And may I add that a dog who is insecure and fearfully reactive gains hugely from strong pack structure (the desensitizing threads). His life becomes dependable, and he knows his place in the pack (a big security issue, not to have to worry about who will guide, protect, and lead).

As far as the tread mill is concerned: I would work on desensitizing him to the sound...which BTW is NOTHING like a saw,weed wacker, etc etc. Start him from a distance & work him up to sitting next to it, then on it with it not running, then run very slowly for 5 seconds & build from there.

I would work on the desensitizing 10x a day if I had to, until the dog will sit on it. Even if it took a week to get him to do just that. Once you can get him next to it or on it... I might even decide that I would feed him his meals on there. If he wants to eat there it is on the tread mill. If he doesn't do it...let him miss a meal & try at the next meal time.

I just sat my dogs next to mine(Jog A Dog)gave them a couple of treats...put them on it for 15 seconds & started it. No big deal unless you make it one. My female is not crazy about it but you know what: I'm the boss & I say your safe on it...knock it off & get up there. PERIOD. BTW she hates vaccums, always did, but will stand next to a motorcycle while it running & being goosed. So there ya go. She only gets about 2 seconds to register her nay vote & then I make the decision.

You have allowed this dog to say that he doesn't like this machine or whatever & decides to bite it & you say..ok..dog doesn't like this so I won't run this while he is around. That's just silly. Some equipment should not have animals loose when running..others like a pool pump or blender etc...the dog just needs to knock it off.

I think the tread mill is only a BIG issue if you let it be. This dog needs alot of exercise. If you can do that one way or another, you will start to see a difference in his overall behavior & attitude. Tired dogs are alot less willing to be 'stuborn' as you call it. If you can't handle this dog at a year old...what are you going to do when he is 1 1/2- 2 when he starts to go into his mental maturity stage. If you don't get you ducks in a row now...,you will be in for a big problem.

This dog as far MORE freedoms (doggie door,couch, bones in the living room etc etc) then I would EVER give a dog that I was having leadership issues with. I would start by using NILIF with this dog. Google it. JMO

The dog is a year old now, not a little baby anymore. You need to step up the leadership skills, becasue they appear to be seriously lacking along with confidence & trust which comes from consistant,confident leadership.

It seems that much of what people here suggest you have a reason why it won't work for you or your dog. Maybe I'm reading it wrong...but sure seems that way to me.

I think that I have run dry with ideas to help you. You really need TO FIND A WAY to impliment some of the suggestions that posters have made here.

All I can say at this point is good luck with your dog. I hope that things improve for you both.

 Quote: anne jones

As far as the tread mill is concerned: I would work on desensitizing him to the sound...

So would I.

Otherwise, it's the dog's "issues" dictating the running of the home.

What I have done with an electric wheelchair for one person, the vacuum cleaner for another, and so on, is to have the piece of equipment turned off, sitting there like a lump, for days. Then it's tuned off and on, off and on. Then left running for a few minutes with the dog in an adjoining room ... and so on.

Also, I know I sound like a broken record, but tiring exercise, NILIF, and desensitizing work are all going to yield HUGE results.

The dog is in charge in too many areas, and this is actually stressful to almost all dogs. Having the pack leader in charge is a security thing, and it will help enormously in situations where the dog is stressed by a reactivity trigger.

Everything we keep harping on -- it all ties together. Every piece is important.

Decades (many, but I won't say how many!) of experience have informed these guidelines.

"This dog {h}as far MORE freedoms (doggie door,couch, bones in the living room etc etc) then I would EVER give a dog that I was having leadership issues with. I would start by using NILIF with this dog."

I sure do agree, and would like to point out again something very important: the dog benefits psychologically from learning that his leader is strong, in command, reliable, and protective. IMO, perceiving that his pack position is solid, that he can safely look to you for every cue and every response -- this is a big step up the ladder of lessened reactivity.

If the pack leader is strong and in charge (the desensitizing threads speak to this), then the dog's perception of being alone against the world diminishes.

