, that's their go-to. And then that's how they, that's actually how they learn socially too when they're pups because if they're playing and one nips too hard, you'll hear a yip. Yep. You know, the dog will yelp and then they'll be yelping there'll be a pause right you know and then it's that's and then okay they start again yeah so it's like a it's a it's a correction it's a showing a limit yeah um okay this is when it like you i'm your girlfriend and i'm coming to tell you something something you don't want to hear yes and i hate doing it but it really is something that needs to be heard okay say it harnesses terrible. We hate them. I know. Harnesses are for working dogs. Right. Okay. So you've got to say- Sled dogs. Yes. Sled dogs. So when you put a harness on a dog and you pull back on their chest, it's a natural reaction for them to go forward. Yes. They want to pull more. Yes. Then also when you're out with your dog on a walk, Harnesses, sometimes you don't have the best control of the dog. Right. Now they've upgraded to harnesses, like an easy leader where it turns the dog around. That's all goes into the psyche of behavior. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:30

You

SPEAKER_01 28:30

know, the dog can't walk forward. So it stops doing the pooling. There are upgraded harnesses. Agreed. Yes. That work. But for just the general harness, the only time you're going to use a harness, if you have a small dog where the neck and the body are all the same and they slip out of collars. Right. So you're going to use that. Or yeah, if you have a working dog that you need to have them pull a cart or something. So the idea is that you're going to leash up your dog and you're going to go out for a disciplined walk. Yes. So that means that the dog needs to be in a calm mindset. There we go again with that word. And also discipline that they're walking next to you or behind you, never in front of you. Never in front of you. You've probably, I just thought you've probably seen me allow a dog or two to go up in front and lead the pack. But that is a dynamic that I can do with the dog. And you will be able to do that eventually. But, you know. For all intents and purposes, when establishing yourself as the pack leader, your dog is to walk. Yeah. Beside you. Yeah. Or behind you. Yes. Never in front of you. Yes. Yeah. Okay. So to go out for the walk. whatever collar you're going to choose. Yep. Right. We choose the prong. Yes. Then you're going to head out the door, human first, dog second, and now you're outside. And, and for all of those out there listening, head over to Chrissy's canine to five, um, Instagram page, because there are some really, really helpful tips. One about how to correctly fit the prong collar on your dog. Yeah. And two, um, Your leadership program that you do with a lot of our puppies and best practice for getting your dog to walk next to you and in a calm, stable mindset. Yeah, it's definitely there. And so then you're going to go out for that walk with the dog. Okay, here's the key to the dog walk. It is for exercise purposes only. Okay. Okay. Okay, for the dog walk. You mean you shouldn't let your dog stop and sniff and mark in every mailbox? No, you shouldn't, Kara Kelly. That you go to? No. Yes. Okay, so a lot of females and males, if they're more of an alpha role dog, will mark their territory out dog walking. Right. So that means that they are marking, they're going to the bathroom multiple times on the walk. If you have a dog doing that, Have it stop immediately. How do you have it to stop immediately? Put your dog on a short lead and make sure that they stay in the road with you. Can we talk just really touch on really quickly? What that's all about? No, the leash. Oh, sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just because you said short leash. Yeah, yeah. And because the whole purpose is to really say you're trying to be the pack leader. Yeah. Retractable leashes. Yeah. On walks. Just on walks. Just on walks. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Kara and I, your girlfriend right now, we're just saying for your exercised walk, you need a six foot leash. Yeah. Six foot flat. Leash. Flat leash. Yeah. Or, you know, the retractable leash is going to... That you're going to use in the night for like a stroll. For a stroll. Or if you're letting your dog, if you don't have a fence and you're letting your dog go to the bathroom. Correct. There is, or you're on a hike and you want your dog to have a long lead because you're in the woods. Yeah. And you get to a certain point, then maybe your dog gets off. Yes. There is an absolute... time and a place for that tool. But for the exercised walk, the disciplined walk, you need to be on a four or six foot leash. All right. Good. We suggest to like maybe like a couple, you know, house lengths or just a A little bit that you could, if you have an older dog,

SPEAKER_02 32:45

give

SPEAKER_01 32:46

them the grass and say a command to go to the bathroom. Sure. And let them go to the bathroom in that little command or that little time frame. That's like for the first like 30 seconds of your walk. But once that is done, the dog is right next to you and you guys are cruising on your exercise walk. Yes. And there is no more sniffing or- And people will say, but my dog loves to sniff, but my dog loves to do that. No. Not on this walk. Well, yeah, but also because what's happening is if you're in a neighborhood, especially, you're creating a dynamic between the dogs of the neighborhood. Oh my God, that's so true. That you don't even know is happening. Yeah. So what happens is, you know, neighbor goes out with a dog that dog goes for a walk and that dog marked a couple places

SPEAKER_00 33:41

yeah

SPEAKER_01 33:42

neighbor next neighbor goes out of the walk like maybe in the afternoon and then that dog's marking over top of that dog oh

