So what does the alpha figure have in its executive management tool kit that the omega individual seems to lack? What quality or combination of traits set a natural-born leader apart from a natural-born follower?

Cesar Millan says "calm assertiveness" in a leader inspires "calm submissiveness" in a follower. Meanwhile, advocates of learning theory, such as Dr. Sophie Yin, say that leadership in canines is a function of who controls access to important resources.

So does leadership have something to do with assertiveness, or controlling resources, and are those qualities we really need to acquire and display if we want our dog to hang on our every word? Do we need to become an alpha male in order to inspire the right attitude in our dogs?

Well, with Super Bowl XLVI still fresh in our minds, I suggest that there is something we might learn about the nature of leadership from the career of that game's most valuable player, Eli Manning.

I've been a Giants fan for most of my life. My father was a famous dog trainer who owned a kennel in Connecticut, where we lived. He also had a canine training academy in New York City. I often went with him to the city to help him pick up dogs from his New York clients. I also played high school football. So rooting for the football Giants was in the air I breathed. Even now, after living in Vermont for the last 14 years (right in the heart of New England Patriot country), I still have a soft spot for the Giants.

I find it interesting that during Eli Manning's first seasons as quarterback for the Giants, the New York sports world was roiling with the question as to whether the young, soft-spoken athlete had the "right stuff" to lead an NFL team. It wasn't a matter of talent, arm strength, or physical toughness, and certainly not one of his pedigree since both his father Archie, and older brother Payton, had been or were NFL superstars. But unlike Peyton, Eli seemed passive, he didn't speak out at team meetings, he didn't jawbone linemen who missed their blocks or glower at receivers if they ran the wrong route. When a play broke down he could almost look like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights.

Most of all, Manning didn't seem to possess the dynamic, commanding body language or imposing presence of a Namath or Montana or—dare I say it—of Tom Brady? You know, the kind of glittering aura that is said to inspire confidence and summon others to go above and beyond what they are otherwise capable of.

Of course all this gnashing of sports media teeth was stilled—at least temporarily—after the Giants won the 2008 Super Bowl. Some thought that game was a fluke. But now, finally it seems that the question of Eli's "elite" quarterback status has been put to rest. He's hall-of-fame material after all.

So what, if anything, has changed? How did Eli all of a sudden acquire the magic touch? Why is he a leader now when he seemed so lacking before?

The only real, material difference is a big shiny trophy held aloft at centerfield. But Eli still remains the passive, non-demonstrative, atypically modest NFL quarterback. So if force of charisma and an alpha male personality isn't necessary for winning, what is?

My feeling is that Eli is the leader of his team for one reason and one reason only—he knows how to get the football down the field and put it in the end zone. This is why quarterbacks invariably end up being the leaders of their respective teams even though they are almost always the least imposing players on the team, physically speaking. These guys don't need to act tough and control others. They just need to know how to put the ball down the field and get it into the end zone. And by doing that, they make everyone feel good, the players, coaches, fans, and even sports writers. (And once they're no longer able to do it, they're quickly deposed.)

It's a simple fact of life that when we feel good, we tend to develop strong ties and deep emotional bonds with whomever is providing us with that happy, positive feeling. Then, as that bond develops, we're willing to follow that person anywhere—whether into battle, through a political campaign, or vicariously onto a football field—because in point of fact, we don't feel controlled by that person. Not at all. We feel our own power, our own autonomy, our own joy in the feeling of connection we have with them. All our efforts are directed from within as opposed to having that uncomfortable feeling, usually left over from childhood, of being controlled from the outside or the top down. We're not submitting, we're choosing to follow. And when we follow someone based on our own choice, we feel calm, happy, and energized, even when the going gets tough.

This is why I think that in order for Eli Manning to become the unquestioned leader of the New York Giants, he didn't put one iota of energy into the development of his personal image, or on burnishing his status. He just got better and better at getting the ball down field and putting it into the end zone. Everything he did on the field and off was designed to make his teammates feel good about themselves and their participation in the game. And there's little doubt they will now follow him anywhere. And the funny thing—at least as far as I can tell—is that Eli Manning hasn't changed much at all. He seems to be the exact same person he was in 2006, except for that one thing: he just got better and better at getting that ball into the end zone.

So what does this have to do with dogs? Well, they evolved from wolves, a species designed by nature to hunt large, dangerous prey animals through a group effort. As a result, dogs are the ultimate team player. This is why every puppy starts its life happy to be on the team, and happy to recognize its owner as the "quarterback."

So if you're concerned over how to motivate your dog to obey, my advice is stop working on your inner alpha, and stop wasting time thinking about who controls life's resources. (If you have keys, can open doors and operate a can opener, then you do!) Your main job is to establish a spirit of teamwork, simply by putting the ball into the end zone.

So that's Kevin's first guest post. (I hope there'll be more.) And in case there's anyone who didn't get his last point, it's this: it is primarily through playing games with your dog—especially where the dog gets to experience a feeling of success, over and over again—that he or she will always look to you, quite happily, for cues on how to behave in all other situations. That's the ultimate way to get the best behavior out of any dog.

Here's Kevin's contact info:

Kevin Behan
Natural Dog Training in Vermont
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