Your role as leader...
Dogs, like other members of belonging to the canine genus (including
wolves, coyotes, African wild dogs etc) are pack animals. In any organized
and peaceful pack, there are leaders, middle and the lowest, Omega. You
should be Alpha or leader. Even though your pup is your family and in
many (too many) instances, given the same regard as a child. I do not say
this to imply your dog does not deserve affection and love. Only that he is a
DOG not a human and what you apply to him as a human is incorrect.
Failing to be the leader of your pack will make a dog unhappy. This can
manifest itself into many behaviors from dominancy to fear biting. If you
own a dominance minded canine and do not lead, he will attempt to do it for
you. I say he but can apply to females just as much as males. More
submissive dogs will become stressed and fearful and un trusting of you. In
every case, no matter what your dog's natural inclination is, you MUST be
pack leader.
For some people this conjures up being a bully. Not true. Some people
have trouble disciplining anything because they equate it with being mean.
What is mean is leaving your dog(s) without a leader. I have said this for
years and years.
In some breeds, particularly the working breeds (Rott, GSD etc) it is vital to
maintain control. Many of these dogs, purchased as pets end up in shelters
or put down due to unstable temperament. No dog is born bad, we humans
make them bad. Without knowing it we can destroy their chances of a
happy life as a well adjusted pet. That is why only certain types of people
with an understanding of a dog's mind should own these large and powerful
breeds. I used to breed Rottweilers. I gave it up due to the surge in
popularity, everyone wanted one, very few understood the responsibility of
owning one. I adored my Rotts but I was leader of that pack, always.
While the French and English Bulldog are not nearly as challenging, there
are some hard cases. Bulldogs (what we know as English which is not the
proper name at all, it is simply Bulldog) were bred to fight Bulls. They were
so ferocious, they were banned on the streets of Rome! This was a very long
time ago and while most of them retain none of their former ferocity, as in
every breed or mixed breed, some dogs are simply leadership material.
French Bulldogs too have their dominant minded members. Both are very
muscular, persistant and very strong breeds. They are also very tenacious
and determined. English Bulldogs are the mascot for the Marines and many
college teams due to these traits. They do not give up easily.
A good breeder will do some puppy testing. There are many things we can
do to determine which pup(s) in the litter are destined to be leader, had they
been born wild. A good breeder will tell you which are which in a litter.
In the case where you are visiting a breeder, keep this in mind. The most
dominant pup, will also be the most out going. This is where many people
begin to go wrong. The dominant pup will waddle over to you first. He will
wag and lick and be very charming. Many people chose this pup. They will
say things like "our pup chose us." Not true, he is merely the dominant
one. Again, try very hard to remember these are dogs. They do not
associate with our emotions. Unless you possess the temperament and
knowledge to deal with dominancy in dogs, and there are varying degrees,
this is your first mistake. Know who you are and what you are capable of
dealing with.
Every time someone has talked to me about a dominant dog, they seem
bewildered. You often hear things like "he bit with no warning". Not true,
ever. Every dog gives a warning, they just missed it. Dogs do not just go
nuts and attack. There is a reason why they do what they do and they will
warn before they do it. The time between a warning and the action will vary
but they do warn, always. A wagging tail can be a warning. Stillness can be
a warning and usually is. A sideways look can be a warning and almost
always is. The dog does not have to lunge or growl or carry on. Many signs
of danger in dogs is silent body language, something most humans miss.
You cannot make a dominant dog behave and love you with petting and
treats. Treats are a human thing. And a dominant dog can take them as his
due. Only a less dominant dog will give up his food. So guess again the next
time you think treats will do the trick. A dominant dog will not respond to
spoiling or affection. He will only take it as encouragement. You can not
convince a dominant dog to listen to you using manipulation. It will not
work, ever.
On the other side, we have fearful dogs. These are the Omegas who know
their human is not leader. These dogs need leaders too. As much as a
dominant dog but for different reasons. If you do not lead, they do not trust
and some will bite out of fear. An Omega needs a pack leader to trust.
There are things you can do to insure that you are the boss/leader at your
house. Right away when you get the pup home, any breed or mixed breed
will benefit right away or soon after you bring him home, from these things.
Assuming you have chosen the right pup for you, become the leader and
stave off any issues you may have when the dog matures.
