I can’t tell you how many people have come up to me over the years and asked if there’s a “secret” that will help them train a puppy the right way from the beginning.

I love getting that question for a couple of reasons, but one of the main ones is that I love to see people who want to get off on the right foot with their dogs, rather than waiting until the dog gets older and bad patterns of behavior have become a habit.

That’s not to say that you can’t also train older dogs — of course you can. But there’s something special about being able to start “fresh” with a puppy that makes things so much easier from the get-go.

But whether we’re talking about training your adult dog or training a puppy, there’s one simple “secret” that applies in every case.

And when you learn this one secret and put it to practical use, it makes training your puppy amazingly easy and stress-free.

To discover this “secret” and how it can make puppy training easier, let’s back up and talk about how puppies are raised in their natural environment — the pack.

Dogs are born in a litter that immediately establishes pack rank and behaviors.

So puppies learn from the time they’re born that there’s a natural order that must be followed.  From the moment they’re born, they’re learning rules for survival and leadership that must be followed by every member of the pack.

We should all be thankful for this natural “social heirarchy” that all puppies — and adult dogs — are drawn to follow and respect, because it makes our jobs so much easier when it comes time to train them.

In fact, it’s this social hierarchy that creates the fuel that powers the number one secret to successful puppy training, which is that to solve puppy training problems, to live with a happy and obedient puppy (and eventually adult dog) who does what you want the first time and every time, it’s necessary that you dust off your natural “powers of attraction” and become the leader that your puppy wants to follow.

Why is Leadership So Important When You Train a Puppy?

You see, it’s your ability to tap into this pre-established inner code of dog behavior — the same code your puppy learned from his littermates and mother — that makes all the difference in how your puppy views you and his role within your home.

Puppy training becomes easy when you understand what motivates your puppy to listen to you and truly want to please you. You can’t buy that kind of relationship for any amount of money, but you can earn it.

This is the basic secret to becoming your dog’s best friend AND to achieving personal puppy training success and real happiness

I like to sum up this approach with two simple words…”Follow Me!”

So, what’s your attitude? Are you a leader? Or a follower?

Have you avoided problems or challenges with your puppy because you just don’t know what to do? This doesn’t happen when you’re acting in the leadership role with your puppy.

You see, a leader can take a stand without turning it into a confrontation — whether that’s over who leads who on walks, who controls food, or who controls what’s acceptable to chew.

A leader wins without fighting because when you understand the dynamics of pack behavior, you know what to do almost instinctively.

But the catch is, a dog can’t treat you like a leader if you don’t act like one. You need to stand out from the pack. And how do you do it is to go back to the two simple words I talked about above — “Follow Me!”

Every adult dog and every puppy follows the leader of the pack. As leader, your dog pays attention to you. Your dog looks to you for fun, help, guidance, safety, and information.

Before your dog runs out the door, she looks to you to see if she has your permission.

If your dog barks, when you say quiet, the dog stops barking.

If you don’t have that kind of influence with your dog, then chances are he doesn’t yet respect you as leader.

But don’t worry, because you CAN learn what to do. And it’s not hard at all.

Why a Leadership Approach is the Fastest and Easiest Way to Train a Puppy

Finding time to train your puppy isn’t easy. In fact, if you’re like most people, it probably gets more difficult every day. But the neat thing about the “follow me” leadership approach is that you don’t have to add more “stuff” to your life. You just change how you do something.

I have lots of examples here on the blog of things you can do to establish yourself as pack leader with your dog (and my full online training course covers this in extensive detail), but here are a few quick things you can do…

For example, always go through the door first ahead of your dog. Don’t walk around your dog who’s lying in the hallway, instead have the dog move out of your way. As I said, there are other simple techniques you can use, but those two can get you started right now, today!

When you put the ideas into practice you’ll see direct results in your day-to-day dealings with your puppy. In fact, the approach is so simple that you can learn it and forget it and yet it will become part of what you do naturally and effortlessly, because there are only a few steps to the whole system!

And what is so amazing is that you can laugh at your former worries and challenges about your dog’s behavior when you follow this simple approach, because you will settle differences quickly and move forward to get your point across without losing your cool.

And perhaps the best part is…your puppy will REALLY LISTEN to you!

Here’s Something to Try…

As part of my full online course that you can take for free for a full month, you get a free dog training audiobook called For the Love of a Dog: What Dogs Need from the People they Love.

In the audiobook, you’ll learn valuable skills and insights that you can apply immediately. And the best part is it’s easy to do.

Dog training is simple when you know what to do. And frankly, dog training is the only subject you can’t fake.

Does the dog come when you call, or does the dog and ignore you and run away?

In the audiobook alone you’ll get practical, how-to information that you can put to work right now with your own dog or puppy — that means tips, techniques, specific how-to’s, and strategies that will have an impact on your dog’s behavior today.

And the best part about all of this is this…

Your dog will love you for it!

I promise.

If you’d like to get the free audiobook, please click here for the details.