I tried that for awhile, I would just sit by the crate with a book and ignore his growling, he would eventually stop after about 15 min. and then I would leave but he is still acting out when I close the door.

 Quote: John J. Miller

Millions of handlers around the world handle the teaching phase of training most exercises with food, and the dogs do not lose their mind.

They are teaching a stable dog a new command. They aren't using food to enfore pack structure. Furthermore, they are using treats, not the dog's meal.
The exception to that would be scent pad training, and even then, once the dog gets to his meal, the handler lets him eat it in peace.

Show me a handler that is making his dog earn every single bite of his meal, and I'll show you a handler that's screwing his dog up royally.

Leave the damned dog alone while he eats.

She doesn't need to teach the dog that food comes from her. He knows. It's the only place he's ever gotten food. He's not suddenly going to question it. The food and the bowl both smell like her when she gives it to him- he knows where it's coming from. It's not necessary to break it down Barney style for the dog.

The dog doesn't need to be persuaded that the kennel is a good place. He knows. He happily is going into his kennel, and then he is defending it. I'd wager he, or his kennel, have been screwed with, and now he's defending his territory.
Taking things out of a dog's kennel, ie, Nylabone, are things best done out of the dog's sight.

A dog's kennel is the ONE thing in life that is truly his, and it should be respected. A dog should be left the heck alone while he's in his kennel- not screwed with, taunted, given commands, etc. It's his escape.

Let sleeping dogs lie.

I am no longer staying by his crate, I walk away as soon as I close it and leave the room.

I have allowed him to have one real bone in his crate to chew on and I feed him in the crate.

I put the bowl in the crate and then let him go in for it. When I take him out for his walk I remove the food bowl even if he hasn't finished and wait till evening to feed him again.

 Quote: Karen Flynn

I am no longer staying by his crate, I walk away as soon as I close it and leave the room.

I have allowed him to have one real bone in his crate to chew on and I feed him in the crate.

I put the bowl in the crate and then let him go in for it. When I take him out for his walk I remove the food bowl even if he hasn't finished and wait till evening to feed him again.

That's a great approach. After a while of this, he may or may not learn that he has no real need to be so retarded about his crate.

If he doesn't then you can take the next step.

Karen, does he only growl when you close the door? ie, if he goes in his crate and the door is left open, does he growl then too?

 Quote: alyssa myracle

Furthermore, they are using treats, not the dog's meal.
The exception to that would be scent pad training, and even then, once the dog gets to his meal, the handler lets him eat it in peace.

Show me a handler that is making his dog earn every single bite of his meal, and I'll show you a handler that's screwing his dog up royally.

Then our opinions will differ on this. Food is food, and the only difference between "treats" and a meal is in our minds as handlers and how we approach it with the dog. I can "feed" my dog through obedience exercises in a positive manner for the next year if I wanted to without screwing the dog up, and if I would see handler aggression in every day life I would make the dog earn everything it needs/wants/likes by doing something for me while being painfully consistent with my expectations starting with the simple fact that showing aggression towards me gets you NOTHING.

This is not a three year old dominant sharp working dog that would happily eat everyone he comes across. This is a 10 month old mixed breed with screwed up genetics (from what it sounds like).

William only growls when I close the door, not when it is left open. If you go back to my original post and read it you will see the other times he has been aggressive.

Thanks,
Karen

I ordered both DVD's dealing with Aggressive Dominant Behavior and Establishing Pack Structure from Leerburg, hopefully they will help me deal with my dog issues.

I went home at lunch, went into the room and was greeted by a very happy tail wagging dog in his crate. I didn't talk to him just opened the door of the crate put on the prong collar and leash and took him out for a walk. Gave him water and led him back to the crate, unhooked the leed and let him go, he went into the crate on his own, I closed the door he turned around and started the same nasty growlin, snarling and bearing teeth. I left the room and he stopped.

I guess it is going to take patience and being consistant and time.

Wow. I can't wrap my head around why the dog would go into the crate willingly, but then become so nasty only when the door is closed...

 Quote: john j. miller

Then our opinions will differ on this. Food is food, and the only difference between "treats" and a meal is in our minds as handlers and how we approach it with the dog.

Clearly.

Show me a wolf pack, where the alpha wolf makes the lower wolves "earn" their food.
Show me a wolf pack, where the alpha wolf "ignores" aggressive overtures from lower members of the pack.

The alpha wolf doesn't do either of these things- he leaves the other wolves alone to eat after he has eaten his fill. He doesn't stand over them, or make them go around him to eat.


The alpha wolf doesn't "ignore" aggressive behavior from other wolves.

 Quote: john j. miller

starting with the simple fact that showing aggression towards me gets you NOTHING.

Aggression towards the alpha wolf, always gets the other wolves something- an ass kicking.