I've been training dogs in New York City for nearly 20 years. (I also write a series of dog-related murder mysteries for Avon.)

My training approach and philosophy are based on the way police dogs, search-and-rescue dogs, and detection dogs are trained-through the prey drive, inherited from the wolf. It's true that there's been a shift away from using the "wolf model" in dog training recently, and to some extent, there's a good reason. That's because trainers have been using the wrong model, the one that says you have to be the "alpha" or the pack leader in order to control your dog's behavior. This simply isn't true. In wild wolves there is no dominance hierarchy, no "alpha" wolf, and no pack leader (not in the traditional sense). The pack instinct only exists to enable wolves to hunt large prey by working in harmony. (Wolves who live near garbage dumps, for example, and who don't hunt together, don't form packs.) So if wolves don't have an instinct to "follow the pack leader" or "obey the alpha wolf," how could dogs have inherited it from them?

Years ago, before I became a dog trainer, I noticed that the happiest, most obedient, and best-behaved dogs I met weren't the ones who'd been to a dog trainer or behaviorist; they were the dogs whose owners always had Frisbees and tennis balls on hand. And while it might seem that my approach would only be relevant to high-drive dogs who love fetch and tug-of-war, it isn't. Even something as seemingly unrelated as a housebreaking issue or greeting behavior are often the direct result of a dog's predatory energy not having an acceptable outlet.

All behavior is an expression of energy. So when a dog's energy isn't utilized in a way that feels satisfying to his or her instincts and emotions, that's when behavioral problems develop. Giving the dog an acceptable outlet for its energy will almost always bring the dog's behavior back into alignment with its instincts.

My passion is ...

Dogs

I know too much about ...

Johnny Mercer songs

My parents always told me ...

Sit up straight

My childhood ambition ...

To become a songwriter like Johnny Mercer

My favorite memory ...

Let's just say there was a beautiful girl involved...

Why I write ...

Probably because of the effect Mark Twain had on me as an 11-year old kid.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

Dogs

My first job ...

I was a top-40 DJ, right out of high school, at KFXD in Boise, Idaho

My best moment ...

Too many to list

My inspiration ...

Wagging tails

Pets & Animals > Dog Psychology Explaining the effects of alpha rolling on dogs

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There's been a recent resurgence in the use of the alpha roll, and most people I've observed have been doing it all wrong.

Last week at dog run at 72nd Street in Riverside Park here in New York City, for example, I saw a dog walker actually pick up a dog, then throw him onto the ground as hard as he could from three feet up in the air! And the dog hadn't really done anything wrong, at least nothing a quick, "Hey, knock it off," wouldn't have solved.

So what is the alpha roll, and how does it work?

It's a way of pinning a dog on its back and forcing it to roll over on one side. This...

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