A Frustration Among Frustrations

Puppy 'rehabilitation'. That's what Casar Millan calls it. The animal's mind must be shown how to move forward; it must recognize that a certain action causes a consequence, and that we, as owners, are looking for the positive consequences. *** I spend all day with our dog, Bodhi. She is just over 6 months old. She will listen to me and obey me about 98% of the time, when it's just the two of us. She is still young, and learning, so I expect and accept that. However, the moment Husband steps into the house, Bodhi sees him as Alpha, completely ignoring me, and I cannot, for the life of me, get my power back. I watch the tone/tension in my voice to make sure it's calm and assertive; I make sure we eat first; I make sure we go through the door first. But I fail. It's so crushing. So rejecting. So hurtful. All I want to do is cry. Husband tries to help me. He wants to honestly help. He is nice about not insulting me but I still feel major shame when I ask the dog to 'go to her mat' and she looks at with a WTF face, and as soon as Husband opens his mouth she is already on the move. I expect it might have a lot to do with my demeanor around Husband. I tend to be a little more laid back. A little complacent. Mostly comfortable. (OK i might as well just say it, I am more submissive around Husband than I really should be.) *** The dog rehabilitation continues. I may end up joining toastmasters just to gain some extra assertiveness. That, or start my own fight club.