"Strong" hinges in large part (with a pushy dog who would like to climb the hierarchy) on consistent NILIF practice, and consistent (and constant) basic ob.

And "tired" is a major tool. Frustrated energy in a strong dog is like a sugar rush to a child; reactivity (and worse) is almost guaranteed.

 Quote: anne jones

It seems that much of what people here suggest you have a reason why it won't work for you or your dog. Maybe I'm reading it wrong...but sure seems that way to me.

I think that I have run dry with ideas to help you. You really need TO FIND A WAY to impliment some of the suggestions that posters have made here.

All I can say at this point is good luck with your dog. I hope that things improve for you both.

Well let me say this then if it will simplify things... Am I a trainer? NO. Am I a certified dog/animal behaviorist? NO. Have I ever owned a dog/been around one that has behaved like this dog before? NO. Does my/Have my other dog(s) questioned who was in charge..a reverberating NO. I give them the evil eye and they run for cover--they know when they have done something wrong, when/what they are not allowed to do, they know their place. I haven't raised him any differently than my other dogs, and yet he is always testing the boundries. Which would tell a person.."hey, you are doing something wrong." HENCE the reason why I am here. Do I know exactly what I am doing wrong, or how to fix it? Obviously not, or this dog would be like any other that I have ever raised.

There is only so much that can be said, you are not here, you can not see what I do/what is being done. So I'll give you that.

Maybe you would treat this dog differently, because you have had a dog with 'leadership issues' I HAVE NOT. I don't see how the heck a doggy door would create an issue. Or letting him have supervised time with a toy or bone = leadership issues. He gives the toys up when I feel playtime is over. He doesn't claim furniture or objects as his, doesn't challenge me for objects/food--something that would have lit the obvious red light "leadership issue".

Did I let him get away with attacking power tools..the hell I did. He dose bark at the saw--that is a new sound to him, one that we just discovered and have been getting him use to.

The issue of the treadmill--why this seems to be a big deal, I don't know. Would he get used to it if I got one, yes. Would I use it, I don't know. I have heard things good/bad about their use, and without doing more research I don't know if it is a piece of equipment I feel comfortable using. As a pet owner I feel it is my responsibility to look into these things before I willy-nilly leap head first into it...Pardon me for exsercising caution and not taking every word/ piece of advise I hear as gold on a plate. There is ALOT of bad information on the subject of animal training as it pertains to behavior.

As for making up excuses... sorry if I don't feel like sacrificing the only 4-5 hours of sleep I am lucky to get over a damn pain in the ass dog. I HAVE conscidered suggestions, do I feel they will work for me...I don't know haven't tried them yet.

When I seem to ignore advise, I am either already doing it, or have been told not to for what ever reason by the trainer/behaviorist I consulted. Or to put it this way rather, would you be ticked if you told someone to do something, they didn't do it, and then came back and said "what you told me was wrong, he's not doing what he's supposed to"--well did you do what I told you? "No"-- and there you go...

And unfortunately there isn't an easy fix-it-all button attatched to his fat head--training takes time. Results take time, they aren't going to magically spring up. My dog is not ever going to be a perfect model citizen--I have been told that by a certified and studied animal behavorist, he is what he is--the best I can do is manage his behavior to limit the severity of his reactions--any new ideas for enriching our lives and exploring new options for keeping him busy are appreciated despite what you must think.

Further more, there is a TON of information on how to desensitize, peoples opinions on the best methods/approaches to obedience training, Behavior modification, And what not.. I am only just beginning to scratch the surface and sort this crap out for myself so i can begin to better help him. I only know what I know, and what I don't know I approach with caution.

I do know that I don't want to get bit by my dog. And shouldn't have to. I am learning to read his body language, and can gauge pretty accurately the way he will react to certain situations...do I stop trying NO, I try to find a different way of introducing him to things that doesn't increase his stress level to the point that he is too much for me to handle. Or THAT he stresses me out and I want to strangle his ass. Both are counter productive...

