Is anyone else the parent of a bully??
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| Hi Bob,
Just like people some dogs have a more dominant personality. I remember when I was a new mom and would cringe when my baby would fuss or cry if I was surrounded by others. Thinking it really bothered them and I would appear to be a "bad mom". Only in retrospect can I look back and see...it was me, other people were mainly sympathetic and the crying of a newborn really doesn't bother most. (Long as it's not continuous..ha ah). Try to avoid feeling apprehensive when this occurs as your pup will pick up your vibes. Try to avoid that and always remain calm. Speak to your dog trainer about that occurance and ask her to speak to the others in the class as to what the interaction was all about. This too will help the others to understand and will stop you from feeling apprehensive if the situation arises again. Good luck! marianne and the boys |
| Tag is definitely the bully of his class...now the trainer I have has explained that dogs will be dogs. He explained how they communicate, and all this is normal...now he intervenes and seperates dogs quickly if it starts getting out of hand. With Tag that happens alot, he gets a little time out and his play is stopped and he only gets to rejoin when given the okay to do so.
Unfortunately I can't keep up with at home, he is forever on Remy's back, and I am sure in time he will be the alpha dog between them. |
Thank you! That definately makes me feel better. He really is such a sweetheart, but just wants to be the big guy on campus. I've been a little concerned about how he will be with our 2 cats. At first they definately had the upper "paw". They were making him pee left and right!!  But now, he's realized how much bigger he's gotten. We have one who just wants nothing to do with him and isn't afraid to tell him so. We try not to let him around the cats if we're not around, but sometimes they do jump into the kitchen (where he's often gated off) and find themselves in the frying pan. Our other cat, Max, is so funny because you can tell he really does want to play with Bob but he just gets too excited and poor Max comes out of the kitchen drenched from Bob mouthing him. Max is really great about shrugging it off, so I don't think Bob will traumatize him. I'm sorry, I've really babbled on here.  Thank you for your input though!!
Karen and Bob |
Glad you're feeling better about the situation, Karen! I had the same aprehension with Beau when we first went to obedience classes. He was used to being the biggest puppy around. However, when we got there, the regular obedience class was meeting, too, (Not just puppies) and he was approached by a full grown Kuvaz, a Pyr, and a St. Bernard! It was sooo funny to watch him as he realted to the 'real' big dogs.  He wasn't afraid and they weren't aggressive, it just really helped his perspective!! |
| Hi Karen:
Cassiopia is definitely a dominant dog. Last week an English Mastiff (currently 8 months old and 125 pounds) joined our obedience class, and she quickly let him know that she was dominant to him - much to the other dogs surprise. Although we realize that her dominance is hard-wired into her, we are working with her so that she realizes she HAS to listen to us. And like Tag, she gets a LOT of time outs. This seems to be helping over time. By the way, we also have cats - one of which Cassiopia firmly believes is HER cat. This cat and Cassiopia play extremely roughly together - well at least it seems as though it is rough to me. However, as soon as the cat (or Cassiopia) squeaks, play is immediately suspended while both lick their wounds. And then moments later, the play starts up again. One of these days I am going to explain the weight differential to them (Cassiopia is 75 pounds, her cat, Pearl is 7.5 pounds). Good luck, Jennifer, Baxter, Cassiopia and Sharkey |
| Like I mentioned too in the Antics section, Tag has now realized he will not be the top dog...he was taken down a notch just by looking at a 100lb Alaskan Malumute...
We also have 2 cats, but they are not afraid of the dogs...esp our male. And if they bother the female, our male cat comes to his woman's defense. It's very sweet actually. |
jennifer_t wrote: Although we realize that her dominance is hard-wired into her, we are working with her so that she realizes she HAS to listen to us. And like Tag, she gets a LOT of time outs. This seems to be helping over time.
When you say time outs, do you put her in her crate?? I think I may need to start doing this for Bob. He does get fresh. I've tried the ignoring thing when he starts nipping and giving him something else to chew on. He definately does it to get our attention. I'm trying to get everyone (my husband and our 3 kids - although they're too young to really be involved in the training) on board with me, so he'll get the hint that he's getting nowhere with his bites. He does love company so hopefully if we just keep it up, he'll get it. On a completely different note, I just have to mention what happened to one of our cats. She's 10 years old and has been holding her front paw up the past day or so. I brought her to the vet today and it turns out then when she was declawed when she was a kitten, it wasn't done correctly and her claws are actually growing back. Poor baby!!  We had to leave her at the vet, so they could take care of her right away. Has anyone ever heard of that??? My 5 year old is devastated to have to be away from her overnight. Crazy!!
Karen and Bob (& 2 kitties, guinea pig, 2 frogs, lizard, 3 kids & hubby - welcome to the farm!!) |
| Hi,
Just speaking for myself here as to what I do in timeouts. I've never crated my dogs but that's just personal preference. When I saw Merlin misbehaving at the dog park which we visited daily I would remove him from the situation and hold his collar for a few mins. Eventually he knew what this meant and if I held his collar he would sit...later he resumed the down position. This has worked great in my favor as now all of my dogs immediately sit or down if I grab their collars. (I don't do it roughly either..but just matter of fact.) I had to show him at first what it meant..hold collar..put down in sit postion..and say the word...SIT...or LAYDOWN. They will resist at first and squiggle ..try to get away..but you have control of them by holding the collar. Be consistent and always remain calm as they will pick up your vibes should you become agitated. When they have calmed down, each time became easier as they learned what I wanted from them they were allowed to resume play. Second time..again no yelling..no harsh reprimands but simply leading them away ..we'd leave. They do eventually "get it". At home, if one or the other gets too carried away I use the same method..again I found it works great especially if one of them squeezes past the door if I answered the door. They seem to be a well behaved calm dog..(ha ha..gawd they fool people) because if I didn't hold their collars they may jump all over the guest or become overly excited. I prefer this method instead of crating as you are able to do it anywhere at any time away from home. Again it's just personal preferance as to what you find works best in your situation. Marianne and the boys |
| We don't use a crate for "time outs" for Cassiopia, although we do have one. Her trainer instructed us to put her on a leash and put her in a "down stay" for 5 minutes. Once the time is up, she can go off leash. If she misbehaves again she goes back on the leash in a "down stay" for another 5 minutes. This may happen several times in a day if Cassiopia is being particularly difficult. And yes, there are times that we must insist (usually by standing on the leash so that she can't move from "down") that she stays in her "down stay".
It did take Cassiopia a little time to learn "down stay", however it is helping. We think that that she just gets overexcited and the "time outs" help her calm down and relax - or at least relax enough to listen to us. Good luck Jennifer, Baxter, Cassiopia and Sharkey |
| Tag's time outs are the same way...held on to by his collar, restricting him from playing, when he settles he can return. He LOVES to play and gets very rambinctious, and the space just doesn't allow for it. |
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