1. Take a puppy course. These are fun, a great way to socialize your pup,
meet other dog lovers. Socialization is the key with any dog. Any breed. If
your pup never sees another dog or people until he is grown, he will not
know how to behave when he does. Even if he is not Champion obedience
material, you will master leash training, sit and come. You have to be put
yourself in the teacher role and he the student. It is important that dogs
walked on leash walk beside you NOT in front. You lead not him. You
should wait until your pup is older and many places will not allow you to
bring a pup unless he has had a certain amount of vaccinations.
2. Once you have managed to teach him how to sit, make him sit before you
feed him. Randomly make him sit, without a treat. Always giving a reward
is not good. Treats are again a human need, not a dog need. Sometimes the
dog just needs to submit to your will.
3. Never step over a sleeping dog. Ever. Only dominant dogs get to rest
where they please without interruption. Do not startle him, but nudge him
gently, call his name, get him to move, if only a few feet. Make sure he
knows that you want him to move. Make sure he does move.
4. Never allow your dog, when accompanied by you, exit your house first.
Only dominant dogs go first, only leaders lead. You are the pack leader.
This is another reason to master sit. Sit him and make him wait for your OK
to go out. You go first. If you are only letting him outside to potty, without
you, fine. But if the two of you are going anywhere together, you go first.
Lead, do not follow him out.
5. Many pet owners allow their pets on the furniture. This sends a very
distinct message in the dog. Only lead dogs have elevated look outs all the
time. I am not saying that you should never allow your dog on the
furniture. Only that a dominant dog will take this as a sign that yes he is
equal or better than you. If you want the space he takes up in your chair, on
your sofa, make him move. Do not sit on the floor or take a lesser position
because you do not want to move him. Same goes for your bed. Allowing
your dog to sleep in your bed, all night will encourage the dominant dog to
take over. If you want your dog in your bedroom at night, buy him his own
bed. Many nights finds me surrounded in bed by my dogs. But it's a visit,
given with my permission. They are made to get down before I sleep.
6. While your pup is small, mess with his feet. Dominant dogs hate their
feet touched. Spread his toes, lay him on his side or back and hold him till
he relaxes. This is not play time, do not roll him around or get into a
wrestling match. Just quietly hold him till he relaxes then let him up, no
praise. Let him up and walk away.
7. Tone of voice and body posture is super important in all things but
especially with dominant dogs. Many women have trouble mastering the
quiet, authoritative tone. By virtue of gender, many of us have higher
voices that get higher with emotion. A lot of women have less assertive
body posture too. Femininity can be used against you with dominant dogs.
As women become stressed or angry, the voice can get even higher. Resist
this, remain calm. This is why most, not all, but most dog trainers,
especially in the field of personal protection dogs are men. They are usually
larger, have lower voices and are less emotional. Screaming at your dog will
do nothing for any dog be it Alpha or Omega. I know a lot of women who
despair that the male in the house can control the dog but not they. Some
dominant dogs see this voice raising as a need for protection and become
even more excited. Omegas become more fearful. Women, and men, stand
up tall, speak with authority and lead. Also a lot of women do not want the
dog "mad at them" This is a dog, he will not be mad at you if you lead.
Ladies, this is a dog, not a child, not a human friend. While you should
nurture and love it, you must also be leader of it. Remember that dogs do
not experience emotion as humans do. They live by another code.
8. Other subtle signs of dominancy. Leaning on you. Pawing for attention,
nudging under your hand, demanding you pet them. It is not cute or sweet.
This is your dogs way of telling you that he is control. Get up and walk
away, step away. Do not push, do not comment, simply change position so
he cannot lean or nudge. If your dog is leaning while you stand, step away
and step in front of him. Make him sit beside you. Do not allow him to lean
on you. You choose when you give affection or attention, not him. Do not
reward bad behavior. Do not pet to reassure or to calm down, this only tells
your dog he will get affection and attention when he is behaving badly.
9. When you are sitting, anywhere and your dog puts his feet on your chest,
shoulders, elevating himself to be at eye level or higher, this is bossiness.
Do not allow it. Get up, no comment no pushing, just get up. If you are
lying down and your dog stands over you, even licking your face, sit up.
Any position that allows him to be physically above you is a no no in a
dominant dog. Do not allow it unless you give him permission. Face licking
is often a sign of your leadership but can be a dominant posture, depending
on your dog. On your lap? This is perhaps the best position of power for a
dog. My dogs are never on my lap, unless I am cleaning ears. on your lap?
He is sitting ON you. Cannot get much more of a dominant position than
that.
