I would like to hear some discussion about bonding experiences people have had with new (adolescent/adult/imported/titled/imprinted???) dogs. Anyone had any serious problems with dominance or aggression? How did you handle them?

I just spoke on this but I will repeat myself. The key to bonding is:

- Feeding
- Long walks
- Grooming
- Play or work
- Fair leadership

Puppy
With a puppy I am the only one who feeds him anything. Others feeding your dog is used for problem solving and since I don't have to correct someone else’s problems and all my dogs come from Ed that is not a consideration. EVERYONE greets and pets my pup but No ONE plays with him. I am the center of his world and all food and serious affection comes from me.

Older dog
With an older dog I am the only one who interacts with him for the first two weeks. I am fair and consistent with corrections and never sound mad always followed by high praise. I am someone that he looks for guidance and support. He is in a strange place with strange people and it is my job to show strong leadership. I avoid confrontations if possible with dominant dogs but if this is not possible I muzzle the dog and in a short but strong session he learns that I am in control. This is immediately followed by play. This is not meant to brake the dog and if done right only one session is needed
.

Vince- have you purchased an adolescent or adult from Ed? I am looking for stories from people that have bought titled or imprinted adolescent dogs and have had serious problems with dominance or aggression. What did they do right, what wrong? How did they deal with the dogs on a case by case basis. What were the effects on the dog? I like your good advice, but I would like to hear a number of experiences.

Kinda like show-and-tell at school, but with killer attack dogs. <---joke.

YES, for who ever was gonna say it, I have read Ed's articles. I want more, more, more. . .I'm a bottomless pit for dog info and stories.

Vince, I hear you loud and clear. Sometimes I may sound a little strict in my training. That's not really the case though. Rather, the praise/reward part just seems like a given to me. As well as following up a correction with praise. As well as following stress with relief. It is of paramount importance but arguably is probably easier for people to comprehend and implement than the firm but fair part. IE; Its easy for me to praise my dog for doing something right. Its more difficult for me to spot and correct my dog for doing something that may develope into a future problem. They are both of equal importance, and a person should be just as good at one as he is with the other. A little off topic, but I think you would agree.

jason:

There is an old saying in dog training. "The intermediate trainer knows how to solve a problem the expert trainer never gets into it in the first place."

Point well taken.

I don't profess to be an expert so hopefully I don't get a bunch of stones thrown my way after giving my two cents worth.

AS far as dealing with dominance and or agression problems all I can say is read and re-read all the articles you can on this web site. There are so many things to consider and think about. You need to be aware of all the posibilities you might be confronted with regarding the handling and caring for this type of dog. Each adult dog will have it's own history and if you dig into their history you can learn alot about what makes them tick. Practice patience above all else and things will eventually come together for you and you're dog.

I made myself a pest to whomever would listen or read my E-mails in order to learn as much as I could as quick as I could. I don't feel guilty and even though I may have asked many, many dumb questions I would do it all over again because unless you have alot of experience with this type of dog you're going to need some good advise and alot of it.

I purchased a 2 1/2 yr. old male GSD from Ed a little over two years ago. He will be 5 years old this Feburary. He was a handful considering my lack of experience handling such a dog. He had Rank issues, dominance issues, and plenty of agression to go around. He could be handler agressive and boy was that scarey. I had never owned a GSD with a working bloodline so I found out very quickly that I was almost in over my head. This dog was to say the least very serious and very SCAREY! Not a dog you would want to make a mistake with because you could end up hurt or hurting someone else.

Thanks to Ed's web site and many, many questions being answered via E-mail from Ed and others I was able to overcome my inexperience handling my dog. In my opinion this is the type of dog which requires a fair amount of time to bond, especially if they have gone through one or two different owners and or possibly some bad training or bad training experiences. I believe that the bonding will depend on the individual dog, handler, and what this particular dog had encountered in his past, including any positive or negative experiences.

I agree with Vince P. for the most part. I spent hours and hours walking and grooming this dog. We spent hours and hours together playing fetch because his ball drive was high and it wore him out. He went with me anywhere and everywhere even if it meant him staying in the truck. I became a hot dog factory for several months. Wish I would of had some stock in hotdogs he ate so much. You need to find what makes you're dog tick and what motivates him and use it to you're advantage. I guess I was always looking to try and out smart my dog killing him with kindness and love and never show anger towards him. This will take you a long way in gaining his trust I think. Remember if you find yourself in a difficult situation and you and you dog are at odds think smart. It's always better to lose one battle than to lose the war.

One thing to consider when looking to take on an adult dog with dominant issues would be the time factor. These dogs require more time than you're average dog I think. They need time to figure you out and you need time to figure them out. You need to become obsessed with studying this dogs every move and pay attention to what works and what doesn't work and why. This kind of dog is not going to just automatically trust you to become the pack leader and trust you're decision making if he decides to take on a person or another dog. You need to not only show them kindness, love, respect and fairness you need to be willing to do whatever it takes to bond. Again, patience is the key word. It also helps if the dog has a high food drive. Above all you must remain FAIR when dealing with or correcting this dog. Believe me they know what fair is and most will tolerate a good stiff correction after awhile if they know they screwed up and you're not just abusing you're role as pack leader.

I also think you need to ask yourself this question. Am I ready to take on the responsibility on owning a dog that can in an instant become a dangerous liability? This dog is not going to have the temperment of an angel and would probably be a handful around other dogs and people. You're doorbell might not be ringing as much as it once was. Alot of people will want you to kennel the dog while they are visiting you. The stories can be endless. I have had so many good and scarey experiencesd with my dog that I could write a book.

The dominant dog will try to dominate you and anyone in you're family at times. You can ask around but I don't believe this dog has the temperment condusive to living in a family situation unless you are really on top of things.

On the average and this is just my opinion, but I think you could be looking at a time frame of a year maybe less depending on the dog and how hard you work to make the bonding easier. You need to commit to the long haul and really commit to this dog as he will you in time. Again there's not enough time or paper to tell you all the little things I've experienced but it is all worth it in the long run. I feel that I could raise and take on any adult dog of this type after going through what I went through with my male. And of course he's my spoiled rotten little baby now but when I look back all I can say is WHEW!

Sorry if I repeated anything. I love to talk dogs, especially this kind of dog.

Good luck,

Glenn

Glenn, that was a VERY nice post. Hope to hear more from you in the future <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> .

I appreciate you're positive comments Renee.

Glenn