Hi Maxhollynoah
Then you are very lucky to have dogs that behave well
My dog is allowed on the Sofa so its not that i follow all the rules!
I have implemented a few of the Alpha pack theory rules because we had tried most other methods and failed, the two main ones being when entering the house after being out and when we ate.
I must admit too that this is the first dog i have had that has been hard to train! But he is also my first boxer.
"They don't need to be told repeatedly they are the bottom of the pack (I don't think dogs don't understand why we are implementing those pack rules anyway)."
I totally disagree with this quote. Kaiser isnt TOLD repeatedly he is the bottom of the pack as this is maybe what a lot of people think alpha theory is but my translation of it is very different. There is and always will be rules and boundaries. These have to be set whether we are talking dogs or children. My son has rules and boundaries or else he would be running wild and getting into trouble because these are set and in place he respects me and he knows that if he did wrong that would be disrespecting me.
Maybe dogs dont understand why we are implementing these rules but if it works then does it really matter? they probably dont understand why we sit and watch the TV etc etc but it doesnt bother them. We also have to understand that peoples rules and boundaries are going to be different too, some people think its ok for their dog to be on the sofa and bed and their children have shoes on while laying on a sofa, others think it is an absolute no no area for a dog and the children shouldnt wear shoes. Again each person has to set the rules according to what they are willing to accept and not accept. This doesnt make their way wrong or right as both ways are not inhumane.
"They have choices to do differently but they choose the way they are trained to, not because they are forced to"
I think this quote is a little strong. I would never force my dog to do anything. A lot of the alpha rules arent about force its just altering the way we act with the dogs. Anybody that has to use force shouldnt be using the method they have chosen. Kaiser was a very dominant dog because we had let him become that way (reating him like a baby). So with a few changes using the pack theory techniques we have changed him and he is very happy and content now - apart from strangers and children! This is something i will have to work on A LOT!
If your dogs are well behaved without using any of these methods then thats great. Certainly my other dogs never needed it but this one did. Like i say each dog is different and each dog will take better to one form of training than another.
Kaiser wouldnt give clicker training a second look in. He just wasnt and still isnt interested in it at all, BUT i do believe in that training method as i have seen it work on other dogs.
Thats my thought on the alpha method anyway!!! i dont see it as forceful i just see rules and boundaries being set. A lot of people think its cruel or degrading to the dog but i really really cant see it that way at all, apart from some points i.e people that put their dogs on their backs in a submissve role i think that is going a little too far BUT maybe i dont fully understand the reason for it.
I think training a dog to dance to music is totally absurd whereas others think its great. I dont believe in using ANY animals for amusement but thats my opinion!