I dont know what to do with my dog

[littlegrohl]

This is a nail forum so I don't wish to take this further here but do suggest you do your research about dominance in dogs in 2007 not 1977.
My dogs are well aware I'm not the same species as them so have no reason to dominate me.

can i just ask how you know this.. did they tell you? they probably have no reason to dominate you because they respect your place in their pack..
Anthropomorphism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia look it up..

I have working dogs.. Dominance is alive and well.. A dog cannot diferenciate species when it comes to dominating.. Its an Alpha thing.. They NEED to know their place in the pack.. a happy healthy dog is one who has boundries and a leader.. If a dog gets to the point where it thinks it is head of the pack regardless of breed or size.. problems arise.

I use the NILF programme.. Nothing in life is free.. as part of a large extended training routine.. I have 2 male dobermans so i basically work my butt off everyday with them.. thankfully i love it but i wouldnt have got a second male if i didnt think it was something i could cope with.. I think that anyone getting a dog should first do some thinking about the type of dog best suited to them..

The dog mentioned in the first post should never have been off the lead.. no offense intended just fact.. dogs are dogs.. unless you are 100% certain that dogs coming back then under no circumstances should you risk it off the lead.. Both the Akitas and Bulldogs are very driven dogs.. Akitas are teritorial, bulldogs can be prey driven..wrap up those two traits in one dog..well what seems like a cuddly pup thing to do can and does become a dominance/agresive issue with in the blink of an eye.

There are 100'000 experts on dogs these days.. but the fact is you need to be the expert on YOUR dog when it comes to social situations and ownership of a certain breed.. I am passionate about about this subject..
sorry to prattle on.. but we need responsible pet owners.. being involved with a rescue programme down here i have seen more dogs abandoned because they didnt LIVE UP to the owners expectations.. NOT POINTING FINGERS.. just saying that informed choices need to be made and an understanding of the breed you have is important.
I am all for tougher regulations on breeding and ownership..
**comes down off soap box**

 

[melissaq]

You should positively have your dog on a leash if it cannot be trusted.....

This is why I do not take my beloved pug with me ....he's an arse on the leash......

I'm an avid walker with my dog and nothing annoys me more than a dog NOT being on a leash . The stranger will always say..."oh don't worry mines friendly "...don't care ! how do you know if mine is?

Truth is you don't.......my lab loves everyone but peeps don't know this....... I let mine off the leash when we are walking alone...if I spot another person I call him to me.....and make him walk by me....if it is a person who also has a dog/horse...mine gets leashed up.....regardless if I trust mine or not....or the stranger just might simply be afraid of dogs......

Although the lady cursed at you ...she was probably not only scared for herself....but her dogs as well....could you imagine trying to control 3 dogs at once?.....

Invest in the clicker and some good dog classes ...as this will not only make for a better outing for yourself but your dog as well....

 

[Buggy]

a lot of people blame their problems with dogs on dominance but its not always the case. this is why you should see a dog pshycologist/behavourist like the David Appleby bloke. we thought our dog was dominant, but it turned out to be something called fear aggression, a condition brought about by my dog not being socialised when she was a puppy and the result was a vicious dog. in her mind attack was the best form of defence.

with regard to your puppies "playfulness" do not be fooled into thinking she will grow out of it. she will need to be trained out of it and the earlier you start the better. my sister's bull mastiff has still not grown out of her playfulness. i told my sister to get her trained when she was a puppy and she just ignored my advice. now she has a 20 stone dog she can't control (i'm not exaggerating on the weight, she's bigger than a rottweiller) and if they are out for a walk it's a constant fight.

Some of the stuff David taught me... The way to train your dog to behave is to reward good behaviour and ignore undesirable behaviour. if you give your dog any kind of attention (even telling it off) when it's displaying undesirable behavour you reinforce the behaviour. the dog does not know the difference between good and bad attention, it's just attention.

for example, if you go out and your dog chews the table leg, do not tell it off when you get back, just completely ignore the dog. then, go out for a short period (even if only 30 seconds) and if you come back in and the dog has not chewed the table leg, then tell him/her what a good boy/girl she is and lots of fuss. extend the periods of time you are out of the room and repeat above. the dog will learn that if it chews/wees etc it doesn't get attention when you get back.

if your dog is frightened of traffic and a car passes and it cowers, do not reassure the dog. instead carry on walking like it hasn't bothered you. eventually, the dog will learn this behaviour and when it does not cower, fuss the dog and tell it how good it is.

getting my drift?

if your dog pulls on the lead.... set 3 times a day to take your dog for a walk. say, 7am, 12 noon, 6pm. stick to these times. put the lead on the dog, open the front door and proceed to walk dog. as soon as dog pulls, don't say anything, just return to the house and wait until the next time to take your dog out. if your dog pulls as soon as you open the door, don't say anything, just bring the dog back in, wait until the next walk time and do the same thing again. takes a bit of time but you will find you get further and further from the house as the dog learns that when it pulls it's time to go home (note: do not walk your dog until it goes for a poo and then return home. the dog will learn that as soon as it poos it's time to go home and eventually you will be walking the damn thing for four hours!)

if your dog is too playful: put a tea towel on the radiator/back of settee for half hour per day. during this period spend time with your dog playing, throwing a ball, wrestling, fussing etc. when half hour is up, remove tea towel and under no circumstances play with the dog unless the teatowel is out. dog will learn that when tea towel comes out, it's time to play. when it's not out, it's not play time.

hope that helps.