10. Exercise is a must, yes even for "lazy" Bulldogs. A dog that has no
physical outlet, will often become unhappy, neurotic or bad tempered. Of
course, with the Bull breeds you need to be careful of heat but they still
need exercise. Be it on the leash for a walk or in the back yard playing fetch.
Do not presume that because you let him out in his fenced yard, he is
getting enough exercise. Make certain he is.
Physical punishment is never a good idea. If you are a scrapper and you
chose to get into a fight with your dog, you better win it if he is dominant.
Many dominant dogs when faced with a physical owner will fight back. This
can cause you to either become fearful or even angrier. Neither is good. We
are humans and have the power of higher thinking, use your head not your
fists, feet or rolled up newspapers. Remain calm at all times. No emotion,
no screaming or yelling.
For those of you who think that being the boss will make your dog not love
you? WRONG. He will love you more in fact. I am Alpha in my home and
my dogs adore me. They adore me above all other household members.
Some of them, the most dominant will only listen to me. If my daughters
have issues, I back them up always. This lets my pack know that they will
not boss my children around. Both of my kids are grown so the dogs do not
push it too far. As babies, they lived with Rottweilers, unfettered. It is
important to note I did not say unsupervised. My children were taught the
do's and don'ts of dogs very early. I used to freak people out when I would
bring my Rotties to a parade or picnic, off leash. People would pick their
children up, give me looks. However, after I "downed" the dogs, meaning I
made them lie down or sit and they would obey and not test me, people
would approach the big mean dogs and walk away happy. In addition being
a breed that belongs to the AKC Working group, they had jobs to do. This
kept them very happy. Rottweilers and other working breeds really must
have a job and they must have a strong leader.
What gives me the right to tell you these things? I have raised guard dog
breeds as mentioned, owned a couple of rescued bad asses, owned imported
SCHIII (protection) Rotts. I had total off leash control of all of them. I am
a Professional Groomer and for years had people with dogs no one else
would do, come to me. I am very proud to say that grooming them was not
an issue for me. Other groomers would only touch them if they were
knocked out cold on drugs. Recently (May 06) a friend of ours asked me to
help him with his Chow Chow. Notorious breed with groomers, most will
not even touch them. I spent some time with this girl, away from her home
on leash. This dog would not even allow her family to comb her rear end. It
took some time but I am very proud to say she is groomed now. No drugs. I
have all my appendages. Her owner is astounded.
We own and are raising 2 very large Dobermans. Ava and Chief are
wonderful kids and we adore them. However, they are Dobermans, testing,
pushy and far too smart. It is a full time job for all of us but we want them
to be obedient, confident and accepting of all we accept. We simply refuse
to allow them to grow up without boundaries and very possibly become
dangerous simply due to lack of leadership. They have rules and jobs and
they adore us as only a Doberman can.
* It is very important that you are consistent in your dominance. If you only
do these things once in awhile but give in at other times, your dog will
become confused. A leader's rule is absolute.
I get a lot of email's about dogs biting kids. In every case, they say the
attack was unprovoked. Not true, sorry. Here are some scenarios, real life
in which a child was bitten.
Dog is on the couch He is lying down. Child sees the dog and comes to the
couch. The child is above the dog. The child may reach over the dogs back
or neck or get in his face with the child's head level or above the dog. The
child may lean into the dog. Many parents see this as affection. Guess
what? Many dogs see it as a threat. This is why children are often bitten in
the face, the face is level with the dog's face. As adults we are taller than
any other dog. Not kids. In addition the child may be making direct eye
contact as well. Many dogs take this as an act of aggression if it comes from
someone they see as inferior or threatening. Kid gets bitten and the adults
scream about no warning. The dog warned, I bet you everything I have.
Another story, child is chasing the dog. It looks fun, the dog is tearing
around, enjoying himself, may chase the child, may not. The child is
laughing the dog is "grinning". Dog decides enough and ends the game,
diving under the bed, behind the couch or in his crate. Child follows. Child
is bitten. "They were playing!!" Yell the parents. Yes they were until the dog
distinctly said "enough". He said it loud and clear. "I am done now". Child
did not heed this. Followed the dog to his sanctuary and is bitten as a
warning to respect the dog's wishes.
Dog is on parent's lap. This is a little dog usually. Child comes over, again
at or slightly above dogs head. Dog is threatened whether he is submissive
or not. Child gets bitten. Again adult has no clue why.
When meeting a strange dog, never reach out to pet. Never over the head.
