Q: I have been reading your articles for sometime now and I agree with the advice that you are always giving about us as humans being the "pack leaders otherwise known as the Alpha Dog" however my question is this... what exactly does it mean to be the Alpha dog and how do you know that your dog has accepted you as the leader? 

A: To be considered the Alpha Dog, or pack leader, requires a strong leader. Your strength comes from the confidence that you project and the ability to maintain control in all situations. Strength in this form is not physical it is a state of being. As Alpha, you must maintain social order and control of environment. Setting the clear and decisive rules that the pack must live by in order to maintain stability and structure. You are also the enforcer of these rules and must be willing to discipline and correct any and all transgressions.

However being a disciplinarian alone is not enough. This is where many people fall short. As pack leader, you also control the state of mind that the dogs must be in at all times not just their physical actions. In order for a pack to function efficiently all of the animals in that pack must be in the same disposition. In other words you cannot have one member calm while another is frenzied bouncing off of the walls. This leads to instability.

Resting time means it is time to rest for all, playtime means it's playtime for all, and etc. Each member must remain in sync in order to achieve your goals. Animals understand this instinctively. If you have ever watched a group of animals hunting, you will see how they all work together like clockwork  as a whole to achieve one common goal. Without the guidance of a strong leader keeping them all working together they would break apart into individuals which would lead to the destruction of thee unit.

To relate that into everyday activities in your home , think about the last time that you took your dog for a walk. Was he walking by your side, at your pace concentrating on the task at hand or was he more interested in the sights and sounds that you passed? If so, this is not a dog who is following a strong leader, this is a dog who is acting more like an individual than a pack member which breaks down the stability of the pack. How about when you and your family are eating a meal. Is you dog constantly hounding you at the table, or looking for attention or affection?

Subordinate members of the pack must patiently wait there turn and have no right to be in the immediate area of the leader during meal time. A dog that is at your table or even just under your feet sees himself as an equal member of the pack or higher. When you completely have your dogs attention under any type of distraction, when he will submit to your freely without the use of force, and he will obey your attentive mannerisms during stressful or chaotic times  and follows without  resistance, this is when your dog has accepted your role as Alpha.

We would like to take a moment to thank the Rome Sentinel and all of our readers for your comments, questions and compliments as we celebrate our One Year Anniversary of our " Ask the Trainers " column.

Without all of you, we could not have given hope to those who thought there was none, and saved the many who were deemed dangerous and misunderstood. So again, we thank you for your continued loyalty to our column.

This article was published March 29, 2009 on Page 3 of the Sunday Sentinel