The Importance of being ALPHA

Written by Deborah Harr


We see it allrepparttar time, and they are easily pegged in a room full of people. The ALPHA!

It was most unexpected yesterday when I got to view this up front, personal and far from comfortable.

A friend and their family were traveling for Christmas and asked my daughter to go over to feed their dogs forrepparttar 122850 week until they arrived back fromrepparttar 122851 holiday. We both tend to spoil our dogs; they are members ofrepparttar 122852 family. They eat when we eat, go where we go and get lots of love and attention each day. Leaving these “attention hounds” at home for a week didn’t seem like a very good idea to me. Silly me, suggested rather than my daughter visiting them each day, it would be better to bring them here forrepparttar 122853 week.

The dogs walk with our two daughters together allrepparttar 122854 time, so they were not strangers and they all played well together. So what could possibly berepparttar 122855 harm in having four large, male dogs at our home forrepparttar 122856 week?

The Alpha’s---that’s what.

Cadman-a purebred black lab, a follower and mine. He gave up within his first week of joining our family of ever holdingrepparttar 122857 Alpha position and has gladly gone on to simply live each day chasing birds and being a sniffer.

Moose –a mutt rescued fromrepparttar 122858 pound. 145 pounds of Pyrenees mix. In our home is 100% Alpha betweenrepparttar 122859 two. He is an anger management dog. Moose gladly joinedrepparttar 122860 family and promptly took overrepparttar 122861 Alpha role.

Buddy –one of our visitors, an Australian Shepard/Blue Healer mix. He is pure Alpha in his house, even though he is deaf. No one is allowed to eat until he has selectedrepparttar 122862 bowl he wants. No one is allowed to go through a door until he has passed through. No one is allowed to drink from his water dish ever, PERIOD! Did I mention this Alpha is deaf?

Prince –one of our visitors, a purebred Australian Shepard. His role in life is to tend to Buddy and his special needs due to deafness.

Sadly, I discovered there is a difference between being on lead and free-run ofrepparttar 122863 home (which I knew would exist to some extent). The two Alphas spendrepparttar 122864 day arguing outrepparttar 122865 top position. It was most funny. If one would lie down—the other Alpha would wait for them to get good and comfortable and then challenge them forrepparttar 122866 position.

Seeing the World from Where Others Are Standing

Written by Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, Management Consultant and Trainer


PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided torepparttar author, and it appears withrepparttar 122849 included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required. Mail to: eagibbs@ureach.com

It is important to remember that other people don't necessarily see things inrepparttar 122850 same way we do. This point was brought home to me one day while I was shopping with my daughter, Stefanie, who was two years old atrepparttar 122851 time.

As I stooped down to tie her shoelaces, I immediately realized why she was becoming so irritable. She could not adequately seerepparttar 122852 toys that were displayed onrepparttar 122853 shelf above her head. At this point, I decided to pick her up and to continue shopping with her in my arms. The pleasant change in her behavior was quite apparent and welcomed.

Stefanie's experience taught me two lessons that I am passing on to you today:

* In dealing with children and with people from different cultures, we do them and ourselves a great service when we takerepparttar 122854 time to see their situation from their very special viewpoint.

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