What Does Leadership Mean To You?

I don't like to get involved in the wars-of-words that often erupt online, but after reading a woman's comment that said (and I paraphrase): "Leadership and Energy are dirty words in my vocabulary and force-free lifestyle." I couldn't help but respond - especially considering how many people agreed with her statement.

Words are a tricky thing because they can have more than one meaning, but it's really frustrating how the word "leadership" has become such a negative in the positive reinforcement and force-free dog training world. Having said that, it must be noted that even the idea of being a dog "owner" is being looked at as unsavory these days as more and more people object to the idea of "ownership" of another living being.

So... how do YOU define the word "leadership"? What does it mean to you? Here's what I think:

• Getting what you want through intimidation means you're a "bully".
• Getting what you want through mandatory compliance means you're a "dictator".
• You can't be a leader if there is no one who will follow you. 
• "Following" is a choice - you cannot force someone to follow you because forcing someone against their will would mean that you're a "dictator".
• If you get what you ask for through being fair, being trustworthy, providing choices and rewarding a job well done... you're a what??? Yes that's right, you're a "leader". 

When it comes to your family dog, you're already in the perfect position to be your dog’s leader by providing the necessities of life such as food, water, shelter and safety; but more is needed if you want to earn your dog’s ongoing trust and loyalty and encourage your dog to willingly look to you, listen to you and follow you:

• Fairness and consistency.
• Patience and encouragement.
• Praise and reward.

Now, I want to be very clear by stating that the polar opposite to my philosophy of leadership is the outdated theory of leadership through the domination of your dog... and I'm sure this is the thing that so many people are basing their anti-leadership comments about. So, in my definition of leadership I stand by the following: 

• Dominance is not leadership.
• Intimidation is not leadership.
• Force is not leadership.

Sixteen years after L. David Mech published his correction on the natural social hierarchy of wolves, ‘dominance theory’ continues to be embedded in the psyche of dog culture. That being said, force-free philosophies and practices based on modern behavioural science are making steady inroads into our social conscience, but there's still plenty of road ahead.

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Why I Don't Like Dog Walking With A Long Leash

It seems to me that the number of leash-reactive dogs is growing - at least that's what I've been experiencing in the region where I live.

From my vantage point I see a lot of leash-reactivity coming from dogs that are walking well out in front of their handlers, at the limit of their leash-length. Combine less than stellar socialization with this type of unstructured on-leash walking and it's the perfect recipe for leash-reactivity.

I'm just not a fan for this type of unstructured on-leash walking. There's an old saying that suggests "out of sight, out of mind," and when the dog is anywhere from six to twenty feet out in front of its handler, "out of mind" is completely accurate.

When on-leash I want the dog to be in a position to look to and listen to the handler for direction. This, rather than the dog being put into a position where it has to meet all oncoming traffic head-on and decide for itself how to handle the situation. For a dog that doesn't have the necessary socialization skills, you're just asking for reactivity.

This is one of the reasons I launched my Master The Walk program, so dog owners can lead their dogs in a structured and well-mannered walk which can go a long way in preventing behavioural issues such as on-leash reactivity.

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