How Do I Show My Puppy I Am the Alpha?

First of all, you do not need to show your puppy you are the alpha. Alpha is a word that conjures a lot of things around dominance, authoritarianism, and behavior that is my way or the highway with your puppy. 

Yes, you want your puppy to have a structured upbringing and to live within a certain context where they don't get in trouble all the time. But, you have to teach your puppy the right things to do and you have to correct your puppy on the wrong things that they're doing. By no means should you take an approach that 'I am alpha.'

An alpha approach is going to come off as domineering. It's going to come off as aggressive. It might work in the short term to get your puppy to do what you want them to do. But in the long term, it is not going to be a good relationship. It's not going to foster trust and respect between you and your puppy. 

One of the things that you want to do instead is to take a leadership role with your puppy. A leadership role does not mean that you are domineering or aggressive. It means that you are calm, assertive, and consistent with your puppy. 

You want to be a leader that your puppy can look up to and respect. You want to be somebody that they want to follow because they know that you're going to keep them safe. 

Here are some tips on how you can take a leadership role with your puppy: 

1. Be consistent with your commands 

2. Don't shout or use aggressive tones with your puppy 

3. Reward your puppy when they do something good 

4. Set boundaries and limits for your puppy 

5. Be patient with your puppy 

6. Never use physical force or violence with your puppy

It is also important to reward your puppy when they do something good. This will help them to understand that they are doing something right and it will encourage them to continue doing it. In time, your puppy will grow to understand what you expect from them and they will behave the way that you want them to. 

Always remember: You are a leader, a beacon of safety for your dog. You're not there to dominate them. Please consider signing up for our dog training course videos. Daniel offers great insights and demonstrations that will teach you the fundamentals of dog training. You'll be off to building yourself as a leader and transferring that knowledge effortlessly to your dog training sessions.