How do I show I'm boss?!
I posted a while ago about my pup Huckleberry (my husband and I are puppy novices) and all the advice on crate training/potty training helped IMMENSELY. Thank you! Huck is now 8 months old and I'm finding that he listens to my husband more than me. I've become a bit heartbroken because anytime he doesn't get his way or I have to tell him "no" or put him in his crate for time out, he snaps/bites aggressively at me. He hasn't bitten me hard yet, but we have had many close encounters. He barks loudly for attention and becomes quite aggressive towards me by showing his teeth and jumping on me. It's only during those times, otherwise he is cuddly and sweet and the love of my life. I'm in tears because I just don't want to be "doing this wrong" as a new dog owner. I'm in the Orlando area, I haven't really found a trainer or professional help for him. I don't know if this is "normal" or something I can fix by showing my dominance. When I give him commands I say it firmly and he will sit, shake and stay almost every time but a treat is usually involved. Also, when we walk he likes to bite the leash and jump and pull. Any recommendations on certain leashes/harnesses? Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated. Love, Bri  |
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| He is not a human, I suspect you are doing too much talking, not enough directly leading and telling him he's been bad, when he has no clue what you are saying. You should be the main feeder, even hand feeding one kibble at a time. You should be the main walker, you in charge, he not pulling you down the road. Have you been to obedience training? It is more for the humans than the dog..........I suspect you need to go........repeat the class if you must. He's in his brain dead stage where he is challenging for supremacy and sounds like he's winning over you. You are #3 in the pack right now, it's a toss up for 1 and 2. Quit being a mommy/girl and be a leader, don't compromise and stop talking. Single word commands, hand signals, something simple for their simple brain. |
SheepieBoss wrote: He is not a human, I suspect you are doing too much talking, not enough directly leading and telling him he's been bad, when he has no clue what you are saying. You should be the main feeder, even hand feeding one kibble at a time. You should be the main walker, you in charge, he not pulling you down the road. Have you been to obedience training? It is more for the humans than the dog..........I suspect you need to go........repeat the class if you must. He's in his brain dead stage where he is challenging for supremacy and sounds like he's winning over you. You are #3 in the pack right now, it's a toss up for 1 and 2. Quit being a mommy/girl and be a leader, don't compromise and stop talking. Single word commands, hand signals, something simple for their simple brain. All good ideas. We tend to try to "explain" too much to our dogs. Beyond a 3-4 word sentence, you have lost them. Consistency in training is the key. |
| Simple firm commands work for me too. With the walking my commands are, stop, wait, walk (heal) and here, if he is pulling when on leash, I started by stopping and saying stop. When I started walking I would say walk making sure he walked next to me. Doing this over and over and over. He is 2 1/2 and is getting good at it, now when he is off leash and I say stop, he stops in his tracks, but it takes time and continuous repetition for that small excitable brain. I have just used a regular collar leather collar with a buckle but others like the martindale collar for better control. I haven't had to deal with aggression, so I don't know if this is part of his genes or with his up bringing. A trainer would hopefully help you out on this. Dogs can sense your feelings so if you appear weaker take advantage. For instance when I am tired and feeling a bit low, this is when my dogs decide not listen to commands, they seem to take advantage of my weaker state of mind. |
 I agree in everything that's written in the posts abow.The boss has the first right to everything: Meaning that you go out of the door first and your dog comes after you - always. You eat first, you greet everybody first - human and other dogs. Important that your husband greet you - before he greets your dog! Dogs watch these kind of behavior and then understand who the chief is or what rank you got. All the humans in the family should come first before the dog. Learn him that - he should be at the lowest rank - always - show him that all the time every day. Be calm and self-confident when you need to say no to him and talk more like a man with a lower tone or sound. Men gets thing free because they often have a deeper and darker voice! More alike the dogs growling - wich means stop their: I don't want it! When we women talk in our usual light sound it's more like asking for cuddle and the dog doesn't understand what you want him to do. Learn him to go behind you and you got the rank and full control. Try to growl once when you say no - maybe he get it then? It's important that you're neither angry nor frighten when you do this - only expect him to understand what you want and be patient. Sometimes it helps to put a lot of positive energy in your dark voice - and only one or two words! Hope you find your way!  |
| Hi Bri The advice above is all very good and worth incorporating into your lifestyle if you can. When we were looking for an OES we found these videos and they helped us a LOT in many different ways. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf114OHTF88 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33D6t6-9EH4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWG3oWdMCm4 We are not affiliated with David. He is in Seattle, WA and we are in Australia. But, we found it reassuring that David was working with an OES that was not a small puppy and one that was not well trained as a starting point. I hope they help in some small way. Good luck!! Sue |
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| Hi Just found this web site and thought it might also help. It looks very good. http://www.k9station.com/articles/dominance.htm Cheers Sue |
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