A dog looks at body language and listens to the vocal tone. Don t ask your dog to do something. Say it clearly and firmly with no upswing of tone at the end. Look directly at your dog when you speak to him, since dogs read a lot from eye contact. Be sure to stand tall any time you are working on leader training.
Leaders puff themselves up and walk boldly.
A shy dog slinks and stoops. Leaning over or crouching takes away your leader appearance. The day a new puppy arrives at your home is the best time to start this routine. The puppy learns this as a normal family behavior and is less likely to think he can be in charge. All is not lost for older dogs, even though a dog that has achieved the leader position may not give it up easily.