Dogs have a lot of team spirit. This is often referred to as their “pack” instinct, but I like to think of it in “team” terms. Team consciousness and the canine psyche have a lot in common. Teams focus on winning; each player works for it, wants it, thinks about it, and strives for it. There are also some other, less obvious factors that determine a team’s success. Three come to mind immediately: cooperation, structure, and mutual respect. Without these, even a group of phenomenal players would be pure chaos. A good team is organized so everyone knows who’s in charge and what’s expected from them. And should someone get in trouble or become hurt, he can trust that another teammate will help out.

In the wild, dogs spend their lives in a well organized hierarchical social structure. A dog pack’s goal is survival rather than winning a game, of course ? but the same kind of structure applies to your family and your pet. Your dog is a member of the “team” which is your family. Your dog needs to learn that you are the leader of the team and that they have a defined role to play as a member of this unit. Your dog will have to understand that members with two legs are senior to four-legged members. This involves a commitment from your entire household, but it can be done.

If you don’t organize the team hierarchy, your dog will, and that can be a real nightmare. If your dog has the personality to lead, you’ll be living in a very expensive doghouse under dog rule. If your dog doesn’t have what it takes but feels he must lead because no one else has applied for the job, your house will be one big headache; dogs in this state are very hyper and confused.

How can you teach your dog how the team is organized? They can’t read the playbook, so you’ll need to understand how your dog thinks and what motivates them. You’ll have to learn to communicate effectively with your dog. If you speak to your dog in a way which is geared towards their mindset, it will be far easier to teach them the rules.

With some time, some effort and patience, you’ll manage to get your dog to join the team; and you’ll have cooperation, respect and trust from your new teammate. It all begins with teaching your dog that this is their team and you are team leader.

Attention is one of the primary motivations dogs have. They crave your attention and will do almost anything to get it. Much like a young child, they just love attention ? but also, they don’t care if this is negative or positive attention; so make sure your dog understands their place in the team roster.