Does your dog walk in front of you?

Does anyone think that letting your dogs walk infront causes them to think they're alpha?

Only if they refuse to move back to your side if you tell them to (and they understand the sommand).

My dogs ALWAYS walk out in front of me since the whole purpose of a walk (IMHO) is to let the dog explore.  But when I need them back in the formal Heel position I simply tell them and they get back.

I absolutely agree with Lauri....and Lauri, I dearly love that dirty face in your avatar!  My dogs can walk where ever the heck they want to walk UNTIL I ask them to heel, and they drop back in place immediately.  When we are working off lead, or with drag lines (which actually ARE dragging) they'll romp and play but they keep coming back to touch me and be sure I'm still coming......but even OFF leash if I say the word "heel" they drop into position.

I'm not professional trainer, but I have read plenty of training books and the like.  I really am not sure how to answer your question to be honest.  I've heard that claim plenty of times, that letting a dog walk in front of you gives it alpha status, but I get the feeling that it depends entirely on the dog and the situation.  I have one dog who clearly knows we're dominant and she usually acts very submissive to us, though is pretty stubborn about obeying commands unless I have  treat, but then again she's part sighthound, so I tend to think it's a personality trait rather than dominance issues.  She's always been very submissive and constantly gives us submission signals.  However, while on walks she loves to trot up ahead to the end of her leash and prance along, stopping to sniff everything.  She always likes being up front.  I don't get the feeling she's doing it to be dominant though, more like because she's excited about sniffing all the new smells, seeing the sights, etc.
 
My other dog, on the other hand, has a very strong willed personality.  He will try to stare you down almost constantly and can be a right pain in the behind sometimes about his dominance.  Luckily we recognized the warning signs when he was a pup so we were pretty strict raising him.  When we first got him he started showing signs of food aggression but we nipped that in the bud instantly.  Anyway.  On walks he always used to run around all over the place like crazy, waving his tail high in the air and walking pretty far in front of me.  If we passed another dog he would lunge and howl and snarl (he's actually fearful of other dogs, but you'd think he was aggressive at first).  With him it really felt like he was showing dominant behaviors on his walks, so I actually ended up teaching him a Fall Back command, which means he can wander around wherever he likes as long as it's behind me.  He learned it pretty fast and his behavior on walks has gone from obnoxious to quite enjoyable.  He doesn't hold his tail way up in the air anymore, more at half mast, and he doesn't lunge at other dogs because I put him in fall back or heel as we walk by them.  He may growl or his hackles will go up, but overall he's pretty good.  I do still let him walk in front of me on walks, but I frequently put him in fall back just to practice, and throughout the whole walk he is noticeably calmer and more relaxed and well behaved.  He doesn't go all the way to the end of the leash and walk like he used to, but rather casually trots along a little ways away from me.  I also will randomly stop and practice obedience with him in the middle of walks, and I'm sure that helps too.  Right now I'm working on having him pay more attention to me, which I feel will also help.
 
In the end I've brought it down to different dog personalities, but then again, I could be completely wrong [&:]   As I said, I'm no professional, this is just what I've observed with my own hounds.  Hope it helps

My dogs are always in heel position unless I say "ok!" and then they know they can walk in front a bit. They still must have a loose leash though and be paying attention to me. The know they're lower down in the 'pack' than I am and they respect that. I've had no problems. I think it depends on the situation, the dog and it's relationship with the owner in my opinion.

My experience with Willow who is an extremely dominant, I'll take over the house if you want me to, kind of girl is this. . .She almost always walks in front of me, I never taught her "heel".  But, she does NOT pull, which I think is key and not the being in front.  Although, there are some things I've read that says the "leader, AKA, "alpha" would always be in front of a moving pack. 
 
I did teach her "wait up", and when I say that she will stop and turn and wait for me to catch up to her.  
 
I've always felt that if I'm doing NILIF (a combination of things to make her realize her position) that one little thing, such as her being in front on a walk isn't going to ruin things.  It's when a combination of things happen, like she's in front, pulling and not listening that she starts to think she's in charge. 
 
Hope that all made sense.  []

Millie always walks in front, because she pulls. Max walks in front sometimes, sometimes behind, other times at my side. I guess it depends on where he feels like being, if he feels like slowly sniffing along, he sees another dog up ahead, etc. He doesn't heel well enough yet to start doing it during regular walks on leash with distractions. He is fearful of strangers sometimes, mostly men, although I think it has little to do with whether or not he is walking in front of me. I think it has more to do with whether or not I can keep his attention on me while they pass, if they try to talk to him , or like my one neighbor, make eye contact with him. I want to get him over his fear of men, but mostly over his fear of the men we see frequently, that's most important to me. I've solved the issue with the mailman, he's doing pretty well with my one neighbor (coincidentally, the 2 yr old loves Max, and Max loves him, but his dad is terrified of Max) but there is another neighbor who I will probably never solve the problem with. Despite what I tell him about Max being afraid of men, he continues to stand there and try to talk to us (and more so to Max than me) and he will make eye contact with Max and stare at him. Even with all the progress we've made with other people, I think the hopes of getting anywhere with this guy are slim and none, and it doesn't matter if Max is behind me, in front of me, or somewhere else, he will still be afraid of the guy.

