Finally spoke with trainer/behaviorist about Jake and his aggression (I have been waiting for his call). This trainer is a firm believer in the use of the "E" collar. Mentioned work that I have been doing is behaviorist type work and normally would work but not as well for aggression which continues to escalate into other areas of control. Saying he needs to be knocked down a peg is no surprise, we have been working on his alpha attitude for awhile. He said it usually takes two or three weeks with two or three days per week 1-2 hr sessions. If additional work is needed, no additional cost. Not cheap but sounds confident. What do you think ???????
Hi jaker, Good to hear you have found a behaviorist who has confidence in his ability to help solve your dogs behavioral problems. I do have some reservations about using electric shock collars as they can escalate aggression problems. The electric shock should be used as an 'alarm' rather than a punishment method. It should be used to alarm the dog similar to squirting it with a water pistol, and thus redirect its attention. It is also very important that as soon as the dog is back to appropriate behavior it is praised/treated. If I were you I would call the trainer again and ask to hear about his philosophy behind using the shock collar, try to get a feel for whether he intends to use it as an 'alarm' or a punishment. If it is as a punishment you may want to consider someone who uses less aggressive methods.
Hi there, sorry I been having a mad week with my internet. Back now though.
I really, really don't like E-collars at all. The reason for it is that problems often get worse rather than better. Imagine I put a shock collar on you and asked you to sing. Perhaps you don't like singing in front of other people. Well, I just give you a shock if you don't, so you start singing. When you stop I will give you another shock. Now, sing louder...you don't want to? Well here is another shock. Okay, thanks that's enough singing. You want me to take the collar off? Well no, it works so well and if I take it off you might come after me.
Anyway, my experience is that if a dog wants to please you out of free will it works so much better than forcing them. Using a shock collar is considered as "flooding". You flood a behavior so it doesn't happen again, but it is not a true behavior modification, it is just covered up. True behavior modification takes more time, but the results are longer lasting and more reliable than a dog that has been forced or flooded.
Especially when it comes to aggression. You can't treat aggression with aggression. I think it would be a dangerous path to take.
It really sounds like Jake is ruling the house and he does need to learn that he is not the pack leader. I know you are working on it, but what about the rest of the family? Does he often get cuddles? Does your family talk to him a lot?
There are so many signs that a dog picks up on to determine who is the leader. Some dogs only need a few very basic clues and are happy to accept you as their leader, others will constantly challenge you.
One of my dogs does that. He will wait for a weak moment and try to take control again. With him I always have to be consistent, no excuses.
Have you tried ignoring him? I will write down a step by step guide on how I would go about it, but please supply me with all the info that you can. I went through your older posts already, but still need to know more. For example: How does your daughter treat him? How is he greeted when people come into the house/ come home? How is he with other dogs? Do you take him everywhere you go? What happens when you leave the house? What happens when you and Jake leave the house? How does he react to strange noises?
Hi there Have been reading through the posts on aggression I was wondering if this one went further with you writing down the steps ? I would be grateful to see if possible Thank yo u! Jill
