Leadership is one of the most often misunderstood aspects of dog ownership. Often people think in terms of ‘dominance', ‘alpha' or ‘top dog' status. I profess that if you need to dominate something or someone in order to establish control then you ultimately had no control in the first place. The hallmark of a great leader is the ability to control without force. Great leaders inspire people to follow them rather than menace people into obeying them.

In this article we discuss exactly what qualities you need to become a good leader to your dog. We have provided a list of the 'Top 10' qualities. If you are slipping up on any of these then your leadership is not what it should be and you should take steps to remedy it immediately.