Product Description

The goal of this 4-hour training DVD is a calm, submissive dog. Our pack structure training program aims to produce a dog that is calm and submissive and a dog that follows the rules of the pack leader. This DVD teaches people how to become a pack leader that their dog respects and loves.

We recommend if you have a new puppy that you check out Living With Your Puppy: Establishing Pack Structure first.

Most people are not born pack leaders. In fact far from it. The majority of dog owners (many who have owned dogs their entire life) simply don’t know anything about the instincts that control our dogs or how strong these instincts are in the domestic dog. Oh people may have heard that they need to be a "pack leader" or they may have heard they need to be an "ALPHA" with their dog but they don’t understand what this really means or how to accomplish it.

Current shows on TV about dog training lead people to think they can deal with behavioral problems but the fact is these shows are often misleading. In many cases these TV shows offer limited to dangerous advice that only a professional dog trainer with years of experience should attempt. While these shows are interesting to watch, because the dog owners are so inept, they don’t offer a program that pet owners can follow.

Many men think being a pack leader simply means they have to dominate and control their dog, even if they have to put a choke collar on the dog and show him the “WHAT IF” when the dog doesn’t mind.

Many women think none of this really matters so they ignore it – because they love their little dog like one of their children.

Our DVD outlines a program that I have developed over the past 45 years of owning, breeding and training German Shepherds. This program works on every breed of dog and dogs of all ages. This program is the foundation for solving almost all behavioral problems, especially those related to aggression.

New pet owners are often told the road to a calm, submissive dog is to attend obedience classes and socialize their dog. In our opinion this is not correct. The road to a calm dog is to first establish pack structure and leadership. When that's done you can obedience train your dog.

Dogs are pack animals. Every breed of dog is hard wired with genetic pack instincts. From the smallest Chihuahua to the largest Great Dane, dogs wants to live in a family pack. Once they find their pack they genetically need to determine their rank within that pack.

Dogs need pack structure before obedience training. The vast majority of dogs do not want to be pack leaders. They are much more comfortable when someone else becomes a pack leader and they are happiest when this job is taken by their owner.

Once a dog accepts a pack leader, that dog becomes calm and submissive. The dog knows his new pack leader will take care of all of life's needs. He understands his leader feeds him, waters him, exercises him, and protects him from stray dogs and bad people. The dog learns that guests to the home are the pack leader's guests and not intruders or people for the dog to either play with or become aggressive towards.

With this said, the road to a calm, submissive dog is to first establish leadership. This DVD explains the foundation on how to get your dog ready for obedience training. Once that's done, the pack leader can introduce his rules and begin to obedience train his or her dog.

My groundwork program teaches a dog that your family is now his family pack and that you are the pack leader. The road to leadership teaches the dog that "YOU HAVE RULES" that you expect him to live by. It's through the application and enforcement of these rules that the dog learns that you are a consistent fair leader.

The goal of this program is to not only establish leadership but to allow the dog to maintain his dignity. When I introduce my rules I do so in ways that creates a clear level of communication and respect.

I like to remind people that hundreds of thousands of dogs with behavioral problems go through obedience classes every year. The vast majority of these dogs come out of class with exactly the same problem they had when they started training. That's because most obedience classes teach exercises (i.e. come, sit, stay, and down) and ignore pack structure training.

The reason we have so many dog rescues that are full of dogs; so many dog bites; so many behavioral problems; and so many dog fights is because owners don't establish pack structure and leadership.

When you establish leadership and a meaningful bond with your dog you will both wake up everyday wanting to spend time together. Don't ever underestimate the happiness this kind of relationship can bring to your life.

DVD Topics

There is a chapter laying out the groundwork to our pack structure program.

We explain what training equipment is needed and then outline the first weeks and months of pack structure training. I explain in detail where the dog needs to be in training before he moves from one level to the next level of our program.

We want our dogs to anticipate our every need. To do this they have to understand our rules. Our DVD explains Genetic Pack Structure Rules that a dog is born with and genetically understands, along with a List of Handler Rules that we teach the dog. We also explains the rules handlers are expected to follow when they work with their dogs.

There is a section on Learning to Become a Pack Leader. Some people are born leaders while others are not. Becoming a pack leader can be a learned endeavor. Our groundwork program will walk you through the steps of becoming your dogs pack leader.

This program can start at any time. It does not need to be started when you first get a dog. It can be started 5 years after you get a dog. It can also be started at the first sign of a behavioral problem.

There is a section on Earned Privileges.

There is a section where I discuss a timeline of training.

There is a detailed section on How to Approach Crate Training. We show how to make the crate a fun place to go to and explain in detail the steps to get there.

There is a difference between taking a dog outside to relieve himself and taking the dog outside for exercise. In the beginning, there are important reasons to teach these as separate exercises. I explain in detail how and why you should do this.

There is a detailed section on teaching the dog to be calm and submissive on a walk. We show how to maintain control when you walk your dog in a public place where it is exposed people and their dogs.

Being loose in the house is an earned privilege. There are clear cut steps to accomplishing this and our DVD covers these steps. We also explain what to do when problems arise.

There is a section on How to Train a Dog to Ride Quietly in the Car. We show how to use motivation tp train a dog to accept the car. We also cover car sickness.

Dogs need to learn how to interact with family members. I included video footage of 4 dogs from my kennel to demonstrate they instinctively interact to establish rank among themselves. This video footage shows how non-aggressive dogs will resort to aggression to establish rank. I then use this footage to help you understand how to approach dogs and family members.

You're the only one who can make the decision to allow your dog to be near children. This section will help you determine if your dog is capable of being safe around children.

I explain how we introduce family members to our dogs.

Many people don't understand the correct way to praise their dog. Our section explains how to praise and when to praise. We also demonstrate what happens when your praise too much.

There is a large chapter titled Living with Your Dog. This chapter contains: a detailed section on feeding your dog. Feeding time can also be a motivational training moment. We demonstrate this with our dogs. We also demonstrate a very safe way to allow your children to feed your dog so the dog understands that your children also have control over parts of their lives.

There is a section on diarrhea in dogs and what to do when your dog has diarrhea.

We discuss what we look for in selecting a vet.

There is also a segment on jumping up, on barking, on neutering and containment systems.

There is a segment on grooming which shows how we use motivation to train our dogs to make it easier to be able to trim their nails, check their ears and look at their teeth. Many dog owners who have leadership issues also have problems in these three areas.