Strength Training Cycle 2 | Week 3
👉🏽Guest Post: The "Alpha" Lie in Leadership and Dog Training
Happy Friday, Deep Kimchi Confidantes!
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All This Talk About Being “Alpha” Over Everything…
Today we have a guest author taking the wheel!
is a leadership expert (for dogs and humans), a dear friend, and a proud Canadian.🇨🇦
Why this short read is worth your time?
Get immediate and actionable tips on what profound, POSITIVE, effective leadership looks like… whether training world class animal athletes or humans (big and little)!
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Take it away, Lisa! And, keep showing up for yourself in strength, frens.
The Alpha Lie — In Dog Training and in Leadership
I've been reflecting lately on the difference between leadership and control—whether in dog training, the workplace, or beyond.
For years, people thought training a dog meant being the alpha (and unfortunately, many still do) taking control, demanding obedience, making sure the dog knew who was boss.
Because fear works, until it doesn’t.
Fear creates compliance, but it doesn’t build trust. Fear makes people (or dogs) follow orders, but it doesn’t create loyalty. Fear keeps people in line, until they find a way out.
Fear-based leadership is on the rise and just like outdated dog training — keeping people unsure, punishing mistakes, and demanding obedience instead of building trust.
What Fear-Based Leadership Looks Like (in Dogs and People):
Confusion as a control tactic. If no one knows what the rules are, they’re easier to manipulate.
Punishment over progress. When people (or dogs) are afraid of getting it wrong, they stop trying.
Demanding blind obedience. Because real trust and relationship building takes work, and control is easier.
Creating dependence. Fear-based leaders don’t empower. They keep people small.
Good dog trainers don’t rely on dominance, and good leaders don’t need to control people to get results.
I’ve been fortunate to work for Susan Garrett—who I call the Brené Brown of dog training—long enough to see what real leadership looks like.
And it’s not about control. It’s about trust. Clarity. Psychological safety.
What Real Leadership (and Dog Training) Looks Like:
Clarity is Kind. Dogs don’t thrive in confusion, and neither do people. The best trainers and leaders make expectations clear.
They earn trust. Not through force, but through consistency, fairness, and follow-through. A dog that trusts its trainer offers behaviors willingly. A team that trusts its leader does the same.
They make learning safe. Dogs don’t learn when they’re scared of making a mistake. Neither do people. Environments that foster growth, not punishment, produce the best results.
They build real relationships. The best dog trainers don’t rely on dominance—they create engagement. And the best leaders create workplaces where people feel valued, not controlled.
Whether you’re training a dog, leading a team, or running a country, fear might get short-term results, but trust is what builds something that lasts.
P.S. If you have a dog and you’re curious to know more about Susan Garrett and her style of dog training, I encourage you to check out the Shaped By Dog podcast on Spotify/iTunes or the DogsThat YouTube Channel.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this post are Lisa Rousseau’s and do not necessarily reflect those of Susan Garrett, DogsThat, or any affiliated organizations.
WEEK 3 - CYCLE 2 - STRENGTH
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