In all of my 'behaviour studies'—observing horses, wolves, dogs and humans, I have come to the conclusion that the concept of 'speed and direction'—i.e. who's in control of it—is the most influential and most dismissed concept that affects a dog's behaviour.

A dog's control of your speed and direction can be either the pulling-on-the-lead kind or far more subtle. Either way can create stress for the dog as he or she feels they are taking responsibility for the pack. Your control of your dog can be as subtle as their control of you. When a dog realises that you are taking responsibility for the pack and controlling speed and direction their lives become much less stressful.

When a dog is put to work, i.e. agility, field trials, scent work, the dog's owner—the human—is in control, leaving the dog to concentrate wholly on the work. This is achieved because in taking control the owner assumes the decision making role, which you will know from the earlier post, makes the human the Alpha and leader of the pack.

In puppy and dog training classes we are taught how to take control of our puppy or dog, yet we are not always told why and how we are doing it.

When you teach a puppy to sit and wait the owner is controlling the puppy's movements i.e. speed and direction. When an owner asks a dog to wait before going through a door or gate the owner is in control of the dog's speed and direction. When an owner teaches a dog to 'leave,' the owner makes the decision regarding the dog's movements. However, when these tasks are taught and practiced only once a week at classes, and the remainder of the week your 'cheeky' puppy or 'adorable' dog is controlling your movements—speed and direction— it's quite likely you'll have an escalating problem on your hands.

Emily and Boo