Do not crouch down to his level. Do not hold eye contact. Offer a hand only
slightly towards the dog with fingers curled. Better yet? Just ignore him and
let him come to you and sniff. Be quiet, don't baby talk or say anything. If
the dog wants to know you, he will meet you half way. Do not force yourself
on him. Many people bend down to put an arm around the neck or a hand
at the back of the neck. Or they crouch and bring their face to face level with
the dog. We then smile or talk, showing our teeth. SUPER threatening to
dominant and fearful dogs. You are over him and you have him by the
neck. Or you are looking him directly in the face with your teeth showing in
most cases.
Never play tug of war. In the wild, the dominant dog and the one who
wants to be dominant will often get on opposite ends of their food and pull.
Watch a show on wolves. Go to Discovery or Wild Kingdom. Watch them
interact. The dominant pack members, to enforce it, go OVER the lesser
beings. They force them down and stand over them. Usually with a lot of
noise and a lot of very fierce behavior. It sounds awful but the Alpha rarely
hurts the other wolf. It is vital for the survival of the pack that there be
leaders and that the others know who the leader is. Without this in place,
wolves do not thrive. Remember this. A dog that knows you are leader will
accept this from you. One that is fearful, does not trust you or has the idea
he is boss? He will be threatened and depending on his personality will
react. If you do this without being the boss of that dog, you may very well be
challenging him. If you cannot back it up because you are not boss or do
not know him, you have just placed the power at the dog's feet.
Another wonderful show? The Dog Whisperer. This man knows his stuff.
Some of the things he does may not be apparent but he is gaining
dominance and trust, which is why he can do what he does. If you have a
very dominant adult, heed the warnings! Do not do it yourself unless you
are one of the rare people who truly understand why a dog does what he
does. It can backfire on you quickly. Start with the above when you get
your pup home. Consult a professional. Not all trainers are good!!!! Some
are very ineffective and will be of no use to you, these are the ones that will
tell you that your dog is unteachable or over-bred this is dog trainer speak
for I CANNOT DO THIS! I am not necessarily speaking of training here. I
am talking about the dynamics between you and your dog. A dominant dog
can be a Champion in obedience, does not meant he respects you.
Obedience is a tool only.
We highly recommend and suggest the book How to raise the perfect Dog,
by Cesar Millan. You can find that here. This link takes you away from this
site.
Another big issue in some dogs, separation anxiety. We also do this to dogs
by accident. Some dogs just by their nature miss the pack more than others.
When left alone they become fearful, aggressive or depressed. Some will
eat their way through your home. Some bark constantly. You can do a lot to
prevent this behavior when your pup comes home.
Do not fawn over him when you leave or return. Do not give him treats
because you feel guilty. Put him where he goes (whether it be loose in your
house, shut in a room or in his crate) with no fuss. When you return home,
no fuss. Do not even greet him right away. Do something else first. You
return home, dog is dancing around saying HI! HI! HI! WELCOME HOME
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN???!!!! Say nothing, ignore him, go the sink,
wash your hands, put the groceries away, get a glass of water. Wait for him
to settle down then acknowledge him with a calm greeting. If you come
home and start in right away with " Hiiiiiiiiiii Fido, did you miss me, come
here give me a kissy ," all sweet and carrying on, you will only reaffirm his
excitement. Treat leaving and returning as matter of fact and give it as little
attention as you can.
Above all do not ever reward any bad behavior. By reward I also mean bad
attention. Many people put a pup in a crate and when he cries and yowls,
either try to reassure him or yell at him. Either is very bad. Ignore it! He
will not be harmed in any way and that includes mentally. By giving him
any attention, you are reinforcing his antics. There are times a good
reprimand is needed but not this time. Of course be certain he does not
need to relieve himself and that is why he is making noise. Many times
when our dogs are unsure or scared, we pet and try to reassure them. Bad
idea. Never give your dog any attention, either vocal or physical when he is
being nervous, scared etc. Try to correct the behavior simply by standing
firm and confident and quiet. Try to teach by example that all is well.
There are many dogs in shelters right now. It is not only very sad but also
totally preventable. They were born right and because of misunderstanding
on the humans part, raised wrong. We humans put human emotions on
our pets. Not a good thing to do at all. They are not human (Thank God)
they are canine. A pup's dam (mom) begins to teach it manners very early.
You must continue to do this. A pup that is 8 weeks old is fully capable of
learning its place in your home. What is cute in a pup will not probably be
cute in an adult, remember that. They are only pups a very short time.
Even if your pup shows no signs of aspiring to leader, he still needs you to
be one.
