Leaders have access to subordinate dogs' bellies. The belly is vulnerable and making it available to you is an act of submission. Do belly rubs, with the dog belly up.

Straddle your dog while grooming, petting. Do lots of grooming/massage. Regular grooming/massage is good. Lots of touching is very good. When you first begin this, watch the dog very carefully. Some dogs are sensitive about being touched in certain areas. Proceed very, very gradually — it commonly takes much longer than you would expect. It often takes many months and at times you'll seem to make negative progress. But be patient; this is very common. Pushing an edgy dog past its comfort level is a way to get bitten if you're dealing with an assertive, or a particularly shy dog. If this is an issue, be sure to get advice and assistance from someone knowledgeable, such as an obedience trainer.

Gradually work over all of the dog's body parts so he's used to everything being touched. You should be able to handle feet, ears, toenails, balls, and stick your fingers in mouth and ears. All dogs should not object to any body part being touched. Visiting kids wouldn't know not to touch those toes — so you want the dog thoroughly desensitized. This is especially important for a puppy. It's sometimes tough with an older dog that already has a particular sensitive spot he's sensitive about. Work on it a bit at a time.

Down is a subordinate position. Do long down stays every day, but make sure you can always keep your eye on dog. Enforce rigorously: No breaking that stay!

Dogs understand body language. There was a show on the language of dogs last night on the Discovery channel. Alpha dogs stand erect, with ears, head, and tails up. They do not wag their tails. They stare directly into another dog's eyes. They place their paws on a subordinate dog's shoulder or back. The alpha allows subordinates to lick their face and mouth. They showed a man who owned a pack of wolves, and he said if the alpha does not let the underlings lick their face and mouth, it confuses the whole pack.

You maintain your alpha stance via:

• direct eye contact
• standing tall over your dog (for added effect I put my hands on my hips)
• speaking in a firm voice
• placing your hand occasionally on the dog's shoulder.

Leaders are kind. Understand that a dog isn't a human. If you lose patience or have had a bad day, quit. There is no way your dog will understand you are in a mood.

Leaders never, ever hit. The old school approach of swatting a dog with a newspaper does not work. It creates fear and a sense of being cornered — a recipe for disaster. Even yelling is counterproductive and possibly dangerous. If you find yourself becoming upset, take a break.

Leaders rule simply and react with immediacy. Remember the dog has a simple mentality. You: "Dog, come!" (Dog is busy with squirrel, doesn't come). When dog finally comes, you punish him. To you, you just punished him for not coming. To him, you just punished him for coming! Oops! Think immediate action/reaction with dogs.

Leaders are consistent. Consistency is everything to a dog. They thrive on rules, repetition, and ritual. They don't understand why you said one thing one day and mean it, then not the next. Keep it black and white — no shades of gray.

"A leader is best when people barely know he exists. Less good when they obey and acclaim him. Worse when they fear and despise him. Fail to honor people and they fail to honor you. But of a good leader, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will all say: 'We did this ourselves.' "

— Former U.S. Senator Alan Cranston

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