 

[Peter Pan]

havent read all of this but have you considered getting a "dog whisperer" in flower, maybe that would help. i know you must have been very stressed by all this, and i feel for you. my sister has an akita, and she is just stupid to the extreme, she is so laid back, anyone,anything, any dog can go to her and it dont faze her at all, she just stands there and lets what or whoever come to her, but i honestly think a "dog whisperer" may be of some use sweetcheeks. - you cant go on like this, taking a dog for a walk is supposed to be pleasurable, not filled with stress hunny

 

[Missy G]

havent read all of this but have you considered getting a "dog whisperer" in flower, maybe that would help. i know you must have been very stressed by all this, and i feel for you. my sister has an akita, and she is just stupid to the extreme, she is so laid back, anyone,anything, any dog can go to her and it dont faze her at all, she just stands there and lets what or whoever come to her, but i honestly think a "dog whisperer" may be of some use sweetcheeks. - you cant go on like this, taking a dog for a walk is supposed to be pleasurable, not filled with stress hunny

Hi,we watched Dog Boarstal last night and funnily enough there was a dog on there that just ran off and didnt return when called back,they used a really long lead to practice recall on and used one of those collars which gives out a spray,and deterrers them from carry on running,so we re gonna give that ago first,im gonna try and book her in for some doggy classes where shes with older dogs that wont want to be played with so she gets to learn that not all dogs dont want to play,she is a bright dog and has always been a quick learner,so we hope this work.Im glad to hear your sisters Akita is laid back,my husband has spoken to a friend since i wrote this thread ,who has an Akita and said shes very laid back too,it has upset me to hear on here that my dog could turn nasty at any time ,i hope it will be prooved wrong,i think once weve got over this prob. and stopped her jumping up visitors ,which is getting better i think she will be the perfect pooch.x

 

[kerrie-anne]

Hi Debbie, so many different views on hear things can become confussing for you. I was a vet nurse for 10 years and found dog behaviour fairly interesting and having had various different breeds of dogs over the years found them all so different regardless of treating them all the same whne it came to training, some took longer than other but we would get there in the end. I now have a new dog, well he's about 18 months now a rotti called Zac adn armed with all the knowledge that i have he's been the dog from hell!! I have tried continously with training methods with him but getting knowhere due to bad socialization as a pup as hes been ill on and of for a year, but 2 weeks ago i decided on the spray commander collar and what a differnece with him. At home hes been great especially with the children but when hes out what a nightmare, this collar is fab, very expensive but worth every penny, it really works if used right, like i said differnt tecniques for differnet dogs, let me know how you get on with it, best of luck :hug:

 

[Missy G]

Hi Debbie, so many different views on hear things can become confussing for you. I was a vet nurse for 10 years and found dog behaviour fairly interesting and having had various different breeds of dogs over the years found them all so different regardless of treating them all the same whne it came to training, some took longer than other but we would get there in the end. I now have a new dog, well he's about 18 months now a rotti called Zac adn armed with all the knowledge that i have he's been the dog from hell!! I have tried continously with training methods with him but getting knowhere due to bad socialization as a pup as hes been ill on and of for a year, but 2 weeks ago i decided on the spray commander collar and what a differnece with him. At home hes been great especially with the children but when hes out what a nightmare, this collar is fab, very expensive but worth every penny, it really works if used right, like i said differnt tecniques for differnet dogs, let me know how you get on with it, best of luck :hug:

Where did you get your collar from ? I was looking at them on ebaay last night ,they were about £35.00.xxxx

 

[Jaffacake]

I have to agree that you should not let your dog off the lead until you have 100% control. We have a male Alaskan Malamute that is NEVER let off lead, a) because they have a very high prey drive and b) because they are not dog friendly.... the amount of dogs that come running up to us off lead amazes me! and the owners always say 'oh he's alright...' but my dog might not be!!! :grr:

if a little dog came running over invading his space and ended up getting bitten or worse people would blame my dog for being aggressive but it is the other owner being irresponsible in the first place for not keeping their dog on a lead or having full control!

