Alpha Puppy?
He has been great, he is pretty puppyish, but nothing that has been problematic at all. I took him in for a checkup and the Vet did a lot of probing under his haunchs and belly. This is the one thing that Zero doesn't like. He growls when he is grabbed there, but it really seems innocuous when we have done it. He doesn't snip or anything. Well when the Vet did it he was pretty pissed and growled quite a bit and yelped a little. I told him no and he stayed quiet for a little bit. The vet said he will be problematic, in fact he said this breed is problematic, and I would need to go to puppy classes and consult with a trainer to control this behavior. He said he is definitely and alpha dog. He has been really sweet with us, so this surprised me. Is my dog an alpha dog? Is this a problem? He chases Henry our 3 year old son around a bit, but this is the worst thing he seems to do. |
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| Congrats on your new puppy! How old is he?
First of all, I would say that no breed is inherently aggressive. Some may have more of a natural tendency towards being aggressive, but it is all about the training. Individual dogs, on one hand, can be aggressive, but that too can most often be warded off by good training. Just because your puppy growled at the vet who was poking him in sensitive locations doesn't mean he is aggressive or alpha or anything. He probably didn't like being poked my a stranger. My parents' dog, who is the sweetest sheepie ever, was in the emergency vets a few weeks ago and they labeled her as 'beware, aggressive' and she is always so sweet (and our regular vet, who saw her the next day couldn't believe that the other place had labeled her that way). Sheepies do get big and they do tend to nip (it is in the makeup) so you need to make sure you teach the puppy not to nip, because what might be cute when they are tiny, can be dangerous when they are older and bigger (and not dangerous in a sinister on purpose way, but in a I'm still a puppy but I weigh 85 pounds sort of way)... |
| Congrats on your pup!
I think the vet probably hurt him, and for him to be angry at a pup for not liking it's belly poked would suggest to me to find a new vet. JMO though. I would hope that the vet did not find a hernia or anything that may have caused the pup additional discomfort while the belly was being examined. Zero is a cool name, what made you think of it? |
| I have heard of several people hearing that from thier vet.
Mojo was very mouthy as a pup. It was not biting, it was playing. We did not tolerate it though. They have to be taught just like any other pup. ANYTIME he got mouthy we stopped playing and walked away. You can also set up little training sessions where you play and if he is mouthy you stop but then go back to playing in just a minute. It doesn't take long for them to get the idea that when the nip they don't get to play. I really do recommend a manners class. Look for a trainer that uses only positive trainging methods. Sheepies do not respond well to negative or aggressive correction. It is also important the the whole family knows the commands and how to correct a situation. I found we were in as much need of training as Mojo. It really did make things go much smoother. Good luck and have fun with Zero. |
| Thanks!!
The Vet was checking for hernia, and it did seem like he was certainly being very probing. I am sure he was doing what was appropriate. He wasn't angry, but he did seem overly cautious. I just thought he was being ticked off for not wanting his belly to be grabbed at. The vet said all non alpha pups, just submit and don't growl like that. He said Zero is in excellent health. My impression was he was trying to be a little dramatic and instilling fear in me to drum up business for the trainer he recommended. Zero comes from a game my 3 year old son Henry plays with me. At bedtime he likes to call me a sacrastic name to get me to act surprised and tickle him. Calline me Zero was his first attempt at sarcasm. Zero is also the name of the dog in The Nightmare Before Christmas. That wasn't the reason though. |
| Welcome to the forum!
I hate it when I hear that vets say things like this! What a nasty generalization! Of course, any large dog should be properly socialized and trained. And of course your puppy is trying to be an alpha dog - he's trying to establish his order in the pack. It's your job to teach him (in a positive way) that you are the alpha. As long as you are positive and consistent about establishing your leadership, your dog will learn to be a lesser pack member and will be a happy member of your family. |
| Our dog is gonna look a lot like Bailey.
He has a black spot over his left eye and his right ear is black. He is wicked cute. |
newbie wrote: Thanks!!
The Vet was checking for hernia, and it did seem like he was certainly being very probing. I am sure he was doing what was appropriate. He wasn't angry, but he did seem overly cautious. I just thought he was being ticked off for not wanting his belly to be grabbed at. The vet said all non alpha pups, just submit and don't growl like that. He said Zero is in excellent health. My impression was he was trying to be a little dramatic and instilling fear in me to drum up business for the trainer he recommended. Zero comes from a game my 3 year old son Henry plays with me. At bedtime he likes to call me a sacrastic name to get me to act surprised and tickle him. Calline me Zero was his first attempt at sarcasm. Zero is also the name of the dog in The Nightmare Before Christmas. That wasn't the reason though. Oops, I misunderstood the pup being ticked off for the vet being ticked off. What a great way to choose your dogs name!  |
newbie wrote: Our dog is gonna look a lot like Bailey.