Blue is always allowed to walk in front on me when we go on walks. Now when there is another dog he goes back to the heel position and when ever he wants to sniff things ahead of me or behind me it doesn't matter. I do make him walk in the heel position when ever it's at night and I don't feel comfortable about the area or the people around.
 
I don't think it's an alpha position because Blue knows I'm boss and if he does get out of line with me that I will put him back in his place. He doesn't pull that much and he knows when I give a command he knows to do it unless there is something really intresting then a slight tug he will do as I say. I think it just matters if you haven't expressed yourself as the alpha in the pack then things may get out of hand.

ORIGINAL: orangedog

My dogs are always in heel position unless I say "ok!" and then they know they can walk in front a bit. They still must have a loose leash though and be paying attention to me. The know they're lower down in the 'pack' than I am and they respect that. I've had no problems. I think it depends on the situation, the dog and it's relationship with the owner in my opinion.

 
Dakota knows I'm the alpha, but always when we've gone on walks, I've let him stay in front of me.  Lately I've been trying to get him to heel because I would like him to eventually get this CGC.   When he's in front of me, he tends to pull me and that won't do for a CGC.  I admit, sometimes I need to be motivated and pulled but.... 

That's what I pretty much think as well.  As long as we've already established who the "leader" is, it doesn't matter where she walks.  I too don't think Lana's fear of people (and like Max it's mostly men) has anything to do with where he walk.  Although I had no luck explaining this to my brother (he likes to say that's what he saw on Dog Whisperer). 
 
Lana does heal (I use here) when I tell her to.  She never pulls.  She also knows "slowly" and she'll slow down to a stop, then she gets the "wait" command and doesn't move until I relsease her (we usually do this when we hit corners so she can learn to stop and not walk onto traffic).
 
I was curious to see what other people had to say as, to my brother's defense, I've heard some people say that dogs should be behind you since in the wild, the lead is in front. 

Honestly, there are many folks with very strong opinions that Alpha should always be first.  I look at it this way....the walk is NOT for my benefit, it's for theirs.  After all, I can go outside and walk, run, enjoy the scenery or whatever, any darned time I want to.  They can't.  Not outside their fence.  They only get to go outside the fence when *I* say that they get to go outside the fence.  So long as they will drop back and HEEL when *I* say to, what difference does it make WHERE they walk?  Aside from the difference in their level of enjoyment?  I don't move as fast as they do, and I don't WANT to sniff every 2.5 feet, leave my "scent" everywhere or chase the butterflies.  They do and I see no reason to limit their enjoyment of THEIR walks just to fit someone elses view of what is and isn't right.  Typically, they are out front, sometimes at my side, sometimes behind me, BUT when I ask for a heel I get it.  That's what matters to me....that and that they have FUN on their walk.

I think Ceasar Millan (sp) does what he does with problem dogs... I dont think they should apply to the well behaved dog, as much.  I second that that is the purpose of a walk... I wouldnt want to ruin that by trying to be all mighty ALPHA and business.  I do think it would be very necessary though if you were working with a dog with a dominance or behavior problem like the ones he is usually working with.

HI there, I am a self admitted CM fan and he wants you to walk your dog in a position of the boyfriend as he calls it, like if you were walking with your boyfriend then you could chat and such, he never has really said BEHIND you.  Also remember that the dogs that he is working with have no idea who alpha is, they are the boss they own the human and they are doing what they want to do when they want to do it.  CM uses it as a rehab technique IMO.
My dogs walk in front of me, but if I say their name or easy they slow down and turn to me.
The "pack" is together, and that is the important part, retractable leashes and dogs running out and away from their leader is what CM is trying to correct.
The people that most of his show is aimed are are people that have made their dogs too human, and then don't understand when the dog does something like a dog (go figure).
 
Julie

Julie, thanks for clarifying that.  I must say I have never seen his show.  I'm in Canada and the Dog Whisperer that I've seen here is with Stanley Coren. 
 
Again, he thinks that Lana thinks she's alpha because she barks at strangers.  When he comes and visits, she's good with him until she's walking around and sees him in a different room or if she's just laying around and he walks by.  After I say "quiet", she'll stop unless he walks by the door again or something like that.  She does stop barking when I say quiet and if he stays in the room, she's good until he either makes eye contact with her or talks to her.  I honestly don't think that that behavior consitiutes as her thinking she's alpha.
 
 

No it constitutes her as being a dog[]