Quote: kacie hackett

i vary who eats first, gets a treat first, walks out door first, etc. However, i base it on who is the most calm at that point in time...

Me too..... Cesar Millan, too. :> Ever watch him feed that pack?

That's how I feed my gang.....for some reason the Lab always eats last........

 Quote: Carol Boche

That's how I feed my gang.....for some reason the Lab always eats last........

Yeah. I have to stand there with a clipboard and pen, calipers and other precise measuring tools, and a stethescope, hoping to detect a degree less of excited longing in one of them.

all good advice, although sometimes I must say, I feel like a total moron, lol! Thats okay, its all in the name of education, right? Seriously though, I am learning rather quickly that Levi is not going to stay the same dog that he has been. It's almost as if the entire time he was a pup he was laid back and sweet. Now all of a sudden, his drive has gone into turbo, his possesiveness has gone whacko and his penis never stops glowing If it weren't for this forum I might make some serious mistakes. Well, okay, I already do but at least not enough to make them habits. I'm sure a few of you are already getting annoyed with my continual posting,hehe. I have to say though, regarding this thread that I agree with several points. I do agree that the dogs should show calm to get fed. This is why I make my bc/lab sit and wait for a command to go to their food bowls. I do the same with Levi but seperately. I do not allow my dogs to fight but lets face it my bc is just a bitch and that's the long and short of it. She rules over the lab, no doubt. However, I rule over her and when she gets out of control or pushes too hard I'm so far up her butt her head will spin. In spite of it all, it only takes one word from me and they are both agreeing to disagree. Levi also responds to me with the same fervor. However, he is a dog that is much more driven than I was used to. It is true that gsd's are in a class all their own. Drive definitely creates more challenges. I do not feed Levi around my other dogs nor do I feed him in his kennel any longer. This seems to have alleviated the kennel aggression. Now it seems I have to make sure the cat isn't around cuz he's made it clear to the cat he doesn't want him around when he's eating eithr. Thing is my lab doesn't have to be doing nythig lately. Levi just stares at him no matter where he is, kinda like he's just looking for an excuse to get into his face. My lab does not challenge him with body language or his eyes. When levi freaks on him he avoids the confrontation. Like I said before I have never had dogs have issues sharing water. I still feel that they should be able to share this. That he had no right to protect it because it was my water not his and I say who drinks and who doesn't. I will be watching the water bowl closely and altering my opinions as I go, lol. My trainer has told me that I should hope this is an issue a few more times so that I might make it clear to him that it won't be tolerated. However, she says just to calmly tell him no and put him in a room alone for 10 to 20 minutes by himself. I have actually had to knee butt him a couple of times to let him know he isn't going to start a fight with my lab. He's really being a stinker. Probably handler issues, lol. BTW I never leave toys out for the dogs to fight over.

 Quote: robbinmann

Levi just stares at him no matter where he is, kinda like he's just looking for an excuse to get into his face.

I would correct for this as I consider eyeballing and trying to provoke a fight the same as actually starting one. Correct before he starts eyeballing the other dog, or as soon as he starts to twig on the other dog.

Keep in mind some dogs are just not into "sharing" so much as the air they breath and keeping the dogs separate might alleviate alot of tension from the whole situation.

 Quote: robbinmann

Seriously though, I am learning rather quickly that Levi is not going to stay the same dog that he has been. It's almost as if the entire time he was a pup he was laid back and sweet. Now all of a sudden, his drive has gone into turbo, his possesiveness has gone whacko and his penis never stops glowing

Pretty amazing how they change huh?! I remember when my formerly "loves everybody" and "just wants to play" boy matured into a big, dominant, male DOG who felt like the world was HIS. Sure changes things, and it calls for a serisous reality check.

They DO become different animals, just like we become different people once we start really growing up. The important thing is to put away everything you THOUGHT you knew about him and really focus on who he is NOW - he'll only keep changing and you need to be ready to shift your training and handling in response, to keep him on a good path. He's still a great dog, you're just seeing a new side of him. And no matter how strange it may seem to you, if water has become a protected resourse for him, you now need to treat it like any other high-value item and control it as such. You're only just at the beginning of Levi's maturation, so get ready for a wild ride.

~Natalya

Absolutely! Ditto ditto ditto.

YOU are in charge of not allowing situations to develop.

Aggressive posturing is one of those things you nip in the bud.

To the O.P.: Have you taken advantage of these excellent podcasts? I would start with Groundwork to Becoming Your Dog's Pack Leader.

http://leerburg.com/dogtrainingpodcasts.htm