Let him know who's boss!
I want you to think about these two statements
Let him know who's boss
Allow him to decide for himself 
Two very different statements, one implies control the other self control. Which one do you prefer?
Ultimately the first one involves the dog having an understanding of our language, the second involves the owner having an understanding of the dogs language. Let's look at this from another point of view - an English person trying to communicate with a Spanish person, we all know how good we are this!! Have a look at the two methods below on ordering food at a restaurant:
Speak slowly in your own language, pronounce clearly, repeat until you are understood and hope for the best!
Be prepared, learn the courtesy basics and use an English - Spanish dictionary.
Which one of these two methods is going to earn you respect from the waiter? And our dogs respond the same way once you take the time to understand them.
When we listen, we learn, when learn, we understand, when we understand we create magic - Jan Fennell
Given the right tools, you can learn how to communicate effectively with your dog, allowing him to make the decision of his own free will that you are indeed the decision maker.
Why does your dog need to decide this? To allow him to feel safe.
Rachael Messiter - 24 Aug 2011 | 
