Alpha Dogs

Mar

5

2010

So, my husband and I got a dog last summer after we had been married for roughly 2 weeks. It was very much an impulse buy. We spotted him and his little brothers and sisters in the local paper going for about $60.00. Can’t beat that.

Before we knew it, 9 months later our sweet little 10 lb puppy (Porter) turned into a 45 lb beast. I grew up in a house with tiny, little fluffy dogs who could do no wrong. They slept in the bed with me at night, and I mean practically on the pillow next to me, and they were picky eaters often eating whatever it was we were having for dinner. Oh and they had wardrobes. Yeah, we weren’t exactly strict at my house. On the other hand, Jack, my husband, grew up with very well trained, very expensive, hunting dogs. His dogs knew all of the fancy tricks and lived rustic lives. They killed neighborhood cats, barked when they were supposed to bark, and slept on the floor at night. So, needless to say we had very different ideas about how dogs should be treated. I guess we should have talked about how we would “raise” our dog before we actually brought him home. Now, 9 months later, Porter is huge (at least compared to the dogs I am accustomed to) and very hyper. Not to mention, he is totally confused by the two different styles of training he receives. My style of training is, well, no training at all. When I tell him no, I end up just giving in because he is so dang cute. I am not proud of this fact. When Jack tells him no, Porter knows it means NO. So, before we go spend hundreds on obedience school, we opted to spend $15.00 on a dog training book. We both committed to following what the book says and to being consistent in his training. One of the things the author of the book recommends is barking at your dog instead of saying no. Apparently this, in your dog’s mind, makes you “Alpha Dog.” So, since we both very much desire to be the Alpha Dogs, we bark. I’m not going to lie, the first time I barked I felt really lame, that is until Porter did exactly what I wanted him to do. After that, I felt like a new woman. My dog actually sees me as his master and not as his inferior. The only down side is that it is pretty embarrassing, especially when your dog shoots out of the front door and starts to chase the pizza man down the sidewalk. At this point, people just look at you like you’re crazy when you bark at him. But hey, what can I say, it worked. So, I will keep you posted on whether or not we become Alpha Dogs.

Cody manages the Steelroots Website and all of it's content. He enjoys awkward conversations and playing rock and roll.

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