He has a black spot over his left eye and his right ear is black. He is wicked cute. Yay! I can't wait to see pictures! Another thought - since you know that your pup is sensitive to being touched in certain areas, you should start to de-sensitize him now. Touch him all over on a regular basis to get him used to being handled. Lay him on the floor and roll him over and rub his belly and under his chin. Touch his paws, even between his toes. It will make grooming so much easier if he's used to being handled. |
Congratulations!  Can't wait to see the pictures! |
| I don't know a lot about dogs, Barkley is the first dog I've had as an adult, but the people on this forum have a wealth of information to share--and they are very very good at answering questions. I can tell you've some of the things I have learned over the last few weeks. The first week Barkley was home, he was absolutely well behaved. The 2nd week he started getting into a little mischief. The worst issues, were him jumping up on me when I got home, nipping me on the hands and arms, and playing tug of war with the leash whenever he went outside. I read a lot of books, and friends told me "if he's nipping at you you need to show him who is Alpha. If not he's going to become aggresive And they gave me all the standard advice. Go through the door first. Don't let him up on the bed. Don't feed him until you've eaten. Not knowing a lot about dogs, I did all the things they advised, and found that it only escalated the situation. So this weekend, I stopped all that nonsense. I tried to look at things from his perspective a little. When I adopted him he was living in a barn and had free reign to roam the countryside at will. He had not had a lot of human contact. He did not have a regular routine. Now he is living inside. He has a regular schedule. I go to work and he is left alone in the house, in an environment that is completely new to him. When he nips he is playing, he has not learned how to play gently with humans, because most of his playing has been with other dogs, who are not as sensative to nipping. He tugs on the leash because he used to having free reign and going where he pleases. He is frustrated because when he sees something he wants to investigate and goes running toward it, he gets a sharp tug on his neck. He jumps up on me because he is excited and happy that I have returned (probably because he's not sure I'm going to yet and I am the source of many things he likes--warm bed, good regular food, toys, and goodies. Barkley is not aggressive. Barkley is a dog. Barkley needs positive training, a regular schedule, a lot of praise for doing the right things, time to adjust to his new environment, and some accomodation until he gets used to doing things differently. (instead of leashing him up to go do his business, I now attach him to his 50ft run line in the back yard and keep an eye on him from the window.) We had a great weekend together. And though we're still working on the nipping, its gotten a lot better and I don't think he gives a flip about who goes in the door first! |
| Good job deograine!
Sounds like things are running smoothly |
| When I was considering keeping Bosley (I was fostering him as a rescue puppy) I was told by a very knowledgeable dog person that OES's have "nasty temperaments". Not knowing the breed at all, I respected her knowledge, so was prepared to work extra hard on Bosley. We watched closely for any agressive behavior so we could learn what the triggers would be and to work with them. Well, he is 10 months old now, was neutered at 4 months, and we have yet to see a snap or even hear a growl from him. He is all fun and games, and appears to be smiling all the time. I have learned from this forum that this is the normal OES temperament, and we are enjoying it greatly.
My point is, a lot of things are taken out of contect and general statements are often just that...something that was heard at one point, so sounds good when repeated as fact. I think that all dog owners should invest in a book called "The Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson. It is quite modern, having been written in the last 10 years or so, and describes the way people see their dogs and how dogs see thier people. It is a bit insulting of us lowly humans at the beginning, and some readers can't get past the blunt way that it is presented, but it is an excellant resource and covers many training areas required for both puppies and adult dogs. Truely is a book written with the dog's best interest in mind, and teached us humans how to work WITH canines and not against them. If a puppy yelped at a normal vet examination I would be concerned. Only a very fearfull, submissive pup would possibly yelp if it wasn't being hurt. It sounds like you have a normal puppy that may need some extra handling. You can play a game with Zero, by introducing a yummy treat, that he can lick or gnaw on from your hands WHILE you are patting an rubbing him. Then stop the handling and take the treat away. Start the rubbing and re-introduce the treat. The treat can be a Kong with a bit of cheez-whiz init or peanut butter, to keep him interested. Use this time to rub his fet, belly etc. and we will be very interested in the treat to bother with it. This is also a great way to get him to enjoy grooming, which you need to do now, while he is young. Don't force him or restrain him with being handled. You want him to allow if on his terms and to be relaxed and comfortabel with it. That way this comfort state will transfer to strangers handling him, also. If you scold him or restrain him when he struggles he may learn to be still for you, but for a stranger he may be fearful of being scolded or restrained, so may react negatively. Definitely enroll in a positive re-enforcement training class for puppies, and you will not regret it. That is a really good investment that will last a lifetime. Good luck! |
| purebred dogs tend to have dominance issues -- this is what a moron trainer told me just bfore i notified him he was fired. it has to do with how spoiled they are, if they know they own you, they will continue to. i suggest you find a peaceful way to assert that you are in charge, IE having your pup heal with you when he is behaving badly, then slowly work on the problem behaviors individually. should work well, hope all goes well for you, jack used to be dominant too, don't be disheartenend. |
| Thanks to all for the replies. Pictures of Zero are up in the gallery. |
He's cute!!  |
| thanks. I gotta get a good picture the avatar. |
| Zero is adorable! I love his black eye patch! |
| Oh, puppies are so cute! I want to hug and squeeze him! |
| Zero is adorable I love the markings. |
What a cutie pie he is.  |
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