Contributed by a Col. Potter Volunteer
 |
| Toto, Dorothy, and the Scarecrow about to learn
a lesson! |
Are
you thinking about adding a new Rescued Cairn to your family? There are many things to consider, and lots of planning to do. You can expect to get many great tips to help
you integrate your New Cairn into your home, so it is good to know that some of
this advice will also will apply to your current resident dogs. Learning to be the Alpha pack leader is a great
example.
Before You
Bring Your New Cairn Into Your Home…
Before your new dog arrives, it's important that
you understand that your new dog must accept YOU as the leader of the pack in
order for there to be peace and harmony in the home. First
and foremost, you must be the Alpha, hence the messages you put out the first
few days are vital to ultimate success.
Recognizing the inherent differences in canine and
human thought processes is critical to this process. Dogs think entirely in terms of "pack
rank" hierarchy. Humans think in
terms of "equality" and "fairness." The two concepts are, of course, mutually
exclusive.
Pack ranking means there is one entity, be it human
or Canine, at the top of the pack ("Alpha") and each additional
member of the pack (human and canine) is lower than the Alpha in a sort of
descending "step ladder" arrangement.
There's a top dog ("Alpha"), a next-in-line ("Beta")
then everyone else in a stair-step array on down the line to "Omega"
(the bottom of the pack). When you understand this concept, and
embrace the leadership position of Alpha of the pack, your dog will feel
comforted and secure. This results
in an easier integration into your family's pack.
Our job, as humans, is to be that Alpha. Then, and
only then, can we help assure a calm and uneventful integration of a new
dog into our family "pack." When the dog is convinced that we, as
humans, are above them in the pack
rank, they are reassured that they are safe and that someone is in control of their pack (hence is guarding the safety of the pack). Conversely, if they do not sense a strong Alpha
presence in their humans, dogs feel they must "fight" to assume
control of the pack and become the pack leader.
This is not a situation that you want, nor is it what THEY want. Being "Alpha" really means being the
“LEADER”, and that's your job: to lead the family's pack.
How do you
assume Alpha status is their eyes?
Like Dorothy on the Yellow Brick Road, it is always best to Start
at the Beginning! For the first two weeks minimum,
you should have a drag lead attached to your New Cairn’s harness, inside your
home and outside, in a securely fenced area. A drag lead gives you power (Alpha) and helps
you avoid situations where you ask for a behavior but have no way to ensure
that you can make it happen without asking a 2nd time (which you should never do!). “Come!” is a great example. In the beginning it is really best to calmly
step on the lead, pick it up, and then say, “Come!” where you can easily reel
the dog in, ready to give a nice treat as soon as the action has been achieved.
How much you need to use the drag lead will vary
from dog to dog, depending on their level of fear or sense of entitlement
(i.e., they think they should be
Alpha!), but you will be well served, no matter what, if you attach a drag lead
for at least two weeks – and maybe
longer.
Remember, in
everything, the humans are always FIRST.
Eating or being fed, going up or down stairs, in and out doors, deciding
where to sit, where to walk, etc., humans FIRST always. This includes walking your new dog. We
strongly recommend that you have your new Cairn at your left heel, with his or
her nose parallel with your left leg (while
on leash, of course!) rather than
allowing him or her to "lead" you by being out in front of you with the
leash fully extended.
Given that we humans tend to try to be polite, this
may go against our nature, but, to a dog, whoever
is in front of the pack physically, or first in line for anything, is viewed as
"Alpha" by the dogs. Therefore,
humans FIRST always. If at any time in
the future, you notice that your new little one begins to try to assert him or
herself and assume "control" of your family's pack, go back to the
HUMANS FIRST rule. It's powerful in its simplicity and its message.
Also, keep in mind that to dogs, furniture - and
especially human beds - are very powerful symbols of Alpha ranking. Sounds odd to us, perhaps, but to a dog,
whoever is on or in the human bed or the furniture has a powerful and envied position. Therefore, being permitted to sit on furniture, or being invited on your bed is a privilege that the new dog must EARN. It
should not be granted to him or her immediately.
It is STRONGLY recommended that you do not allow
your new dog to sleep on or even BE on your bed for at least a couple of
months. The bed should be an earned pleasure. Perhaps this will take longer than two
months, and, perhaps, it will never be a good idea, depending on the dog’s
Alpha tendencies.
Rescuing one Cairn will not change the world,
but it will
surely change the world for that one Rescued Cairn
Read More About It:
I’m
Not Sure we’ve been Properly Introduced!
Toto:
The Other Side of the Story!
And
the Oscar goes to…
Col. Potter Needs a Few More Beginnings!
Please
Volunteer to Foster and help us help give a new start to every Cairn in need!
Please Consider being a CP Volunteer!
CP
Foster Home Application form:
CP
Transport Volunteer Driver form:
CPCRN
Volunteer form:
Col. Potter’s Name a Rescue Cairn
Program
