Like humans, dogs are social animals. Just as humans require a social hierarchy with a leader at the top, so too, do dogs. In your home, your dog should be subordinate to all humans. As the dog's owner, it's important that you establish yourself as the alpha, its pack leader. This is important because when your dog senses a problem, it will expect the pack leader to decide what to do about it.
The Importance of Being the Alpha
When a visitor knocks on your door, your dog sees this as a possible threat to its home and the pack. When you're the alpha, your dog will defer to you about what to do about this seeming threat to the pack's territory. On the other hand, if your dog regards itself as the pack leader, it deals with the visitor in the only way it
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While you can do this at a later age, it's more difficult.
Neuter your dog. This stops testosterone production, which reduces aggression. However, this alone isn't enough because fear and anxiety, which may cause a dog to bite, are not caused by testosterone.
Always act calm. Your dog senses your moods and often mirrors them. Yelling at your dog doesn't reassure it, and behaving in any way that isn't calm, relaxed, confident, and in control doesn't gain its respect and confidence in you.
Never give your dog free treats. It must earn the treat in some way. This can be a trick such as sitting on voice command. Praise and reward your dog afterwards with the treat. This rule applies to all things you give your dog such as toys, meals, and affection.
Never allow your dog to go out the door before you. You're the alpha and the alpha always goes first. Tell your dog to sit and only open the door after it's sitting. Once you're out, the dog can come out as well. Dogs react to overt actions. When you go outside first, it sees this as a dominance assertion by you. If you allow it to go out first, it sees this as you relinquishing the role of alpha to