Insult not taken. I'm into the drastic measure learning method as it shows what can actually happen. I would let little Johnny touch the stove and believe once burned, would never do it again. 1 problem, she would love it! I mean that, she's not afraid of intense situations or low to moderate levels of pain. You should see her on a soccer field. The younger one is somewhat of a priss / drama queen. I have half a mind to allow her to be number 5. Show her what number 5 means. She eats, last. Goes up and down, in and out last (even after Bruno). If she is not willing to take her rightful place maybe she needs to see the grass on the other side. The only reason I haven't done this yet is I do not want to encourage bruno in this manner. My oldest is physical and my youngest is mental when it comes to how they play life. I'm a mixture but more on the physical side. I really do not want Bruno to suffer because she has an attitude. You could give her a planet and if it was missing one minor detail, she'd be a jerk about it. As you can tell I have many issues in my house but I'll try and stick to my dog.

<img src="http://www.leerburgkennels.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

DZ

Eric,

I'm finding some of your remarks more & more alarming, so let me just say this:

If the dog ends up (God forbid!) savaging, maiming, or actually killing one of your minor daughters, the District Attorney will prosecute YOU for Manslaughter or even Murder -- Then your remaining family members will need a lot more help than a K9 chat-board can ever supply...

My best & most humane advice for all concerned is to re-home Bruto immediately with new owners who have plenty of experience & expertise in training & managing dominant handler-aggressive dogs in general & Chows in particular.

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Truth be told he has nipped all but my youngest. I say nipped because had it been a full on bite there would have been major damage, sort of like he was firing a warning shot.........When I say we cannot go into the kitchen, I mean without hassle. He has never prevented us from going in, we have had to tell him go, or corner, or in the interest of caution, pushed him back with the baby gate............I think over the internet you all may be getting a hideous picture of "Bruno the dog". He's not that bad, just has some issues and as you know we are working on them. ......

Eric,

I don't think I have ever written anything like this, in my years of being on the internet. But here goes:

Are you kidding? I mean it. Is this all an elaborate fishing expedition to see how long people will keep responding?

Reading over the excerpts above (from your post), I'm starting to think this is a bad joke. He has bitten you and all but one of your children and you can't go into your own kitchen. He's "a perfect dog when he's not resting or eating."

<img src="http://www.leerburgkennels.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I'm not even going to make an apology for in case you are actually sincere, because you come back after each piece of serious advice and minimize the situation.

I don't get it.

connie, i'm glad i'm not the only one. get rid of the dog. he needs a home that understands how to manage him. this is a tragedy waiting to happen.

Everyone's going crazy here <img src="http://www.leerburgkennels.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

This is what he's done:

-He's bought the DD collar and E collar training videos along with both collars
-He follows the NILIF philosophy
-He's taken the dog thru 3 obedience courses
-helped him earn his CGC
-taken him to a behaviorist
-keep him leashed at their feet

But the dog should be rehomed and the guy is basically an idiot????? Is that the general consensus? <img src="http://www.leerburgkennels.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> All because he's no longer shocked by the dogs behavior? I'm sure the dog IS a nice dog in other regards... He needs help, he doesn't need everyone to get mad at him <img src="http://www.leerburgkennels.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> By his accounts, he seems like he's trying.

Eric, have you and this dog had a come to Jesus meeting yet? I agree with much of Jack's posts, and I also agree with a lot of Anne's. I have a dog that used to be dominant and will on occasion still test the waters. Pick and choose your battles carefully with your dog. Aggression towards the kids is one I wouldn't tolerate. Since your daughters can't consistently deal with the dog, it's your job. Like it or not. YOU need to teach the dog to respect them if they can't.

Our dog also nipped the kids, and has bitten strangers when in the house. We thought of putting her down many times. We did not want to rehome, because we felt it was our responsibility to deal with her ourselves, and we thought a new owner would either abuse her or allow her to bite. The point is, that with luck, hard work, and help from this board, she is a much better dog. Last night, I was able to walk her off lead with my young male, AND another young male. This is the first time I had tried such a thing in years. It was the Dogtra that gave me the confidence to try. One time when the two boys irritated her, trying to rough-house, she went for the stranger. I used the e-collar to recall her. She came. When the other dogs teased her again, she ignored them, she had learned her lesson, and we all trotted home together peacefully.

The point is that Eric has got to understand that his dog has real potential to bite seriously, and he has to make a real committment to retraining him. If he does that, he can make progress. But if the dog keeps growling at the kids, even with the e-collar, I wouldn't keep him.

Edited while I still could.

This dog is not "the perfect dog." It is a dangerous bite to your child waiting to happen. If your family is not serious with the dog maybe you should step up for their safety and rehome the dog OR keep the dog crated and away from them unless you are around and can control the dog.

One day, one of your daughters will come home in a very bad mood and she will try to move the dog from where it lies without any prior groundwork and the dog will tell her in no uncertain terms to piss off.

At this point, your family needs the ecollars or you need to look into rehoming. Have you shown them photos and articles of what happens when a dog thinks it's above a human and wants to remind the human of that fact?

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YOU need to teach the dog to respect them if they can't.

With a dog like this the dog needs to be 100% clear that everyone is above him in the food chain, otherwise when Eric's not around the dog may attempt to pull rank. The dog can read the kids like a book and knows full well they don't feel confident and secure around the dog and he has no reason to respect them. It may help if Eric corrects the bejeezus out of the dog if the dog even looks at them the wrong way but it'll go worlds farther if the rest of the family lives with the dog as though they are above it in the pack. It's not hard, but they don't seem comfy with the dog at all and right now THEY seem to need more training than the dog.

Barbara Erdman,
Check your PM's for an offical message.

Will Rambeau
Moderator

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YOU need to teach the dog to respect them if they can't.

With a dog like this the dog needs to be 100% clear that everyone is above him in the food chain, otherwise when Eric's not around the dog may attempt to pull rank. The dog can read the kids like a book and knows full well they don't feel confident and secure around the dog and he has no reason to respect them. It may help if Eric corrects the bejeezus out of the dog if the dog even looks at them the wrong way but it'll go worlds farther if the rest of the family lives with the dog as though they are above it in the pack. It's not hard, but they don't seem comfy with the dog at all and right now THEY seem to need more training than the dog.

I agree 100% Diane. Some kids aren't able to do that though. Some are more assertive than others. If Eric enforces the childrens position in the pack, and the kids observe him, they may feel more confident.

I don't know what your PM w/Eric was like, and I'm just giving him the benefit of the doubt that he's serious because of his actions to overcome this so far.

Thank you Will, I received your PM and replied.