someone on this board very kindly brought it to my attention what i wrote that has caused all the controversy. and i agree with them.

for the record, you should never praise a dog for aggressing, or praise WITH the correction. praise comes after the correction, when the dog has ceased the objectionable behavior.

as i go back and reread what i wrote, i see that it comes across as endorsing these dangerous mistakes. so, please disregard that portion of what i wrote.

to explain why i wrote it: i was referring to a training method that requires a much larger context of explanation before it makes sense, and involves a lot of preparation before it is used. what i was referring to was not praise, but using "good boy!" in a certain voice as a "marker" to indicate you are in control of the situation.

obviously, that marker has to be trained and the dog conditioned to it before it can be used. it was inappropriate for me to mention this method in the context of advice to a newbie, without exhaustive explanation. my apologies!

Thought you might want to see my bad boy.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b50/Juniorboysmom/4aa8c69b.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b50/Juniorboysmom/62062f1e.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b50/Juniorboysmom/d6f2857b.jpg

I have quite a bit of experiance dealing with dominant dog issues . With that said , I don't often give advice over the internet about it because I don't feel I can do a proper job of explaining how to deal with these problems or feel it is such an important problem that I would have to see the dog in person in order to determine what is causing the problem .

That's because if I explain something wrong or it's misinterpretted someone can get hurt . There are other very knowledgable trainers with lots of experiance on this board that can give good advice on this type of forum so I leave it up to them .

There are many well intentioned dog owners that have taken care of problems with there pets that often give advice here on Dominant Dogs . I commend these people for stepping up and being responsible dog owners . You are good examples and there are far too few of you . I don't want to deminish what you have accomplished but realize (and it's been said before) you are giving advice based upon a very limited experiance with these problems and your advice no matter how well intentioned can get someone hurt .

Here's why I say this . It has been my experiance with the average dog owner that the majority of dominant dog problems are with dogs that aren't very tough and don't really want to be the pack leader but these dogs are assuming that role because noone else will or they have just learned there is no leader and they can do whatever they want . With these dogs it doesn't take much for the dog owner to regain top dog status , even using poor training techniques or performing proper training techniques poorly . Having been successful with their dog/s they pass their advice on to others . IMO the majority of the time this advice works because it is usually given to dog owners with dogs that are looking to give control of the pack over to anyone showing interest in being the pack leader .

The problem arises when this bad or marginal advice is given to a dog owner that has a dog that is truely willing and capable of fighting for the top dog status and it is tough to tell over the internet what kind of dog some of these people asking for help has . Use bad training advice or poorly attempt good training advice with these types of dogs and bad things will often happen .

For newbies looking for advice on such important issues IMO if the person offering that advice gives it based upon the few pets they have owned , I would do alot more research and talk to some experianced dog trainers before ever following that advice . If noone offers you advice on this forum for your problem/s it is a good sign you should seek out a qualified professional to deal with you problem/s in person .

It will be much easier for people seeking help to sort through all the advice given to them if others leave it up to trainers with lots of experiance to give that advice on such important issues .

Well said Jim, and I appreciate it. As for me, this forum is definitely part of my research. And I do understand what you mean about being a pack leader. I thought we had that all worked out but it seems since the last 2 months, he has been challenging me so I am stepping up to the plate and getting back to working the basics until I get a possible reason why. Believe me when I say that I would like all the advice I can get and will look into all the research that is available. Ultimately, I would love to have him evaluated by someone with a lot more knowledge than myself. The original person who helped us with our training was really good and she trained under someone who has now been recommended to me (tho he sounds as busy as Ed). After seeing him recently, she thinks my dog may be dominant but could have fear aggression issues (the I get you before you get me) but she urged me to seek other opinions as she said this isn't her area of expertise. I just didn't know there were trainers around here that could deal with issues beside basic training but now I have hope that I can find them.

Anyway, it is easy to keep him away from people and other dogs right now because it has been too cold for any one but us die hards out there. But Spring is coming and I would like an idea about him before we start running in to potential problems.

I think your advice is some of the best yet and I thank you.

Oh yeah! I received my DD video on Friday and watched it twice already this weekend, taking notes. WHAT A GREAT THING! I have seen the things I have done right, but also where I haven't done so well. And the DD collar is unbelievable. He responds so much quicker to it than he has the prong! Thanks to Ed for the explanation of the different aggressive behaviors. I know am pretty certain what 2, possibly 3 Junior is exhibiting and that it can be greatly changed by being consistent in his obedience. I GOT IT and will keep you guys updated. Thanks again but if it's ok, I may need to bug you again.

Crystal

Will,

If you do have any more insights, I would certainly love to hear it when you are able to type well again. Based on the video, I would say that Junior has territorial, fear and possibly dog/male aggression. I say the latter because once he sniffs a male dog, he starts to growl. Now whether it's because of fear, that I don't know. I am really excited to do the work with him. I know it will be never ending, but I am up for the challenge.

I hope you are healing well.

CK

Crystal, check your PM's! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

This was a very important post for me, thanks Jim. I tried to understand my options for some time on the Leerburg articles before approaching my dominant dog. Becasue she did not try to bit us when given a correction, I felt she was not as hard a case as some dogs described here. I am very happy with her progress with the dominant dog collar, so I think I made the right choices with her so far. But your post does make me appreciate how careful I have to be in stating that I have dealt with exactly one dominant dog.

That is a well-articulated and interesting synopsis, Jim. I may have to quote you someday.

Jim,
Nice explanation, just like you usually give!

Crystal and I are going to walk through the steps to fix the problem via the phone, as I'm typing way too slow until my hand heals. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />