How can I be the Top Dog?

Question

My toy poodle is almost two now. We love him and treat him like a baby, so as a result, he acts like the top dog! I know I have to make him more submissive and myself more dominant over him. How can I do this? He listens mostly if I have a treat in my hand. When he barks at other dogs during a walk, how can I show him that I am the boss and not to feel threatened by big dogs? During our walk, he's always sniffing for spots to mark his scent. Should I not let him do this? When he's done something bad, then I'll put him on his back and hold him down for a minute with some firm "No"s. It seems to calm him down for about five mintues and then it's back to him being the spoiled brat. I'm not sure what else to do. He's so cute, it's hard to discipline him, but I know it's something that I have to do. Thanks for your help!

Answer 1

Here are some ways to display dominance over your dog:

Walk into rooms and through doorways ahead of your dog. The alpha always goes first.
Eat before your dog does. The alpha eats first. Make him sit nicely before you put down his bowl, or put on his collar, or take him outside, etc etc.
Rub your dog's belly. A submissive dog would lie on the floor belly up and allow the alpha to do this.
Take your dog for a walk. Keep him close to you. Anytime he forges ahead, change directions. The alpha dictates where you're going.
Omit the word "cute" from your vocabulary. When you give a dog a command, don't settle for anything less than total submission to the command. It your dog doesn't perform the command, show him what you want and make sure he does it before you move on to something else.
Keep reminding yourself that your dog views you and your family as his pack. Every human in your pack must rank higher than the dog.

Answer 2

Don't watch Cesar Milan for technique or coaching.

It's not about being a dictator and using force or intimiation or pain to get what you want. How would you raise a child? By parenting - setting rules and boundaries with lost of positive experiences.

Books:
Parenting Your Dog by Trish King
The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson

Websites:
www.clickertraining.tv
www.petvideo.com

Trainers:
www.apdt.com
www.ccpdt.com
www.iaabc.org
www.sfspca.org (referrals for around the world)

Barking at dogs: could be socially motivated behavior and his really excited or he could be frustrated and "aggressive" - in either case teaching impulse control would be were to start along with decreasing the intensity of the stimulus. If a dog is overly reacting then they can't cope with the stress and react - so keep your distance and then ask him to do a sit and watch you.

NEVER do Alpha Rolls. Corrective methods doesn't teach the animal the preferred behavior you expect and they can't read minds. Corrections can momentarily stop behavior but then it will resume. It can teach your dog that you can be a scary person and start being aggressive towards you - it can teach your dog to suppress a lot of behaviors not just the target behavior you were targeting and it ruins your relationship.
Check out Murray Sidman - Coercion and It's Fallout.
Punishment at best is never a good way to increase desired behaviors. Good shaping with reinforcement does.

You need a qualifed and humane trainer to help you.

Books:
Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor
The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson
Parenting your dog by Trish King
Outwitting Dogs by Terry Ryan

Anything by Patricia McConnell she has some good DVDs as well.

Trainers:
www.ccpdt.com
www.apdt.com
www.iaabc.org (com)
www.sfspca.com

Good luck.

Answer 3

I've never understood the reasoning for holding a dog down. I raise Saint Bernards, some which are 200 lbs. I keep them in my home. We eat before the dogs are fed (in a pack the alphas always eat first) We also give a very stern tug followed by a NO if a dog acts up on the lead. Saints can pull in excesss of 2000 lbs. My daughter weighs 103 and she can control our 209 lb Saint. You have to mean what your trying to teach your dog. Just like kids a spoiled dog is an unhappy dog.

Answer 4

Being consistent will be a very good start. Strong leaders have clear rules that are enforced, regardless of the situation (e.g., you can't allow him to jump on you when you are wearing your pjs, then yell at him when he does it when you are in a suit).

That said, there is nothing wrong with "spoiling" him as long as he has earned it. For instance, if you want to give him a piece of steak, have him do a down/stay for one minute first. We always tell our students that we don't care if the dog sits on your head, provided you have given permission for him to do so and you can remove him when the time comes.

There could be many reasons why your dog is barking at other dogs; most of them have little to do with you not being dominant enough. I agree with the above poster that working with a private trainer is your best bet for changing your little guy's behavior. Ask your vet for a referral, or go to www.apdt.com.

Oh, and stop doing the alpha roll. It is an outdated and inappropriate form of correction - akin to paddling a 20-year old human. Corrections should be loss of privileges and nothing physical. A trainer can help with this, too.

Answer 5

The probelm is a very simple one.
You have a toy poodle who has been babied and he knows he is in charge and you are not. He is capatializing on the situation and will continue to do so until YOU change it.
Get a trainer to work one on one with you and show you how to take control of your life back from the spoiled brat dog.
You will have to work on the problems one at a time and do it all the time but with patience and persistance you can be the ruler of the house not the dog.
A behavioral trainer would be best if you can find one in your area.
It may only take a couple of lessons for you to learn how to take back control then all you need to do is to practice it every day.
Good luck.

Answer 6

Watch the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic TV. This is a behavior that you have allowed and you must be the one to show him that you are the pack leader and are in charge not him.
Check this site.
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/

Answer 7

Toy Poodle being the key words! No advice, some small breeds are just like that. Sounds like a house call for Ceasar Millan, The Dog Whisperer. Sounds like he has little man's syndrome. Little dogs are just hard to discipline and like you said he is treated like a baby.

Don't comfort or coddle when he growls. Ignor his presence and make him get your attention. Bait, always use bait for rewards when he reacts well. Be consistent and don't let other baby him either.

Answer 8

watch CESAR MILAN, THE DOG WHISPERER. he has saved my ridgeback. still alot of work to do, but he's still with us. sounds like you have dog aggression issues. rocky does too, but he's 110 lbs and alot more dangerous. he almost got a cocker the other day.

Answer 9

Obedience classes.

Answer 10

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