Traci Milbrett
Prairie Lane Bulldogs
wolves, coyotes, African wild dogs etc) are pack animals. In any organized
and peaceful pack, there are leaders, middle and the lowest, Omega. You
should be Alpha or leader. Even though your pup is your family and in
many (too many) instances, given the same regard as a child. I do not say
this to imply your dog does not deserve affection and love. Only that he is a
DOG not a human and what you apply to him as a human is incorrect.
Failing to be the leader of your pack will make a dog unhappy. This can
manifest itself into many behaviors from dominancy to fear biting. If you
own a dominance minded canine and do not lead, he will attempt to do it for
you. I say he but can apply to females just as much as males. More
submissive dogs will become stressed and fearful and un trusting of you. In
every case, no matter what your dog's natural inclination is, you MUST be
pack leader.
For some people this conjures up being a bully. Not true. Some people
have trouble disciplining anything because they equate it with being mean.
What is mean is leaving your dog(s) without a leader. I have said this for
years and years.
In some breeds, particularly the working breeds (Rott, GSD etc) it is vital to
maintain control. Many of these dogs, purchased as pets end up in shelters
or put down due to unstable temperament. No dog is born bad, we humans
make them bad. Without knowing it we can destroy their chances of a
happy life as a well adjusted pet. That is why only certain types of people
with an understanding of a dog's mind should own these large and powerful
breeds. I used to breed Rottweilers. I gave it up due to the surge in
popularity, everyone wanted one, very few understood the responsibility of
owning one. I adored my Rotts but I was leader of that pack, always.
While the French and English Bulldog are not nearly as challenging, there
are some hard cases. Bulldogs (what we know as English which is not the
proper name at all, it is simply Bulldog) were bred to fight Bulls. They were
so ferocious, they were banned on the streets of Rome! This was a very long
time ago and while most of them retain none of their former ferocity, as in
every breed or mixed breed, some dogs are simply leadership material.
French Bulldogs too have their dominant minded members. Both are very
muscular, persistant and very strong breeds. They are also very tenacious
and determined. English Bulldogs are the mascot for the Marines and many
college teams due to these traits. They do not give up easily.
A good breeder will do some puppy testing. There are many things we can
do to determine which pup(s) in the litter are destined to be leader, had they
been born wild. A good breeder will tell you which are which in a litter.
In the case where you are visiting a breeder, keep this in mind. The most
dominant pup, will also be the most out going. This is where many people
begin to go wrong. The dominant pup will waddle over to you first. He will
wag and lick and be very charming. Many people chose this pup. They will
say things like "our pup chose us." Not true, he is merely the dominant
one. Again, try very hard to remember these are dogs. They do not
associate with our emotions. Unless you possess the temperament and
knowledge to deal with dominancy in dogs, and there are varying degrees,
this is your first mistake. Know who you are and what you are capable of
dealing with.
Every time someone has talked to me about a dominant dog, they seem
bewildered. You often hear things like "he bit with no warning". Not true,
ever. Every dog gives a warning, they just missed it. Dogs do not just go
nuts and attack. There is a reason why they do what they do and they will
warn before they do it. The time between a warning and the action will vary
but they do warn, always. A wagging tail can be a warning. Stillness can be
a warning and usually is. A sideways look can be a warning and almost
always is. The dog does not have to lunge or growl or carry on. Many signs
of danger in dogs is silent body language, something most humans miss.
You cannot make a dominant dog behave and love you with petting and
treats. Treats are a human thing. And a dominant dog can take them as his
due. Only a less dominant dog will give up his food. So guess again the next
time you think treats will do the trick. A dominant dog will not respond to
spoiling or affection. He will only take it as encouragement. You can not
convince a dominant dog to listen to you using manipulation. It will not
work, ever.
On the other side, we have fearful dogs. These are the Omegas who know
their human is not leader. These dogs need leaders too. As much as a
dominant dog but for different reasons. If you do not lead, they do not trust
and some will bite out of fear. An Omega needs a pack leader to trust.
There are things you can do to insure that you are the boss/leader at your
house. Right away when you get the pup home, any breed or mixed breed
will benefit right away or soon after you bring him home, from these things.
Assuming you have chosen the right pup for you, become the leader and
stave off any issues you may have when the dog matures.
1. Take a puppy course. These are fun, a great way to socialize your pup,
meet other dog lovers. Socialization is the key with any dog. Any breed. If
your pup never sees another dog or people until he is grown, he will not
know how to behave when he does. Even if he is not Champion obedience
material, you will master leash training, sit and come. You have to be put
yourself in the teacher role and he the student. It is important that dogs
walked on leash walk beside you NOT in front. You lead not him. You
should wait until your pup is older and many places will not allow you to
bring a pup unless he has had a certain amount of vaccinations.
