Alpha Dog Training

Here is a sample chapter from the guide (Alpha Training chapter):

Alpha Training – Alpha training can best be described as training your dog to recognize you as the dominate authority in the house, or in other words as the Alpha male of the house. During Alpha training it is best if you work in other types of training so that the lessons get subliminally ingrained into your American Bulldog’s brain without you having to aggressively assert your dominance over it. Although they are at times stubborn American Bulldogs are also fiercely loyal to their family so Alpha training should be rather easy once your dog feels it is a part of your family.

Alpha training tips for your American Bulldog:

-Hit the ground running and never look back. Unlike most types of training which end after the training is complete, Alpha training never ends because it is never really complete. Throughout your companionship with your new American Bulldog you must constantly reinforce the Alpha dog mentality you establish during Alpha training. After a bit of time many people begin to get comfortable and complacent with their dogs and they let things slide rather then addressing them and correcting that behavior. If you don’t constantly reinforce your Alpha status in your home you Bulldog will gradually try to reassert its dominance. In reality this is more of a training phase for the owner than it is the dog because if you don’t act like the pack leader your dog will not recognize you as such.

-Disguise alpha training as other types of training whenever possible. If you American Bulldog knows that you are actively trying to assert your dominance over him/her it is likely to push back, much in the way as a teenage does in the same situation. Establishing your Alpha dominance over your Bulldog is best done over time and as stealthily as possible. The good thing about Alpha training is that most other types of training actively reinforce what you are trying to accomplish so in many cases an owner can become leader of the pack through other types of training without the dog or the owner aware to what is going on.

-Ensure that your Bulldog knows that other members of your family are its pack leader as well. In essence your American Bulldog must acknowledge and feel as if he is the lowest rung of the totem pole, at the very bottom of your family’s hierarchy. It may sound harsh, but establishing such an environment will allow your family and your American Bulldog to live in a much more happy environment. You especially have to watch your Bulldog around your small children because chances are it will try to assert its dominance over them and doing so will undermine your overall authority in the house. If your American Bulldog understands and accepts the social order within the house you will have much less behavioral problems than you would if it were constantly trying to establish itself as pack leader. Alpha training is also a useful way to curb aggressive behavior from your American Bulldog.

-Consider taking some classes, with or without your dog. The hardest part of alpha training is constantly acting the part of the Alpha leader in the house. By taking classes from a knowledgeable instructor you will learn how to better assert your dominance in the house with the correct commands, body language and tone of voice. For example it is best to use a deep firm voice when ordering your American Bulldog to do something, even if you do not naturally have a deep voice.