This is a very tricky but common problem our clients face and one that should not be taken lightly. The techniques outlined in the bonus book “Secrets to Becoming the Alpha Dog” do take time to have an effect on a dog, and so I would urge you to continue with these techniques.
This includes, as you know: If you come across your dog while he is sleeping or lying on the floor then you can reinforce your position as alpha dog by making his move so that you can pass by. Generally I do not recommend people give their dogs bones as this encourages the aggression, because in the wild the alpha dog would be the only one to have the privilege of chewing the bones. The reason your dog growls at you when you approach it with a bone is because it believes that it has the right to the bone and is trying to discipline you for challenging your dog for its dominant role. Make sure that you always go through doorways first. A good method to reinforce your position as alpha dog is to walk your dog around the house on the leash, making your dog wait while you walk through doorways first. At mealtimes make sure that your dog or dogs eat after all of the humans have. Do not feed your dog tidbits or let it pester you at the table. Save the morsels and tidbits for training sessions instead. Do not greet your dog straightaway when you arrive home. Make it wait until you are ready and then call it to you. When your dog wants to go outside for a walk, make it sit and wait until you are ready to go. Note that this technique doesn't apply when house breaking. When you give a command make sure that you are in a position to enforce the action that you require from your dog, especially in the initial stages of Alpha Dog training. Also, use the Alarm-No-Command technique as described in the Alpha Dog bonus book to reprimand your dog if it does not obey your command. It is vitally important that your dog has good all-round obedience skills. Regular training sessions are key to improving your dog's obedience responses and keeping it used to answering your commands. Concentrate on the sit and stay, down and stay, heel and wait commands. Do not inadvertently reinforce poor behavior from your dog. You must be consistent in your attitude to your dog. For example, if your dog is allowed to jump on you when you are playing with it but is not allowed to jump up at any other time then how is it meant to know the difference?
Please continue with these techniques for the next two months. Having your dog on your bed, or even in your room, is not a good idea, despite the difficulty you may face in convincing him he isn’t allowed in their any more. The reasons for this are explained above, and ensuring this quite often has a quick and dramatic effect on a dog that believes it is Alpha dog. I would also encourage you to continue to undertake the behavioral training with your dog you are currently doing. Doing both of these things combined will no doubt increase your control over your dog and make his much more responsive to your commands.
Whenever your dog acts inappropriately towards yourself, another member of your family, or the dogs you are boarding you need to reprimand him appropriately. What I mean by appropriately is that you need to find the action that makes your dog stop what he is doing immediately and realize that he has been bad. For some dogs this is having water squirted at them by a water pistol, while for others it may be a quick clap of the hands, while others it may be a growl. I recommend you try growling at your dog using a deep guttural tone to growl “AAAAAAAAAH!” rather than saying no. By combining this with a squirt of water, or shaking a can full of pennies, you should be able to get a better and quicker response from him. It will be a matter of doing a bit of ‘research’ to see which action works the best to get his to stop the bad behavior he is doing as quickly as possible. As well as this, you may wish to put close your dog in another room for a few minutes after this bad behavior has occurred. If you do this, only let him out if he is quiet. In tandem with reprimanding bad behavior, you need to reward and encourage appropriate and good behaviors. Give your dog plenty of praise and a food treat whenever the two dogs are getting along and your dog doesn’t undertake any bad behaviors he usually would in a given situation.
By undertaking the above advice in combination with the Alpha dog techniques you should notice a distinct difference. Also try and take your dog to plenty of public places and socialize him with other dogs as much as possible. Remember it is not unusual for dogs to be territorial and show aggression towards other dogs, however be sure to growl at your dog if he acts inappropriately. Always take extreme caution when you are boarding other dogs at your property, and if you think it is appropriate be sure to use a muzzle on your dog to prevent any untoward events from occurring between your dog and the others boarding with you. If the problems continue despite ongoing alpha dog training and reprimanding when your dog is behaving inappropriately, there are further steps you may wish to take such as the use of Veterinary drugs (eg. Clomipramine) or something more simple like Rescue Remedy. The crux of your training however exists around showing your dog that you are the alpha dog and that for this reason YOU guard your territory and have the right to reprimand him whenever he acts up!
Best of luck with your dog and please let me know how you get on.
