Just answer Yes or No..!

► Does your dog have ready access to balls and toys and is able to decide when they will play with them?
► Does your dog bring toys or a ball to you seeking you to play together, or just to 'show' you?
► Does your dog pull on its lead or always walk a few paces in front of you?
► Does your dog rush barking to the front door when a visitor rings the bell?
► Is your dog immediately affectionate towards visitors - seeking to be patted?
► Does your dog regularly approach you, seeking a pat?
► Does your dog hop up on your lap, or next to you on the sofa, without being invited?
► Does your dog remind you when it's feed time - sometimes barking at you to hurry up?!
► Is your dog a picky eater?
► Do you ever feed your dog when you are eating ie share your food with your dog?
► Is your dog distressed by loud noises, storms or fireworks?
► Is your dog protective of you when you are out walking, or bark when in the car?
► Does your dog ever growl or bark, or be fearful of other dogs?
► Does your dog bark persistently at people, or cars, going past your house?
► Does your dog seem miss you a lot when you are away from home?
► Does your dog sometimes fail to come to you when you call them?

Conclusions
If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, it's likely your dog doesn't fully recognise you as their leader. For dogs, leadership is about issues such as controlling the arrival of strangers, guarding against external dangers, controlling the family's social interactions (who sleeps where, who strokes who & when, who eats when etc).

Dogs don't think like we do - they still think and interact with each other in a similar way to their wolf ancestors. Their language is different to ours, is mostly silent, and is based on body posture and behaviour - it is universal across breeds and countries. You need to learn how this language works and how to respond in order to be an accepted leader to a canine.

If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, you would definitely benefit from learning about Dog Listening eg reading Jan Fennell's books or viewing her DVD.

Importantly, if you have problems with your dog associated with controlling your dog's behaviour including barking, aggression or other protective behaviours, or your dog is nervous, anxious and fearful, you would most definitely benefit from a Dog Listener Home Consultation to advise on implementing Dog Listening and claiming back the leadership of your dog.

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