Brady our boxer was a 2006 X-mas gift for my husband. He is 18 months old. It was definitely love at first sight for all concerned. For almost a year after that Brady was sick with a myriad of ailments - we still took him to puppy classes and had him neutered. We love alot however, we are truly at the end of our leash. We have used the sit and stay program since I bought it but have had only limited success. Brady knows who the alphas are but still there are problems. Here are the problem areas - he is still jumping on us and everyone who comes in our house, he still pulls on the leash every time we take him for a walk which is 3-4 times daily. He answers commands but takes his sweet time, he gets quite aggressive when we put our hand on his collar at the front and on Monday he got out and when we went to get him my son reached over to grab his collar and Brady nipped him on the leg. Thank God it didn't break the skin but the area of the bite was red. We have run out of ideas and truly need some help. We want to keep Brady as a member of our family any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Laura
It sounds like your dog still does not understand his place in the pack, if he did he would know that he must submit to being touched on the collar or anywhere else by you or any other person. When your dog comes to know his place is at the bottom of the pack under all humans he will know not only that he must always be submissive to you and never bite you, but also that he does not need to protect you from others because you are the leader and you can handle any situation. This means that he will not need to attack visitors or passersby.
Following the alpha dog training will definitely help show the dog its position. It is also important to remember the key points of dominance.
In a wild dog pack the dominant pack member controls : -access to food -access to favoured sleeping areas -any interactions with lower pack members -access to favoured items such as toys
In order to show your dog his position as bottom of the pack you and your whole family can take advantage of these keys points. For example
1) Your dog must be the last to eat at every meal and should never get treats from the table.
2) He should never walk through doors before you. A good way to practice this is to walk around the house and make him sit at each doorway and wait.
3) If your dog is lying in the hallway or anywhere you have to get past make him move. If you think he will snap leave a lead on him so you can move him whilst maintaining a bit of distance.
4) When you arrive home completely ignore the dog for 15 minutes. Don't look at him, talk to him or pat him. After this go to him and give him some quiet attention only as long as he is relaxed and calm.
Only interact with the dog on your terms. If your or someone else is petting the dog or playing with it and it becomes aggressive or badly behaved immediately remove your attention from the dog by either removing yourself from the area or moving the dog to another area. You should do this without displaying any emotion such as anger just be a calm but decisive pack leader and the dog will appreciate knowing where it stands. Similarly you can assert your dominance by not allowing access to beds and couches or by only bringing out favourite toys when you want to play and removing them when you are finished.
To help with walks I would suggest trying a head collar. These are sold under many brand names including halti and gentle leader but are basically all the same. The idea is that instead of the collar going around the neck the collar goes around the nose but also has a part that clips behind the ears to hold it on. The lead is attached to a ring that hangs under the nose and when the dog pulls the nose band tightens. This is no way hurts the dog it is just annoying for the dog like someone holding your nose. However the main idea of the design is that the dog is attached to the lead via its nose and head rather than its neck and shoulder area where its powerful muscles are. The dog cannot pull you using only its nose so the walk is instantly more pleasant and you can assert full control over the dogs behaviour because the dog can only go where you let it go. Because the dog cannot pull you towards other dogs on walks it also learns to react more calmly to the situation and also to look to you for guidance as to how to react because you are in control of it.
If you do decide to try the head collar it is important that you read the instructions that come with it in order for it to work properly especially the instructions on introducing your dog to the head collar as dogs may initially dislike having a band around their nose.
The head collar is a ‘quick fix’ and is not a long term solution for your dog. Instead use it as a tool to supplement your alpha dog training. Two important things that will assist your alpha training are greater socialisation of the dog with other dogs and lots of exercise to reduce energy levels. The head collar allows you to do both of these. It will allow you to take your dog into situations where it will encounter many other dogs and thus have a chance to socialise. It also will encourage you to exercise your dog because the walks will be more pleasant. The head collar can also be used in alpha training to have more control over the dog and to minimize chances of biting because when the lead is pulled downwards the jaw is closed. However if at any time you feel that you or anyone else is in danger make sure to fit your dog with a muzzle until his training progresses. Hope this helps and I am sure you and your dog will be getting on a lot better soon. Let me know if you have any further questions.