2. Once you have managed to teach him how to sit, make him sit before you
feed him. Randomly make him sit, without a treat. Always giving a reward
is not good. Treats are again a human need, not a dog need. Sometimes the
dog just needs to submit to your will.
3. Never step over a sleeping dog. Ever. Only dominant dogs get to rest
where they please without interruption. Do not startle him, but nudge him
gently, call his name, get him to move, if only a few feet. Make sure he
knows that you want him to move. Make sure he does move.
4. Never allow your dog, when accompanied by you, exit your house first.
Only dominant dogs go first, only leaders lead. You are the pack leader.
This is another reason to master sit. Sit him and make him wait for your OK
to go out. You go first. If you are only letting him outside to potty, without
you, fine. But if the two of you are going anywhere together, you go first.
Lead, do not follow him out.
5. Many pet owners allow their pets on the furniture. This sends a very
distinct message in the dog. Only lead dogs have elevated look outs all the
time. I am not saying that you should never allow your dog on the
furniture. Only that a dominant dog will take this as a sign that yes he is
equal or better than you. If you want the space he takes up in your chair, on
your sofa, make him move. Do not sit on the floor or take a lesser position
because you do not want to move him. Same goes for your bed. Allowing
your dog to sleep in your bed, all night will encourage the dominant dog to
take over. If you want your dog in your bedroom at night, buy him his own
bed. Many nights finds me surrounded in bed by my dogs. But it's a visit,
given with my permission. They are made to get down before I sleep.
6. While your pup is small, mess with his feet. Dominant dogs hate their
feet touched. Spread his toes, lay him on his side or back and hold him till
he relaxes. This is not play time, do not roll him around or get into a
wrestling match. Just quietly hold him till he relaxes then let him up, no
praise. Let him up and walk away.
7. Tone of voice and body posture is super important in all things but
especially with dominant dogs. Many women have trouble mastering the
quiet, authoritative tone. By virtue of gender, many of us have higher
voices that get higher with emotion. A lot of women have less assertive
body posture too. Femininity can be used against you with dominant dogs.
As women become stressed or angry, the voice can get even higher. Resist
this, remain calm. This is why most, not all, but most dog trainers,
especially in the field of personal protection dogs are men. They are usually
larger, have lower voices and are less emotional. Screaming at your dog will
do nothing for any dog be it Alpha or Omega. I know a lot of women who
despair that the male in the house can control the dog but not they. Some
dominant dogs see this voice raising as a need for protection and become
even more excited. Omegas become more fearful. Women, and men, stand
up tall, speak with authority and lead. Also a lot of women do not want the
dog "mad at them" This is a dog, he will not be mad at you if you lead.
Ladies, this is a dog, not a child, not a human friend. While you should
nurture and love it, you must also be leader of it. Remember that dogs do
not experience emotion as humans do. They live by another code.
8. Other subtle signs of dominancy. Leaning on you. Pawing for attention,
nudging under your hand, demanding you pet them. It is not cute or sweet.
This is your dogs way of telling you that he is control. Get up and walk
away, step away. Do not push, do not comment, simply change position so
he cannot lean or nudge. If your dog is leaning while you stand, step away
and step in front of him. Make him sit beside you. Do not allow him to lean
on you. You choose when you give affection or attention, not him. Do not
reward bad behavior. Do not pet to reassure or to calm down, this only tells
your dog he will get affection and attention when he is behaving badly.
9. When you are sitting, anywhere and your dog puts his feet on your chest,
shoulders, elevating himself to be at eye level or higher, this is bossiness.
Do not allow it. Get up, no comment no pushing, just get up. If you are
lying down and your dog stands over you, even licking your face, sit up.
Any position that allows him to be physically above you is a no no in a
dominant dog. Do not allow it unless you give him permission. Face licking
is often a sign of your leadership but can be a dominant posture, depending
on your dog. On your lap? This is perhaps the best position of power for a
dog. My dogs are never on my lap, unless I am cleaning ears. on your lap?
He is sitting ON you. Cannot get much more of a dominant position than
that.
10. Exercise is a must, yes even for "lazy" Bulldogs. A dog that has no
physical outlet, will often become unhappy, neurotic or bad tempered. Of
course, with the Bull breeds you need to be careful of heat but they still
need exercise. Be it on the leash for a walk or in the back yard playing fetch.
