He's gone for a month. Obedience and bite work.

He had a little issue where he would start snapping at the leash and freak out. So I took him out to work with a trainer in Hudson (not far from Leerburg) to fix the issue. Unfortunately, I really need two people to help fix this issue, and my wife isn't strong enough, and I have few friends that would be willing to help on that.

He's well behaved otherwise, and listens for the most part. But that's not good enough. It's pretty clear that I've hit the limit to what I can do with him. I know a couple of other people that have brought their dogs to the same place, and were very happy with the results.

It's weird not having your dog around. I still have to go on my nightly walk at 1am before I go to bed.

curious what the exact issue was that made him snap at the leash and freak out. I may have a one man solution for you.

He started doing it when he wanted to be somewhere else, like when the neighbor kids were playing down the block and I was keeping him at my side, or when my wife would go on a walk up the hill and I'd stay behind with him. I originally thought it was just because he was anxious to play or whatever. But, he started doing it more often when there wasn't anything around. He just started hating the leash for some reason.

I could choke him out a bit with the prong collar until he calmed down, but as soon as I started walking again, he'd start whining and biting the leash. He also put his teeth on my leg a couple of times, but did not bite. At that point, I figured I should get some help. We worked with him for an hour last week with two choke collars, and since then, he's turned around to bite the leash a couple of times, but got his teeth over it and very obviously thought that it might be a really bad idea.

In any case, I don't have the training skills to get him obedience trained the way I want him. I'm sure I'll get better over time, but I can't hold off having him trained while I get trained.

With issues like that it is amazing what you can do with a well fit basket muzzle before the walk. - it takes away the biting at the leash option for the dog and allows you or the trainer to remain calmer when showing him the proper behavior. Although, heavy corrections and using double handling might work - it can sometimes cause more issues and leave you without a solution if he reverts when he is returned.

The basket muzzle isnt a forever thing, just until he breaks the habit and you can give treats through it easily, AND if he reverts you have it on hand.

Ed sells the best german shepherd basket muzzles that i have ever seen that come from germany. is that what you have a shepherd? for some reason im assuming that - either way Ed has great muzzles you should check out.

Also, it might sound like a cliche, but be sure the dog isnt leading you in the home if you expect it to be natural for him to follow you outside the home. if not it will always be a fight against mother nature, and you will find the dog listening more out of fear from corrections than out of obligation.

There are ways to get the dog used to and love the muzzle - look up marker training.

If the problem recurs, this will have to be the next step if I'm not going to have another handler around to help. After just an hour of working with him, he seems to think it's a really really bad idea to bite the leash, even a week later.

As far as him leading in the home, that's not happening. He's not allowed on any furniture, or in bedrooms. When he's in the house, he just lays on the floor and watches things go on. He waits for me to go out the door first, and he walks behind me up and down stairs. We were pretty careful to follow all of the pack structure stuff.

I have formerly worked with wolves and wolfdogs and been a consultant to zoos for wolves when wolf behavior issues have caused the zoos problems. It is a misconception that a pack leader travels in the front. Walking in front of your dog has nothing to do with being the leader. In fact, the leader is less likely to be in the front than a beta pack member or even a gamma. The only pack position member less likely to travel in the front than an alpha, is an omega.

You have not given enough descriptions of your interaction other than on the leash for me to be certain what the pack structure of your household is. But in a wolf pack the alpha is more apt to be the one lying comfortably while the lower pack members move about in interaction with each other. It is less about WHAT is done, than about the ATTITUDE it is done with. People often mistake a pushy beta for an alpha. An alpha doesn't need to push, he just is.

Here is a good test to see if your dog sees you as the alpha. While he is lying quietly, without saying anything just decide to walk through the space he is lying in. Don't ask him to move, or even hesitate to give him a chance to make up his mind. If he tries to hold his place, especially if he gives overt signals he disapproves of your actions, such as vocalizations, stiffened posture, or raised hackles; he thinks he is the alpha. If he jumps out of your path as soon as he realizes you aren't stopping, especially if he gives submissive signals, such as lowered body posture, laid back ears, lowered tail; he sees you as the alpha.

Again, the most important thing you can do to establish or keep the alpha position, is have the right attitude and expect your dog to acknowledge your leadership. What tools you may or may not use are not critical.

Pack Ranks in Wolf Society:
(though these terms have been dropped by biologists)

Alpha female--the one who nurses all pups (but not necassarily gave birth to them all) and is the highest ranking member of a pack.

Alpha male--the mate of the alpha female and the highest ranking male and higher in rank to all females except the alpha femal. He is very close in rank to the alpha female.

Betas--next in rank. If there is any instability or if an alpha weakens, a beta will oportunistically try to take the top position. Some packs have lost their true alpha and are led by a beta. The beta does not necessarily become an alpha, although he will have the position of an alpha until another alpha takes charge. That he is a beta can be seen when he throws his weight around to try to keep order and stay in charge. A true alpha does not need to do this. His confident attitude establishes his position with only rare need to ever show his teeth, let alone bite.

Gammas--pack members who are content to be followers.

Omegas--pack members who are submissive. They are shy and not only submit to all other pack members, but seem to need to submit.

He gets out of the way. When he was a puppy, he'd always get under foot, and I got sick of telling him to move. Now I don't say anything and just walk right through him. He jumps up and moves when I get about a foot from him.

He does the same for my wife, and the same for the kid.

He DID growl at the trainer yesterday apparently while he was in his kennel.

Joy brings up a good point that I think many people dont realize. Leading your dog on a walk in itself doesnt necessarily make you a leader or reflective of the natural behavior of wolves or dogs. You can actually follow a dog on a walk and still be a leader as is seen wolf packs, guide dogs, or even when you cut your dog loose on a hike and he is out in front of you sniffing or whatever. The leadership part comes in when you reach that fork in the trail though - who is making the decison and who is looking out for who's decsion.

Leash walking and a "heel" is an obedience excercise - and if your dog is not out in front on neighborhood walks it is obviously easier to have a comfortable walk and to keep the dog out of trouble. Therefore i dont believe having your dog follow in a technical heel or even always trail up and down stairs, etc is really what gives leadership - it is most of the other passive interactions between you and the dog that does - but that than helps to give you the correct authority that makes sense to the dog when you do want to enforce these exercises which helps you guide the dog in a human world.

I have trained a few primitive breeds and only one full wolf, but i know enough to tell you that what works on a wolf will certainly work on most dogs - and there is plenty that works on a dog that won't work on a wolf. For instance, harsh corrections from double handling (not sure if you using heavy corrections) might work on a dog as a quick fix - but if done on a wolf it might work that one time, but good luck getting the leash back on after that session!

Joy I would be really interested in knowing more about your work with wolves - do you have any literature available?

Just for the record: I don't recommended anyone ever choosing a wolf for a pet! sorry going a little off topic here...

They're just going to use heavy compulsion. I'd never send my dogs away to be trained. You have to learn by "doing". Why do you need 2 people to correct this problem?

 Quote: Mike D'Abruzzo

Just for the record: I don't recommended anyone ever choosing a wolf for a pet! sorry going a little off topic here...

Neither does Leerburg.

And back to John's thread.....