that kids are also the pack leaders? Unfortunately for me, at the time when I THOUGHT I knew how to pick out a good puppy, apparently I didn't because after reading Leerburg's website, I now realize I in fact chose the most DOMINANT dog of the entire litter and I have a 5 yr old son and a 2 yr old daughter, sigh... Soo, from the very beginning I have kept my female Pit Bull puppy separated from my kids, she stays in the kitchen which is gated, gated even before we got her to keep my 2 yr old OUT. Now granted I don't like the idea of keeping her in the kitchen, I never let our previous dog even ENTER the kitchen without being asked, but I realize at this point in time I have no choice. So, we've had her for 6 months now and despite the fact that she gets scolded anytime she tries to treat my kids like toys (as in she either jumps on them, knocks my 2 yr old over, or play bites), I am STILL having to scold her, it's just so frustrating! At times I even have my 5 yr old son give her commands and she does not listen to him more often than she does, I almost always have to step in to make her listen. So I guess I'm just looking for some advice here, how do I make Tessa realize that my kids are also her pack leaders, especially my 2 year old??? I realize, and have also explained to my husband, that we HAVE to make Tessa realize she is NOT the pack leader otherwise we are gonna end up having to find her a new home cause she can't be around my kids if she is not going to treat the family as her pack leaders. Advice, please. Thanks!

Additional from another thread:

 Quote: Westy Bell

I'm very glad to have found this thread... I have a 5 yr old and a 2 yr old and an 8 month old Pit Bull puppy and I came here looking for advice on how to train Tessa to know that the kids are her pack leaders as well. I had no clue how to accomplish this with a 2 yr old. I still am not really sure but for now, since we got the pup I have kept Tessa confined to the kitchen (we had a gate there already to keep the 2 yr old OUT) and only let her around my 2 yr old when I am right there to supervise and correct. .... I need advice on making sure Tessa sees my kids as pack leaders which at this point she does not cause I am continually having to scold her whenever the kids get around her cause she wants to jump on them and play bite. It's like she sees my kids and just treats them as toys, all she wants to do is play with them. I'm having a difficult time...

Westy, did you read the thread you posted on at http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/333592/page/0/fpart/1 ?

and especially http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/256138



PS Welcome!

Exactly how old is your dog?

What obedience training has she had?

"Pack Leader" terminology makes my head spin. Shen sounds like a young, out of control dog that needs to learn boundaries.

The fact that you "still have to scold her" tells me that either you are not the "pack leader" you think you are or she doesn't understand what you expect of her.

Can I just start by saying that there is nothing in your posts that says "dominant dog" to me? Uncontrolled, yes.

This is a good quote: "If you are not right there, (and I mean, puppy and son at your fingertips), then you must separate them by whatever means is most effective, whether it's a crate, baby gate or ex-pen."

Toddlers (IMO) fall into the "mine; do not touch" category, and not the pack leader category.


eta

QUOTE from the O.P.'s post: " .... since we got the pup I have kept Tessa confined to the kitchen (we had a gate there already to keep the 2 yr old OUT) and only let her around my 2 yr old when I am right there .... "

This is good.

Edited by Connie Sutherland (05/20/2011 03:42 PM)
Edit reason: eta

Yep, read it. I guess I was just putting my specific situation out there in case there is anything else out there I should know. I do keep them separated and most of the time Tessa is on a leash but there are times I do training with her off leash and she'll dart thru the living room, doing one pass and she doesn't care of course if she runs into the 2 yr old. I scold her of course, I also keep a bottle of water handy and she gets squirted in the face for correction also. For instance though, just now I needed to let my 2 yr old come into the kitchen to eat, I made Tessa lay down and stay on her bed but even when the 2 yr old walks by Tessa, Tessa will often lunge at the 2 yr old trying to play bite. GRRRRRR!!! Other times when Tessa is loose I am holding the 2 yr old so Tessa can't get near her. I guess I was also just looking for some validation on if what I'm doing is right.

Sounds like you're on the right path ....

But I lean way more toward management of the 8-month-old pup and the toddler, as in not allowing these circumstances to even arise:

" I do training with her off leash and she'll dart thru the living room, doing one pass and she doesn't care of course if she runs into the 2 yr old. .... just now I needed to let my 2 yr old come into the kitchen to eat, I made Tessa lay down and stay on her bed but even when the 2 yr old walks by Tessa, Tessa will often lunge at the 2 yr old trying to play bite."

 Quote: Melissa Hoyer

... What obedience training has she had?

And with what trainiing method(s)?

Trust me she is a dominant dog, I read Leerburg's page as well as countless others on the characteristics of a dominant dog. We have had her for 6 months and yes, it seems she is still trying to be pack leader, she also has bad separation anxiety. She is very stubborn and even "talks back" when told to do something, yeah, we have been working on her for 6 months now. Now granted some training things we just started doing with her cause I was not aware of some things you should do with a dominant dog. The dog I had previous to her was EXCELLENT, I trained her the same way with the exception of I've added things with Tessa, my previous dog was NOT a dominant dog. I had taken my previous dog to an obedience course which I felt was excellent but more so teaching ME how to train a dog. So since I learned how to train from the obedience course I had my previous dog to, I feel like I have the information necessary to train another dog altho with my first dog I did not have kids, so training a dog with kids is new to me, which is why I'm here and why I read Leerburg's page on training dominant dogs.

 Quote: connie sutherland

Sounds like you're on the right path ....

But I lean way more toward management of the 8-month-old pup and the toddler, as in not allowing these circumstances to even arise:

" I do training with her off leash and she'll dart thru the living room, doing one pass and she doesn't care of course if she runs into the 2 yr old. .... just now I needed to let my 2 yr old come into the kitchen to eat, I made Tessa lay down and stay on her bed but even when the 2 yr old walks by Tessa, Tessa will often lunge at the 2 yr old trying to play bite."

I understand, I just was not sure if this was the correct way to go, to basically always keep my toddler separated from the dog, it actually goes against other stuff I've read talking about socialization and what I got from the obedience course I took my first dog to, so I was not sure if this was the route to go. How is Tessa to LEARN how she needs to behave around kids if I NEVER let her near them? You see what I'm saying? So being confused about this matter, reading conflicting info about dogs and kids, I thought I'd come here for help.