Do not presume that because you let him out in his fenced yard, he is
getting enough exercise. Make certain he is.
Physical punishment is never a good idea. If you are a scrapper and you
chose to get into a fight with your dog, you better win it if he is dominant.
Many dominant dogs when faced with a physical owner will fight back. This
can cause you to either become fearful or even angrier. Neither is good. We
are humans and have the power of higher thinking, use your head not your
fists, feet or rolled up newspapers. Remain calm at all times. No emotion,
no screaming or yelling.
For those of you who think that being the boss will make your dog not love
you? WRONG. He will love you more in fact. I am Alpha in my home and
my dogs adore me. They adore me above all other household members.
Some of them, the most dominant will only listen to me. If my daughters
have issues, I back them up always. This lets my pack know that they will
not boss my children around. Both of my kids are grown so the dogs do not
push it too far. As babies, they lived with Rottweilers, unfettered. It is
important to note I did not say unsupervised. My children were taught the
do's and don'ts of dogs very early. I used to freak people out when I would
bring my Rotties to a parade or picnic, off leash. People would pick their
children up, give me looks. However, after I "downed" the dogs, meaning I
made them lie down or sit and they would obey and not test me, people
would approach the big mean dogs and walk away happy. In addition being
a breed that belongs to the AKC Working group, they had jobs to do. This
kept them very happy. Rottweilers and other working breeds really must
have a job and they must have a strong leader.
What gives me the right to tell you these things? I have raised guard dog
breeds as mentioned, owned a couple of rescued bad asses, owned imported
SCHIII (protection) Rotts. I had total off leash control of all of them. I am
a Professional Groomer and for years had people with dogs no one else
would do, come to me. I am very proud to say that grooming them was not
an issue for me. Other groomers would only touch them if they were
knocked out cold on drugs. Recently (May 06) a friend of ours asked me to
help him with his Chow Chow. Notorious breed with groomers, most will
not even touch them. I spent some time with this girl, away from her home
on leash. This dog would not even allow her family to comb her rear end. It
took some time but I am very proud to say she is groomed now. No drugs. I
have all my appendages. Her owner is astounded.
We own and are raising 2 very large Dobermans. Ava and Chief are
wonderful kids and we adore them. However, they are Dobermans, testing,
pushy and far too smart. It is a full time job for all of us but we want them
to be obedient, confident and accepting of all we accept. We simply refuse
to allow them to grow up without boundaries and very possibly become
dangerous simply due to lack of leadership. They have rules and jobs and
they adore us as only a Doberman can.
* It is very important that you are consistent in your dominance. If you only
do these things once in awhile but give in at other times, your dog will
become confused. A leader's rule is absolute.
I get a lot of email's about dogs biting kids. In every case, they say the
attack was unprovoked. Not true, sorry. Here are some scenarios, real life
in which a child was bitten.
Dog is on the couch He is lying down. Child sees the dog and comes to the
couch. The child is above the dog. The child may reach over the dogs back
or neck or get in his face with the child's head level or above the dog. The
child may lean into the dog. Many parents see this as affection. Guess
what? Many dogs see it as a threat. This is why children are often bitten in
the face, the face is level with the dog's face. As adults we are taller than
any other dog. Not kids. In addition the child may be making direct eye
contact as well. Many dogs take this as an act of aggression if it comes from
someone they see as inferior or threatening. Kid gets bitten and the adults
scream about no warning. The dog warned, I bet you everything I have.
Another story, child is chasing the dog. It looks fun, the dog is tearing
around, enjoying himself, may chase the child, may not. The child is
laughing the dog is "grinning". Dog decides enough and ends the game,
diving under the bed, behind the couch or in his crate. Child follows. Child
is bitten. "They were playing!!" Yell the parents. Yes they were until the dog
distinctly said "enough". He said it loud and clear. "I am done now". Child
did not heed this. Followed the dog to his sanctuary and is bitten as a
warning to respect the dog's wishes.
Dog is on parent's lap. This is a little dog usually. Child comes over, again
at or slightly above dogs head. Dog is threatened whether he is submissive
or not. Child gets bitten. Again adult has no clue why.
When meeting a strange dog, never reach out to pet. Never over the head.
