Quote: tresa hendrix

How come nobody has suggested a dominant dog collar to get him to chill out? Definitely read about the dominant dog collars.

Perhaps because the ddc is not used nor recommended to get a dog to "chill out"?

Unless used as a security step in case the prong were to break away, I would not personally use the dd collar in this situation. There are many, many steps I would take with this dog prior to cutting off his air supply... jmho. Professional (qualified) trainer input... real exercise (giving the retriever the opportunity to run and retrieve, over and over again), marker training, etc...should be explored long before applying more correction. IMHO.

 Quote: tresa hendrix

Here are some I do to wear him out:

-biking
-pulling in harness or weight pulling
-TUG (yes TUG!!!)
-agility (teach him to jump/climb obstacles on a school ground)
-walking with a backpack full of water
-"find it" games (hide a special tug or ball somewhere and have him find it)
-chuckit fetch (good cold weather game)

Good suggestions!

 Quote: barbara schuler

 Quote: tresa hendrix

How come nobody has suggested a dominant dog collar to get him to chill out? Definitely read about the dominant dog collars.

Perhaps because the ddc is not used nor recommended to get a dog to "chill out"?

Unless used as a security step in case the prong were to break away, I would not personally use the dd collar in this situation. There are many, many steps I would take with this dog prior to cutting off his air supply... jmho. Professional (qualified) trainer input... real exercise (giving the retriever the opportunity to run and retrieve, over and over again), marker training, etc...should be explored long before applying more correction. IMHO.

I agree. "There are many steps I would take with this dog prior to cutting off his air supply... "

 Quote: tresa hendrix

... Definitely read about the dominant dog collars.

Here is some of what you’ll read:

QUOTE:
It's intended to take the air away from the dog. I assume that people who use this collar for handler aggression have run their dog through our pack structure program I outline in my DVDs.

Dog owners with aggression problems need to determine if their dogs ... need to have their environment controlled, or if they simply need to redirect their dog away from the situation that triggers the aggression.

The fact is simply avoiding certain circumstances often solves a problem. If your dog is aggressive at the door, put the dog in a dog crate when company comes. If your dog is aggressive at certain dogs on your block, don't walk your dog by that house again. END PARTIAL QUOTES

In other words, the use of the DD collar isn't casual and it isn’t meant as a “chill out” tool.

JMHO! Its use sometimes seems to me to be bandied about very casually, almost as if it's as simple a tool as a clicker or a leash. (I know you didn't mean that, Tresa.)

Nothing suggests to me that the O.P.'s next step is a DD collar. JMO.

 Quote: Terry Winchester

He lies ontop of the kds when they're over and laying on the floor. He jumps on everyone who comes over.

This can't be allowed!

Besides getting help, QUOTE: Is buying a crate out of the question? They can sometimes be found at garage sales or on Craigslist for a reasonable price. Just my unprofessional opinion here, but I think a dog that is in a comfortable crate, with a frozen Kong or other safe type of toy, is going to be a much happier dog than one that is tied up in his own home. Being tied up gives a dog a sense that he is being restrained (which he is, of course), but a crate often gives a dog a feeling of having his own little den.

Of course, it goes without saying that if your dog has never been trained to be in a crate, that is a process you would have to go through with him. Some dogs take very well to a crate, others take a while to get used to it. END

You need a crate! WIth no kennel and no separate room to put the dog up until he can be reliable around kids and visitors, you need a crate. I'd make the crate and crate training very high on my list.

I see nothing positive and everything negative about tying him up. And he's tied with a prong on, right? And tied up all the time, including at night?

Lots of good suggestions here.
I also don't see an aggressive dog here. Pushy, obnoxious, spoiled and lacking in manners from someone in a leadership position.
If it was really aggression I believe he'd have taken it to another level by now.
Exercise, marker training and boundaries set by some one that can handle him.

 Quote: Tresa Hendrix

How come nobody has suggested a dominant dog collar to get him to chill out?

