April 26, 2011
Should I Alpha Roll my 20 month old Rot who is snapping at me when I correct him?
Full Question:
I have a 20-month-old male Rott. Over the past few months he has been displaying aggressive behavior when corrected. What I mean by aggressive is growling, bearing of teeth, and just last night, he actually snapped at my hand as a warning, in my opinion. He is getting to where even a stern tone makes him pin his ears, and become defensive. Even growl. He listens to commands when growling though. I can put him in a down position, and he obeys. We have 2 children 3 and 8. Also when he is permitted to lay on the bed, when he is prompted to move, he disobeys, and if I touch him to move him off the bed, he growls and bears teeth. I have been considering the Alpha roll, with the muzzle of course. 
Ed's Answer:
I get emails like this and shake my head and wonder how lucky people have been and how foolish they have been. You need to read the article on my website titled How to Deal with the Dominant Dog.
To begin with, your male is coming into maturity and is becoming a dominant dog. Unless you get a grip on this right away both you and your family are at risk. This dog should NEVER be allowed in the bedroom. This is crazy!!! Much less on your bed. He should not be allowed in the dining area during mealtime and he should never be fed before the family is fed. I am not going to go into what I describe in detail in this article.
You should get a Jafco muzzle and a prong collar for this dog, and our Basic Obedience tape. When you work the dog at this point he needs the muzzle to make sure that he doesn't bite you.
If you value your face and neck - DO NOT DO AN ALPHA ROLL. Trainers that tell people about this should be shot. More innocent, un-educated people (like yourself) are badly bitten in the face when trying to do alpha rolls on big dogs that I can count. You have no idea how powerful a 20-month old Rott can be when he is really pissed off. If you try and take him down on his back and hold him there when he is thinking that he is the boss, you will find out.
To begin with, your male is coming into maturity and is becoming a dominant dog. Unless you get a grip on this right away both you and your family are at risk. This dog should NEVER be allowed in the bedroom. This is crazy!!! Much less on your bed. He should not be allowed in the dining area during mealtime and he should never be fed before the family is fed. I am not going to go into what I describe in detail in this article.
You should get a Jafco muzzle and a prong collar for this dog, and our Basic Obedience tape. When you work the dog at this point he needs the muzzle to make sure that he doesn't bite you.
If you value your face and neck - DO NOT DO AN ALPHA ROLL. Trainers that tell people about this should be shot. More innocent, un-educated people (like yourself) are badly bitten in the face when trying to do alpha rolls on big dogs that I can count. You have no idea how powerful a 20-month old Rott can be when he is really pissed off. If you try and take him down on his back and hold him there when he is thinking that he is the boss, you will find out.
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