My Dog bit me..

[aguero93:20]

Locking a dog in a room as a training method achieves precisely nowt.

The whole notion of 'domination' is an outdated training method that belongs in the stone age.

Dogs are pack animals. They need to see at least one person in the household as pack leader.

 

[Tuearts right boot]

Locking a dog in a room as a training method achieves precisely nowt.

The whole notion of 'domination' is an outdated training method that belongs in the stone age.

"Please corporal, if you wouldn't mind awfully, ask a couple of your chappies if they wouldn't mind jogging over to that machine nest with 3 Taliban in it and asking them politely to stop shooting at us, in their own time....."

 

[Blue Llama]

What a great thread to check if you have any "Alerts"

 

[Metalartin]

Clearly some people haven't known many dogs, some have very strong dominating personalities that will challenge for dominance of the household if they are allowed which is dangerous and irresponsible if not handled right. Others don't need any special attention in this regard which may even be the norm for most dogs. Almost everyone shows some anthropomorphism towards animals as it's in our nature but it's taking it too far the idea that you literally treat them like a human son or daughter... they are built of sturdy stuff much more so than us, a light slap isn't going to hurt it just get it's attention, there are better ways(a clicker or shouting may work but some are very hard to get out of the zone) but if it's biting that's a no no, needs a strong message that it wont be tolerated for it's own sake as much as anyone elses. Mentally and physically they're a lot different to us since they are not human, no matter how much we want to believe it.

Also I don't subscribe to the idea we throw away everything written about alphas and pack leaders among wolves which is the basis of how we understand dogs(update it by all means but don't throw it away)... Maybe typically wolf packs are more like families with the father being alpha to begin with(also the pack size and behaviour varies from say a canadian timberwolf to a eurasian wolf) but watch any documentary where they eat or better yet watch an outsider come in to take the role of alpha(kind of spoils the idea that they are always the father and everything written to contrary is incorrect) and you know it's nothing short of anthropomorphism from some people trying to say alphas/pack leaders don't exist. Anything that improves a dogs well being is good so if there are things we learn along the way to do that then I'm all for it but some behaviour needs to be discouraged as if they become a danger to people then it could be curtains for it. So it's actually worse being all hippyfied and unrealistic about it by going with the "just let him be and do his thing, he knows he shouldn't have done that I'm sure of it" approach.

 

[mindmyp's_n_q's]

A slightly unrelated observation.

I have a mate who has a staffie who I see on average once a week and who I look after whenever they go away on holiday or for short breaks.

She is a fantastic dog and would never hurt a fly (although I do have a video of her trying to eat one). In his home there is him, his missus, two kids 10 and 2 and two cats. Everyone apart from the 2 year old can control the dog with commands. However my mate is the one with the most control (pack leader I suppose) however if I am there then I can override his control and make her do what I want to do. An example of this would be he puts a treat down tells her to wait but if I say "get it girl" she will instantly run and get the treat. If I put it down and say wait and he says "get it girl" she won't move other than to look at me as if to say "is that ok" only when I give her the ok will she go and take the treat. She also will only walk in certain areas with me whereas she will stop and refuse to go there with her owners.

As they have no issues whatsoever with discipline or interaction with both other humans and dogs whilst I am not there then who is the "pack leader" in this situation?

I surely can't be as I might not see her for a month but my control over her doesn't change regardless of how long it's been.

Side note I have never owned any dogs other than the family pet when I was about 10 (I am 43)

 

[Metalartin]

A slightly unrelated observation.

I have a mate who has a staffie who I see on average once a week and who I look after whenever they go away on holiday or for short breaks.

She is a fantastic dog and would never hurt a fly (although I do have a video of her trying to eat one). In his home there is him, his missus, two kids 10 and 2 and two cats. Everyone apart from the 2 year old can control the dog with commands. However my mate is the one with the most control (pack leader I suppose) however if I am there then I can override his control and make her do what I want to do. An example of this would be he puts a treat down tells her to wait but if I say "get it girl" she will instantly run and get the treat. If I put it down and say wait and he says "get it girl" she won't move other than to look at me as if to say "is that ok" only when I give her the ok will she go and take the treat. She also will only walk in certain areas with me whereas she will stop and refuse to go there with her owners.

As they have no issues whatsoever with discipline or interaction with both other humans and dogs whilst I am not there then who is the "pack leader" in this situation?

I surely can't be as I might not see her for a month but my control over her doesn't change regardless of how long it's been.

Side note I have never owned any dogs other than the family pet when I was about 10 (I am 43)

That sounds more like a play dynamic from the off "go and get it"... tail wags and so on, it wants to play with you basically. Also as you said this isn't a dog that's got a dominant personality so you wont see much of the dynamic to begin with as it listens to everyone.

I do think some dogs have personalities that are more on the human spectrum than others(some are scarily easy to get through to in fact), or maybe some would say that's just their general level of intelligence but then again they also say a wolf is a lot more intelligent than most dogs... different kinds of intelligence maybe? More domesticated versus more wolf like personalities? Clearly we don't know everything there is to know about them yet.

 

[mindmyp's_n_q's]

That's sounds more like a play dynamic from the off "go and get it"... tail wags and so on, it wants to play with you basically. Also as you said this isn't a dog that's got a dominant personality so you wont see much of the dynamic to begin with as it listens to everyone.

Cheers for the response, do you think that because I play with it then the dog immediately makes me the boss for the duration I am with it?

 

[Metalartin]

Cheers for the response, do you think that because I play with it then the dog immediately makes me the boss for the duration I am with it?

I dunno maybe you're the new toy and it's bored of the papa of the household? haha. Just my guess anyway.

 

[aguero93:20]

Cheers for the response, do you think that because I play with it then the dog immediately makes me the boss for the duration I am with it?

If you're looking after the dog at times then you're one of the people in control of it's food, counts for a lot :)

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Teach him a lesson ... bite the fucker back.

Yeah, bit him on his arse. That'll learn 'im!