I don’t want to have a “push dog.” Push dogs are dogs that rush out the door of people, that push them out of the way or in some cases with kids or elderly, bowl them over.

Push dogs can’t wait at the gate they push out, even when people are standing in front of them. Behaviorists say push dogs are prone to being both aggressive and destructive.

In the dog pack, the leader always goes out first, and dogs who challenge that position are disciplined and put in their face. Humans who let dogs  push into them or rush out the gate are surrendering their leadership position and often have trouble training their dogs, since dogs generally don’t respect dogs in the pack who are not their leaders, and don’t take orders from them.

Dogs are very much into dominance in their packs. Dog owners need to show clear and positive leadership in order to train a dog well. Dogs without leaders make their own rules.

We have three dogs, one is large, and they need to understand the fact that they are not in charge. Dogs actually don’t like being in charge, it makes them anxious, and as I mentioned, sometime aggressive.

We make our dogs wait as long as three minutes before charging through a gate or door. I alway make sure I leave a room first. In the morning, we take the dogs outside to the pasture to let them run. They always have to sit a bit before the gate opens, and then they have to wait a few seconds more.