I got Rookie in Apr 2009, frm the Humane Society. He is now 8mos old. He is german shepard/australian something(cattle dog). He doesnt respect my father and always draw blood when biting him. He jumps up on everyone and knocks my mother down. My parents are in thier late 70's. When Rookie is in my room he bites my hand and I tell him no bad dog, no bitting, he normally stops after a few tries. he never stops with my dad I always have to call him. but i'm afraid that i have to give him up real soon before he really bites someone walk by my house or my father. He jumps on the fence and scares the people and in a few short mos I'm afraid he will jump over the fence. I love my dog but I dont know how to stop him from biting and jumping.
Hi lindak, before we look at solutions for your dog I was just wondering if you have every practiced alpha dog training with your dog or obedience and if so how it has gone?
Sorry I dont know what is alpha dog trng. But I'm willing to learn. For the most part he does try to be good. But he is very stubborn when he wants his way. Which is more than 50 percent of the time.
[QUOTE=lindak;3809]Sorry I dont know what is alpha dog trng. But I'm willing to learn. For the most part he does try to be good. But he is very stubborn when he wants his way. Which is more than 50 percent of the time.[/QUOTE]
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Hi again lindak Alpha dog training is very important, it helps to reduce and prevent aggression and dominance issues and is best used as regular part of every day life for all dogs. It’s easier to manage your dog if you understand the rules of dog social behavior. Our bonus book “Secrets to Becoming The Alpha Dog" will help you become the top dog and rule your roost. The key point however is that if you act like the pack leader your dog will see you as pack leader, however if you don’t you dog will feel it has to assume the role itself.
Remember that 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 especially your father, 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, these can be saved for training treats later.
2) Your dog should never walk through doors before you. A good way to practice this is to walk around the house and make them sit at each doorway and wait.
3) If your dog is lying in the hallway or anywhere you have to get past make them move. If you think they will snap leave a lead on them so you can move them whilst maintaining a bit of distance.
4) When you arrive home completely ignore the dog for 15 minutes. Don't look at them, talk to them or pat them. After this go to them and give them some quiet attention only as long as they are relaxed and calm.
5) 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.
6) 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.
[B]Other things that will help your situation:[/B] [I]Keep your dog challenged [/I] Keeping your dog mentally and physically challenged will greatly reduce behavior problems in dogs of all ages. There are a number of ways to keep your dog challenged.
Regular daily obedience training is a good routine - just five minutes a day spent rehashing familiar commands with your dog is an extremely effective way of reinforcing your authority and dominance while also keeping your dog mentally challenged. Be sure to use praise and/or treat immediately whenever your dog does something right.
Regular exercise is also very effective at improving your dog’s behavior and it can be both mentally and physically challenging. Quite walks, while not particularly physically challenging keep your dog mentally stimulated especially if you vary the walking environment to include new and interesting places. Free running your dog at the park or jogging with your healthy dog on lead can provide a great energy burning opportunity. Alternatively you can train many dogs to run on treadmills which is especially useful if you have reduced mobility or limited time and have a high energy dog.
Finally toys are also an important source of mental stimulation for dogs and are very useful for keeping dogs entertained when owners are out. Try to build up a collection and rotate them so your dog does not get bored. Toys which can be stuffed with food and require the dog to work the food out slowly are especially valuable.
[I]Correcting general disobedience [/I] The best method of correcting aggressive or dominant behaviors is the time out method as it does not escalate aggression. Set up a time out spot such as a crate, kennel or quiet room. As soon as the dog disobeys calmly and silently remove it to the time-out spot for a 3-minute time out. To make the situation positive again when the 3 minutes is up let your dog come back out and ask it to sit, when it responds correctly praise.
[I]Purchase a head collar to assist in alpha training[/I] A head collar such as a Halti or Gentle Leader is an excellent tool for handling and training aggressive dogs. Introduce it to your dog following the instructions that come with it at a time when your dog is happy and relaxed, use lots of treats and praise. Once the head collar is on attach a long lead and you will then have an excellent way to quickly and calmly move your dog which is vital for alpha training. Now when you ask your dog to get off the couch or out of a doorway and he just growls, you can quickly and quietly move him using the lead and head collar as the head collar will guide him and does not allow him to pull against you or exert his strength in protest.
You can also use it to enforce time out. For example if you and your dog are in the lounge and your dog growls as your father enters you can quietly and calmly get up and move the dog to time-out outside or in another room for 3 minutes. Time-out is an effective training method for aggressive dogs as it allows you to show you calm clear leadership by showing that you control the attention the dog receives from the pack and if the dog misbehaves you will take this precious resource away.
Finally the head collar gives you the ability and confidence to walk a powerful dog while keeping its behavior under control. This will mean you can walk your dog regularly and this is important because exercise helps to reduce aggression issues. Once your dog is fully accepting of you as alpha dog you can phase out the head collar all together or reserve it for walks only.
I know this is a lot of information to take in all at once but you can start with the basics come back and re-read this once your underway. The basic idea is to use a head collar to gently show your dog that you are the the calm strong leader and you control access to resources. Making sure you keep your dog mentally and physically stimulated will help lower energy and aggression levels also.