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my

SPEAKER_01 33:49

god and then that same the first neighbor goes back out you know later on and it's like that dog is like oh man yeah who was in my hood and then he goes and marks over top of that yeah so it's like all it's just like a dominant It's a cycle of dominant behavior. Yeah, territory takeover. Yeah. And so then you're like, gosh, why does... Why does my dog bring that same behavior back home? Or out on the walk, why does Frank get a little hot and heavy and barky at George that passes by? Yeah. We're in the neighborhood together. Well, that's because they're territorially taking over and battling for that. Yeah. And then you... Also, too, that stinks because... then like the neighbors kind of, because the dogs don't get along. So then the neighbors don't really chit chat and talk to each other. And that's a shame. Well, can you touch on that? Because you're not in community. Can you touch on that a little bit? When you're out on the walk, you see Sally down the street. She lives at 1108, right? And you guys want to, Stop and say hello. What is the appropriate behavior? Right. Think about it. When you go on a run, if you're a runner, you go out for a run. You're not stopping to talking to any of your friends when you see them. No, you're because you're on that run to get your exercise. Right. Yes. Same thing for the dog walk. If you're out for that exercise, disciplined dog walk and you're and you're in that like training scenario right where you're trying to become the pack leader you're detoxing your current dog or you're have a new dog you're not going to interact with the neighbors until your dog is until you feel like you totally have that leadership role okay right yeah so i it's it's you know you might be like gosh that's really harsh but it It really is important. And it's not forever. And it's not. Yes. It's a right. We say it all the time, don't we? Yeah. It's a right now thing, not a forever thing. Right. Short-term pain. Long-term gain. Okay. So you're out for the walk and you are trucking and making some good steps, getting your good steps in, mileage. And you're going to know your dog's telltale sign that they have to go to the bathroom.

SPEAKER_00 36:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:08

So this is important. Here's your leadership role when that happens. If you find that your dog has to go to the bathroom in the middle of the walk, you spot that signal, you take two or three more steps and you lead your dog to the grass. Once you're in the grass, then you let that long six foot lead out and then you give the command to go to bathroom and you don't stand still. you just slow your pace down and you gradually walk down the area that your dog needs to go to the bathroom. Okay. And you keep on giving a command that hopefully your dog has a command to go to the bathroom. So you keep on doing that command and then they go to the bathroom and then poof, you're back out on the walk. Yep. And they're done. They can't sniff anymore. Okay. So the idea of not standing still is because a dog can get really fixated on a smell and it might not necessarily... be a spot to go to the bathroom it might be like oh this is something new it's like you know right right right yeah they're just again trying to mark yeah so you just want to make sure that you keep them kind of moving as they sniff

SPEAKER_02 37:14

uh-huh

SPEAKER_01 37:14

and um and then eventually they'll go to the bathroom so don't stand still just do a slower space pace pace and getting them to into that yeah so you are the pack leader you've led them to the grass to go for that mid-walk bathroom break, you bring them back out and then you just get on for your pace again, high pace, kicking in the miles. Got it. All right. That's so good. I mean, this is so important. So important, right? So let's review, right? Okay. So you have human first, dog second. Yes, which will, that will translate into all of these, that will trickle down into all of these. Yeah. And then, and you're going to do human first, dog second, through in and out of doorways, up and down steps, and in and out of the crate.

SPEAKER_02 38:03

Then

SPEAKER_01 38:04

the second way is going to be of establishing leadership is how we feed the dog. So you're going to create that routine that we talked about and establish that leadership role of pack leadership where you're zone defensing the food first, which simulates to the dog, oh, she's eating first. She owns the food. And then... She's the boss. She's the boss. Yep. And then the third way is by walking the dog the most important way. And that is, you know, again, in a calm mindset for an exercised walk, no marking and sniffing. That's called a stroll. That's not, you know, an exercised walk in a disciplined way where they are walking next to you or behind you. Okay. Oh, and let's... Good point. Okay. Disciplined, I mean like not like, no, no, yes, yes. Disciplined like a military person. That's discipline in what they're doing. Regimented. Regimented. There we go. There you go. You always have the words, Missy. I like words. Yeah. All right, guys. There you go, right? There you go. Go out in the world and be the PAC leader. It's an important role to be. Yes. Go be the pack leader. And next week, next episode, we're going to talk about the second foundational principle. Yeah. Which will tie into all of this. And that's behavior. How dogs learn. Right. Right. Yeah. Dogs learn. So until then. Dog is love. We love you. See you soon.

UNKNOWN 39:45

Bye.

SPEAKER_01 39:45

If this podcast aligns with you, it would mean so much to us if you would take 30 seconds to do these three things. First, follow or subscribe to Dog Is Love so you don't miss an episode. To do this, just go to Dog Is Love show page on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts and tap the plus sign on the upper right-hand corner or click on follow. While you're there, give a five-star rating and review why you liked our episode and share an episode We would be so grateful.

SPEAKER_00 40:43

That we have the answers Or we could lean into the light Cause man complicates The stillness of nature While dogs humbly watch with awe in their eyes We're not supposed to struggle alone A friend for a lifetime To guide you wherever you roam Dog is love Like the roofs of the trees and the stars up above Dog is love Judgment free, unconditionally

SPEAKER_01 42:06

I come out. You're going to do this every week. You sat there for, I'll sit there. Do you want this one? No, I think now I got it, right? Okay. Hello. Hello. Hello. It's me. I think I, I think we might have gotten it.