[RudeDogTraining]

I 110% agree. People don't know what they are talking about most of the time when they say "you need to be alpha", or "you need to be the pack leader", or any of that garbage. I say it's garbage because people destroyed the meaning of it...kind of like how the F word is used so nonchalantly these days. To me, being alpha means setting an example, and being able to provide. The dog should feel confident in you, and not fear you. Personally my methods and techniques I tell my clients is "you aren't the dog's mother, nor are you a dog yourself, so you shouldn't try to mimic what you see on TV" because 9.9 times out of 10, they are wrong. Someone told me they use a prong collar because its supposed to mimic the mother biting the scruff (which is total b/s to begin with but I disregarded that and said): "You aren't the dog's mother. You are it's owner." With that said, people should provide guidance to their dog. Show the dog how to properly do something when you ask, and not make it do what you ask, or force them to do what you ask. And a good bridge between human communication and canine communication is through food reward for motivation. You see compulsive trainers that use "alpha" and "pack leader" every other word, and totally throw out the idea of motivating with food, but they fail to realize that the food treats aren't going to be used for the rest of the dog's life either. I've watched Cesar Millan and I think he's an idiot, and the people he teaches "his methods" to are clueless. I don't mean to be bias, but no dog should be forced to do anything...it should choose to. (sorry if i went off on a bit of a tangent!)