I feel that a successful training session starts and ends on good notes. And as for being a good pack leader--how many people Reeeeaallly know what the heck that means, or how to attain that position? I'm sure every one does which is why so many dogs are surrendered... and Has anyone explained this...nope. Or offered a 'better' way of leading my dog since he is obviously such a spoiled brat who gets to do everything he wants? We'll see..

And if he has to live on the side of my house like the hunch back of arizona, then so be it..I am not going to set him loose on craigslist hoping there is someone who has more knowledge and is willing to work with him. Odds are that won't happen-- Even if it did, the strange new person would have to sedate him to get him to the car.. he will not, NOT let anyone he doesn't already know touch him...which is fine by me, he's my dog.

Here's what, have patience and do some of what these folks say and I think you will be amazed.
My dog HAS turned into a model citizen. I also had never had a dog that I owned and had raised from a pup growl at me, snap at me, etc. I received a ton of help here and my dog is now exactly the dog I had hoped for, he is just what I was hoping he would turn out to be. He is even gentle with ducklings, with newborn calves, and he was just predatory before. They can learn, they can change, just take a few small steps, marker training is the BEST.Try it --
Wish you luck!

Edited by Connie Sutherland (06/08/2011 08:10 PM)
Edit reason: eta

"I feel that a successful training session starts and ends on good notes. And as for being a good pack leader--how many people Reeeeaallly know what the heck that means, or how to attain that position? I'm sure every one does which is why so many dogs are surrendered... and Has anyone explained this...nope. Or offered a 'better' way of leading my dog since he is obviously such a spoiled brat who gets to do everything he wants?"



"I feel that a successful training session starts and ends on good notes."

Me too! Repeated many times in the desensitizing threads and marker training
threads.

" ... as for being a good pack leader--how many people Reeeeaallly know what the heck that means"

Well, I think I know "what the heck it means". I think the people posting here do too, and I thought I had explained it (strong protector and source of all things, as well as the decider of what reactions are appropriate, among other traits).


Has anyone explained this...nope. Or offered a 'better' way of leading my dog since he is obviously such a spoiled brat who gets to do everything he wants?

I think I (and others) have offered many steps for getting closer to it.


I have no idea where you got the idea that anyone here wants the dog in a shelter or posted on Craig's List.



eta

"And as for being a good pack leader--how many people Reeeeaallly know what the heck that means, or how to attain that position? ... Has anyone explained this...nope. Or offered a 'better' way of leading my dog"

The desensitizing threads here (I know: broken record ) address in detail modifying the dog's perception of our (the owner's) leadership, our protection, our "buffering," if you will, between him and the world. With the experiences of owners of reactive dogs included.

Edited by Connie Sutherland (06/08/2011 07:44 PM)
Edit reason: eta

Shannon,
I am not anywhere close to being as sensitive to my environment as a dog is, and I could literally feel the heat behind your anger, your frustration with his behavior and your total resentment of him. Like it or not those are all issues with Leadership and he knows it! This is a dog lacking in confidence who does not trust you; if that does not change, his behavior will only get worse.

Its how he is hardwired; no shame in saying I'm in over my head and can't do this anymore. I think you should consider rehoming him; keeping him because you feel that is the responsible thing to do leaves you both in a very unhappy situation....nothing responsible in that. I admire all you have done and tried but I don't see a happy ending for either of you if your frustration with his progress outweighs your happiness with his progress.

There are actually people out there who would be fine and happy with a lifetime of managing him and not being able to do a lot of "normal dog" activities. I'm not one of them; I think I would be frustrated like you but there are other options that you might want to consider and then come up with a plan of attack. Goodluck and try to relax and not be so hard on yourself.

Just one thing in case you really feel this way and were not expressing frustration. Dogs do not really do anything right or wrong; they just do; usually what works for them or is survival driven. It might help if you know there is no spite in any of his actions.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

I have no idea where you got the idea that anyone here wants the dog in a shelter or posted on Craig's List.

Well from me now. But NOT on Craigslist; I just don't think anyone should be this unhappy and if Shannon believes that the progress she has made is as good as it gets and isn't just venting frustration it is another option.