Now when your dog is young is the most important time for it to have no bad experiences, if something terrible happened to it whilst out walking off lead it would never forget that for the rest of it's life. It's your responsibility to keep your dog safe :hug:

 

['chelle]

Seriously hun, get some training, your dog falls under the dangerous dogs act and if someone who your dog jumps at decides to report you, your dog will be destroyed.
My dogs a german shepherd and she's very big, even for a shepherd. She's 12 months old and we are having similar problems, she's still a giddy pup, but a bloody great big one that scares people! Training doesnt have to be expensive, my local german shepherd club does training for £1 per session, and I know of other clubs that do training for £3 or £4 a session, its got to be worth it when you weigh it up against the risk of losing your dog.
My dog is very similar to yours by the sound of it, and my trainer has told us that she is exerting her dominance over us, does your dog also pounce all over you when you enter a room as if happy to see you? If so, what she's actually doing is saying "I'm your boss, give me some attention".
Although dog borstal is good entertainment, its no substitute for professional help, and I really think you should reconsider letting your dog off the lead until you have solved the problem. I dont want to sound like a dog hater, and I dont want to offend you so please dont take this the wrong way, but if you have a big, potentially dangerous dog, its inconsiderate to inflict your dog on other people, some people have genuine dog phobias, and it doesnt matter that you know its friendly, what if it ran after someone with a heart condition? I think that when you take on such a big dog, you have a responsibility to make sure that its properly trained, and keep it on the lead at all times until you are 100% confident that your dog will obey your commands first time, no matter what else is going on around you.

My dog was very much a dog borstal candidate a few months ago, but with regular training, she is now much better behaved, she obeys all commands the first time, the only problem we still have is that she still jumps at people to demand attention, but I'm confident that as the training progresses we will nail that problem too, proper training has been the best thing we ever did, I cant recommend it enough.

Good luck, I hope you get to the bottom of it, let us know how you get on.

 

[glitzy Dame]

Hello Pet Lovers,

Dogs just like people are by nature Pack Animals and they are most happy and healthy with a companion of their own kind.
You could take your Doggie to a friends House where there is another dog to play with, or if possible adopt another large Dog. :hug:This might stop her from running to strangers for play. :zzz:

here is a great website for Animal and Peoples Health:

Raw Food Diet: Animal's Optimum Nutrition

 

[~Emmsybabes~]

I havent read all replies so my appoligies if i repeat anything :lol:

But I have a rottie, he is just 2 ..he is probably now over 9 stone..
Now to me , He is my baby ..I love him, he is soft as ****,
and loves kids and other animals...mainly the cats he LOVES them he shares his bowl and bed with the kittens....
He loves females coz he knows he will get cuddles, and loves men, as he knows he will get a bit of rough and tumble from them,

Now when we take him to the field, my feller will let him off the lead, and we give him a good run, we play chase, and hide and seek etc....he loves it , he really is a big baby...

But I would NEVER have him off the lead, I dont have the power to restrain him on only his collar...I can only restrain him when he has his halti lead on,

So if in the case he ever did decide to chase something or someone There would be nothing I could do, so I wouldnt put myself, him or anybody/thing else in that postition in the first place...

Now please dont think im having a go, Im not,...I love nothing more than seeing my big hulking rottie running towards me...like the big powerfull bag of muscle that he is....with his mouth wide open and slobber flying everywhere :green:

he looks so free and happy....But i still wouldnt take that risk,

I actually would be more worried about another dog attacking mine, and then he would just eat it in one gulp !!!

Lol does anyone remember when I phoned the police to report the little jack russel that had my massive rottie by the throat ???
yes they thought it was funny :green:

They are too precious for is to take risks with, even though we know they are big softies xxxxx

 

[littlegrohl]

Lol does anyone remember when I phoned the police to report the little jack russel that had my massive rottie by the throat ???
yes they thought it was funny :green:

hahaha!!
I actually get this.. i have more grief walking my two male dobes from little dogs that are not on leads then i ever get from other big dogs.. My boys try really hard to ignore the little blighters but i can tell they just want to tear them apart!!
I have a wee lil dog mog.. she is a chiawawa (sp soz) and she rules the roost.. has my boys well under thumb.. i am more worried about her little teeth and massive ego around my kids then my boys.. because she is quite simply a cow!!

 

[~Emmsybabes~]

you're so right hun,
we have a chiwawa ( lol love you're way of spelling it , i cant spell it either haha )
it lives at the end of our row, and i swear it wants to eat my rottie, whenever we walk past, max is in a world of his own, and this little tiny dog, just appears out of nowhere, going bonkers,
and yep, my max is scared of it :green:

I do think big family dogs are just the softest natured animals, i love my boy so much, he even gets bossed about by the kittens, theres a photo on my facebook album, showing just that :green:

 

[oey]

you're so right hun,
we have a chiwawa ( lol love you're way of spelling it , i cant spell it either haha )
it lives at the end of our row, and i swear it wants to eat my rottie, whenever we walk past, max is in a world of his own, and this little tiny dog, just appears out of nowhere, going bonkers,
and yep, my max is scared of it :green:

I do think big family dogs are just the softest natured animals, i love my boy so much, he even gets bossed about by the kittens, theres a photo on my facebook album, showing just that :green:

My Paddington - as big as he is likes nothing more than to jump up all over people to give them a great big hug, but people who are not used to him dont se it that way! HIs is also petrified of any dog that tried to have a go at shouting at him - people thin it is hilarious, but I dont, and dont think it is fair that other people think it is OK to have their own dog off the lead, but wouldnt want Paddy to be off his.

A dog needs to know who is in charge too.