If I go everywhere you want me to go, how will I know you'll still follow?*

I am a very bad dog owner.  One of the things you're supposed to make sure you do, is establish yourself as the alpha in the "pack".  Your dog should never think he's the one in charge.  I have completely failed at this.

Whenever Oscar is around me, he is very very very protective of me.  He is very aggressive towards other dogs.  He doesn't like to meet new people.  He just barks ferociously anytime he senses a "threat" to me (or in his opinion, his rightful attention from me).  Basically, he's a socially retarded dog that hates everyone else and thinks he can hurt them by biting off their ankles or something.  (Ok, once he realizes you're ok, he's one of the SWEETEST dogs ever.  He just likes to make sure you know he's in charge when you meet him).  

However, apparently he's also the BIGGEST COWARD ever.  

Today, I had a really long meeting for work that lasted until about 9PM.  I asked one of my co-workers that lives in the hotel to take Oscar out when he got home from work so he wasn't having to hold it in for 14 hours.  

Z stopped in and Oscar does his normal freak out barking at someone being in the room.  Z opens the crate to let him out and Oscar still barking starts inching out.  Z kind of crouches down and puts out his hand to let Oscar sniff him and Oscar turns tail and cowers in the back of the crate.  

Z spent 20 minutes trying to get him out of there and couldn't.  He finally had to give up because he had go to an appointment.  

I find it so funny how different he is if I'm around vs if I'm not.  If I was there, Oscar would have been all about showing Z that HE is the man of the room and he's going to protect me, and Z can just step off.  But, I'm not around, and he cowers in fear.  

So, Oscar is apparently the alpha male, and I am a terrible owner.  Grrr.

*Silversun Pickups