Because like me, I'd bet very few here feel they are reading about an aggressive dog.

If a dog with any size was truly attacking you, you would be getting stitches to cover up the bone deep wounds you just got. Not wishing you had a camera to video next time.

Terry, please do not even consider a DD collar. It will do nothing for this problem.

Just wanted to get that out there.

Thanks for all the replies, folks; it's greatly appreiated. What a great forum. I will look into the many suggestions.

I'm not at all interested in the DD collar. I've taken the prong off of him, and had about 10 minutes of fight to handle, but I'm beginning to believe it's all about the evils of tying him up, and the training, as suggested by everyone here.

The crate isn't an option due to space limitations. I'm thinking that a doggie bed of some sort, and training might help.

My dog is impossible, aggressive, awful without exercise. It's the "medicine" he needs to be a nice dog.
We farm. Yesterday lots of field work, dog probably did 10 miles at a trot. He's only 25 lbs.
This morning, he's a really nice dog.

Although a crate "visually" takes up more space than does a large dog bed, in reality, it doesn't take up any more floor space than will his bed - it will just "appear" to because of the height.

An extra-large "wire type" doesn't "look" as big as the solid, plastic type of crate and has the potential to make your life much, much easier in the short term as you learn to train and manage this dog. Using one now does not mean it will forever be sitting in your living room... think of it as a temporary training tool.

There have been times in my life when I've put an extra chair or small dresser in the attic in order to accomodate a dog crate for a while, so I'd just encourage you to look around with an open mind and "new eye" to see if there is a creative way to incorporate the crate.

Retraining this dog WILL help - no "might help" about it. Read, reread and then read again about marker training. Figure out a place to get this dog some REAL exercise - exhausted, tired dogs simply don't have the energy nor desire to jump all over people and read about pack structure and leadership.

You are to be commended for being open to the suggestions being given. Often, people post a problem but don't really want to change the way they are operating - they just want a magic wand. If you are willing to work at it, you most definitely can improve this situation... imho.

Terry, you will want to read up on NILIF, too, for this guy.

But I want to say again how important I think a crate is here.

Can I interest you in a lovely crate end-table? (Yes, I have done that. Also crate under rarely-used dining table. Also crate backed into corner (where the back of it against the wall is more den-like for many dogs, anyway).

If you look around the family's most-used room, and then find the out-of-traffic parts, I betcha you will find a spot.


And huge ditto to this:
"Retraining this dog WILL help - no "might help" about it. Read, reread and then read again about marker training. Figure out a place to get this dog some REAL exercise - exhausted, tired dogs simply don't have the energy nor desire to jump all over people and read about pack structure and leadership. "

Terry, make the room and get a crate. It's something that will make your life a lot easier. Tying him up the way you are is doing nothing but adding frustration that you want to get away from.

You want to be in control of him without it being a fight. I don't think you're winning any of these like you think you are and if you keep thinking in those terms and alpha rolling him, I bet you will get yourself bit.

Without realizing it, you're creating most of this. You play, sleep, everything on his terms and then when you don't want to do what he wants, you fight. Since thats not stopping anything, your losing. See what I mean?

Put all the toys away. He doesnt get to pick it up and bring it to you when he wants. You get the toy and tell him that he gets to play with you now and it ends when you say it does. This is another time the crate helps put you in charge, if he comes out and acts like an idiot, play stops and he goes back in the crate.

Create a schedule and routine he can learn to rely on and that fits into your time, that kind of structure helps with anxiety.

As far as the prong, don't get all tied in knots over about it. Its just a tool to use along with the leash. The collar itself, doesnt mean a whole lot, its all in the way you use it. Start randomly taking it off and on, rotate in a leather collar, make it a non-event. One of the things I posted earlier about the prong may be a little out of context here. A simple thing I was taught for weaning him off the prong in formal ob was to have it in my pocket to put on for corrections then take it back off. Kind of like intermittent rewards, it can come out at any time.