Do not crouch down to his level. Do not hold eye contact. Offer a hand only
slightly towards the dog with fingers curled. Better yet? Just ignore him and
let him come to you and sniff. Be quiet, don't baby talk or say anything. If
the dog wants to know you, he will meet you half way. Do not force yourself
on him. Many people bend down to put an arm around the neck or a hand
at the back of the neck. Or they crouch and bring their face to face level with
the dog. We then smile or talk, showing our teeth. SUPER threatening to
dominant and fearful dogs. You are over him and you have him by the
neck. Or you are looking him directly in the face with your teeth showing in
most cases.
Never play tug of war. In the wild, the dominant dog and the one who
wants to be dominant will often get on opposite ends of their food and pull.
Watch a show on wolves. Go to Discovery or Wild Kingdom. Watch them
interact. The dominant pack members, to enforce it, go OVER the lesser
beings. They force them down and stand over them. Usually with a lot of
noise and a lot of very fierce behavior. It sounds awful but the Alpha rarely
hurts the other wolf. It is vital for the survival of the pack that there be
leaders and that the others know who the leader is. Without this in place,
wolves do not thrive. Remember this. A dog that knows you are leader will
accept this from you. One that is fearful, does not trust you or has the idea
he is boss? He will be threatened and depending on his personality will
react. If you do this without being the boss of that dog, you may very well be
challenging him. If you cannot back it up because you are not boss or do
not know him, you have just placed the power at the dog's feet.
Another wonderful show? The Dog Whisperer. This man knows his stuff.
Some of the things he does may not be apparent but he is gaining
dominance and trust, which is why he can do what he does. If you have a
very dominant adult, heed the warnings! Do not do it yourself unless you
are one of the rare people who truly understand why a dog does what he
does. It can backfire on you quickly. Start with the above when you get
your pup home. Consult a professional. Not all trainers are good!!!! Some
are very ineffective and will be of no use to you, these are the ones that will
tell you that your dog is unteachable or over-bred this is dog trainer speak
for I CANNOT DO THIS! I am not necessarily speaking of training here. I
am talking about the dynamics between you and your dog. A dominant dog
can be a Champion in obedience, does not meant he respects you.
Obedience is a tool only.
We highly recommend and suggest the book How to raise the perfect Dog,
by Cesar Millan. You can find that here. This link takes you away from this
site.
Another big issue in some dogs, separation anxiety. We also do this to dogs
by accident. Some dogs just by their nature miss the pack more than others.
When left alone they become fearful, aggressive or depressed. Some will
eat their way through your home. Some bark constantly. You can do a lot to
prevent this behavior when your pup comes home.
Do not fawn over him when you leave or return. Do not give him treats
because you feel guilty. Put him where he goes (whether it be loose in your
house, shut in a room or in his crate) with no fuss. When you return home,
no fuss. Do not even greet him right away. Do something else first. You
return home, dog is dancing around saying HI! HI! HI! WELCOME HOME
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN???!!!! Say nothing, ignore him, go the sink,
wash your hands, put the groceries away, get a glass of water. Wait for him
to settle down then acknowledge him with a calm greeting. If you come
home and start in right away with " Hiiiiiiiiiii Fido, did you miss me, come
here give me a kissy ," all sweet and carrying on, you will only reaffirm his
excitement. Treat leaving and returning as matter of fact and give it as little
attention as you can.
Above all do not ever reward any bad behavior. By reward I also mean bad
attention. Many people put a pup in a crate and when he cries and yowls,
either try to reassure him or yell at him. Either is very bad. Ignore it! He
will not be harmed in any way and that includes mentally. By giving him
any attention, you are reinforcing his antics. There are times a good
reprimand is needed but not this time. Of course be certain he does not
need to relieve himself and that is why he is making noise. Many times
when our dogs are unsure or scared, we pet and try to reassure them. Bad
idea. Never give your dog any attention, either vocal or physical when he is
being nervous, scared etc. Try to correct the behavior simply by standing
firm and confident and quiet. Try to teach by example that all is well.
There are many dogs in shelters right now. It is not only very sad but also
totally preventable. They were born right and because of misunderstanding
on the humans part, raised wrong. We humans put human emotions on
our pets. Not a good thing to do at all. They are not human (Thank God)
they are canine. A pup's dam (mom) begins to teach it manners very early.
You must continue to do this. A pup that is 8 weeks old is fully capable of
learning its place in your home. What is cute in a pup will not probably be
cute in an adult, remember that. They are only pups a very short time.
Even if your pup shows no signs of aspiring to leader, he still needs you to
be one.
Traci Milbrett
Prairie Lane Bulldogs
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Prairie Lane Bulldogs