why does my dog act like im HIS pet?

Question

my dog doesnt come when i call but when everyone else in my house calls him he comes. my mom,dad,little brothers and little sister can tell him hes been bad without him growling at them but not me. i tellhim to get of the couch and he growls at me. anybody else can tell him to without a problem. its notlike he doesnt like mecuz he will come up to me and want to be petted and when he wants to play he comes to me. how can i get him to listen to me?

Answer 1

You need to earn his respect by establishing yourself as the pack leader, in other words, you have to be the source of everything he needs, and you need to be able to control these sources, while he has to earn them....
Dogs don't do democracy, there's always the pack leader and the rest are followers....but even amongst those, some are higher in rank than others...ALL humans in your household, including yourself, have to be higher than your dog in rank...otherwise, he'll always think that he can boss any of you around when you show him any kind of subtle weaknesses, which include allowing him to walk through doors, openings first (big NO-NO, pack leader goes first...), allowing him to claim spaces, like the couch (another big NO-NO, since pack leaders never share sleeping quarters or resting spots with it's subordinates), feeding him first, or worse, keeping food available all day for free-feeding(bad idea, since you have to be in control of food sources, and normally he should learn to earn his meal, like sitting and waiting patiently, etc)..There are many other ways in which dogs communicate leadership with each other, and you need to learn how to behave like the pack leader. My advice to you would be to join a training class, one that will have all these leadership resources available to you....I myself am a pet training instructor at PetSmart, and teach people how to establish themselves as pack leaders...and it's all through body language and projecting assertiveness, without becoming a tyrant in the process...we use no force at all, we only train dogs by using positive reinforcement methods and clear communication with dogs without confusing them, by using language they can understand clearly. Right now, your dog thinks that you are lower in rank than he is, and he will correct every attempt you make to tell him what to do; he's growling at you, in his eyes your behavior is unacceptable. PLEASE don't wait any longer to establish leadership over him, because it's very possible that next time he will use his teeth to correct your behavior...
Best of luck, and hope everything works out!!!!

Answer 2

Dogs don't really have emotions like we do, their attention span doesn't last long enough for them to get depressed about anything, so I don't think the your dog is concerned with the "right or wrong" side of what your doing, but she might be reacting to your feelings, dogs are a lot more perceptive than most people give them credit for. They can sense it when their person is upset about something or if they're happy about something. If you're feeling stressed or nervous, or upset in some way, she might be picking up on that and reacting accordingly. But this sounds a lot more serious than her just noticing that you're upset. I would advise you to take her into your vet and have her checked out. There may not be any appearance of an outward injury, but she might be sick, or have injured herself internally, so it would probably be a good idea to take her to the vet and get a professional's opinion.

Answer 3

I had the same problem with my dog, he respected everyone else except me. The reason hes doing this is because he thinks hes at a higher rank then you are and you cant do anything about it. You need to show him whos boss. When he does something bad and he growls at you dont be scared other wise he will think he owns you and he can get you to leave him alone. But YOU have to not leave him alone until he listens you have to disipline him. Give him a little smack and nock some sense into him. I know it sounds harsh but you need to show him there will be consequences if he doesnt listen to you. And if he bites you your bite will heal. Trust me. Ive been bitten plenty of times and its really not that bad. Because you will have the best feeling in the world when your dog finally listens to you. Well I hope I helped!

Answer 4

My black lab did the same thing with my son..she is 5years old now and my son is 16years old...finally a few years ago she started seeing my son as a leader of the pack and not low in the pecking order, before she seen him as an equal and ranking the same..(she did try to take control of him)....He played with her, help train her to heal, stay, sit and fetch upon command....when he would repremand her and she did not listen he took control of the situation with a stern tone of voice and leadership....He would hands on say off the couch and would help her along, or lay down on your bed he would take her to her bed and make her lay down...It was what seemed to be a long process for him to get control of her, but he did and stuck to the training process...He did not give up and let her have her own way...We have a wonderful, smart, loving dog, it is just nature for them to have a pecking order...Good Luck!

Answer 5

Maybe your relatives spend more time w/ him. Or give him treats and toys (not really as a bribe, but to show him that there's no reason to be angry towards you). Honestly though, you ned to PUT HIM IN HIS PLACE!!! I'm not talking about hitting him or anything, but teach him and show him that YOU'RE the boss, NOT HIM. If you take charge, he will respect you!

Answer 6

u've given him the impression that he is the boss. not you. it's all about attitude. you have to let the dog see in your attitude that you are the boss and that's just the way it's going to be. period.
dogs always have a pack leader. be the pack leader.

i'd suggest that you watch a few episodes of the dog whisperer on national geographic channel.

Answer 7

first of all, he thinks that he is the leader or master.

you need to set him striaght so that he knows that you are the master. If he does growl at you, you need to tell him NO and slightly hit him on the nose.

he needs to understand that he is not in control and that you are.
That happened to me and my dog, i tried to pick him up when he was confortable, and he would growl at me.

I told him no and lightly hit him on his nose everytime he would do that to me.

He now knows that and doesn't growl at me anymore.

:-)

Answer 8

DOGS ARE NOT HUMAN!!! You people claiming that he just needs affection are way off. You ned to put him on a leash and take him for a walk (like the other poster said) and you leave first, you walk in front, you control the situation. Then he will see that you are in charge.

Answer 9

SOUNDS TO ME LIKE YOU ARE A LITTLE INTIMIDATED BY YOUR DOG HE GROWLS AND YOU BACK UP. IF THIS IS WHAT YOU DO THE HE KNOWS HE SCARES YOU. DO NOT BE MEAN TO HIM BUT WHEN HE GROWLS AT YOU USE A PIECE OF NEWS PAPER AND SWAT HIM AND MAKE HIM DO WHAT YOU SAY HE WILL SOON TURN AROUND AND START LISTING TO YOU WITHOUT GROWLING.

Answer 10

He needs obediance training. He literally does think that he is your owner. Take him for walks but you lead the way, don't let him lead you. He has to learn that you are in control, not him.