dog training?

Question

after reading the dog wisperer and watching dog borstal,i have definatly come to the conclusion that my staff reckons he is leader of the pack,any suggestions on how to fix this problem i was told to .1,ignore him for 20 mins when i enter the room. 2,pretend to eat his food before him. 3,only give him attention when i have called him and told him to sit. 4,do not give him attention when he demands it!he does not really listen to me and have to say is very bossy.due to the fact he is not keen on other dogs im wary of a training class. any suggestions? thanks

also if i try to ignore his bad behaviour he gets worse and proceeds to do something that is really naughty such as steal a sofa cushion ,run to the garden and rip it to pieces!

does neutering help?

thanks for all the great advice, i will be contact a private trainer for a few sessions then try to introduce him to classes! thanks again!

Answer 1

Teach him the "watch me" command. Have him standing or sitting in front of you. Say "watch me" and when he does, give him a small treat. Increase the time he has to watch you before giving him the treat. Never leave his food down, if he doesn't eat it with 10 minutes, take it up and don't offer it to him until his next meal time. That way he learns that food is a priviledge not a right.
Practice NILIF (nothing in life is free). If he wants something, he has to do something to get it. If he come to you for a fuss, make him sit down or lie down before you make a fuss. If he wants his dinner, make him sit and wait until you give him a command.
Do a little obedience with him every day - just 10 minutes or so and don't let him get away with anything. Start with the "watch me" command, so you have his full attention and he'll learn when you say "watch me" you are going to ask him to do something which he has to do before he gets his reward.
Good Luck

Answer 2

This is one problem dog from the sounds of it!!

Neutering may even solve this problem so this should be done ASAP - if it still does not work you need to show your dog you are in charge but not by using any sort of negative behaviour.

Dogs may not be wolves any more, but they still use pack behaviour which means you have to be the top dog - hopefully these tips will help!

1 - Put the dogs food down after you have eaten - in a pack the top dog eats first, the other members eat when he is finished.

2 - Take your dog to training classes or walk him where there are other dogs {just watch out he doesn't get too nervous - praise him a lot when he is behaving the way you want him to} - he may not like other dogs but socialisation with other dogs is essential or he may become aggressive with them and this could even mean him being destroyed.

3 - If you really don't want training classes you could book a one-to-one session. They may also have more suggestions for you. It would be a lot easier to help if i could see what was going on but as i cant maybe someone else who could see him would be able to help more.

Answer 3

How have you come to the conclusion that he thinks he's leader of the pack?

There is a better solution to showing your dog who's boss. It's called Nothing In Life Is Free. Basically, it means what it says. You control all the resources in the house - food, water, walks, toys, even a cuddle on the couch. Your dog is not allowed to get these things until he behaves. They don't have to be rolled over in a "submissive" pose. As long as he is being quiet, or sitting, or whatever it is you want him to do, he gets these resources. In my household, "sit" is the magic word. My dogs don't get any food until they have sat down. On walks, we don't leave the house till they are sitting. And so on.

There is absolutely no need to shout at your dog or use physical force on him in any way. Most of the time, he won't even know what you're doing, and will just get scared.

Dogs are not wolves. They are descendants from wolves, but there is plenty of scientific evidence to show that they no longer behave or expect to be treated like wolves. So when you roll your dog over on its back or hold its hind legs, it has no clue what you are doing. Sure, a lot of people think it has worked because the dog then stops whatever it was doing before. But in more cases, the dog is more frightened than learned.

Email me if you have any questions.

Answer 4

You could pay for an individual one-to-one session. My mum did that. Its really helpful if you have a specific "issue" or problem you need help with. Find a really good doggy behaviourist..... It costs about £30-£40 for a one off session lasting an hour - hour and half.

Wondering what specific problems you are having with him? Is it just that he thinks he's alpha dog? How is that effecting his behaviour? What is it that he's actually doing (or not doing what he needs to be doing!) ?

You might also like to think about finding a training class specifically to address his dislike of other dogs. If you found a good trainer with experience and explained that your dog needs to be socialised with other dogs.... it would be a really good opportunity to mix with other dogs in a safe environment. Other dog owners would be sympathetic. Everyone would be going there for a reason, so you'd all sort of be in a similar situation wouldn't you?

Best of luck. If you can say a bit more about what the specific problems are, that might help people give more specific advice, suggestions and ideas.

Not sure who gave you the advice? Ignoring your dog for 20 minute!! Who on earth told you to do that? 20 minutes is way too long! 2 minutes!!

Answer 5

Ok to GOFIT, the dog whisperer is not a phony, and dogs 'do' believe they are the leader of the pack, or alpha male or female, and I have a 'pack' and leader to prove it. Wouldnt like to pay for your services!

As to your original question, I know loads of people who have bought Jan Fennel's book, and have used her methods very very successfully, so I would suggest you add it to your christmas list. I think you should also try dog training club, and buy a muzzle, one of the fabric 'Mikki' ones is the most comfortable for the dog, and you should perhaps use this when you take him a walk. SBT's outnumber any other breed in my area by 5 - 1, and I dont know one of them that doesnt pull on the lead, growl, bark and try to get at my dogs when I am out, even though they are twice the size, so your staffie is not on his own. I take a walking stick out with me now, and have to walk in another direction if I see one coming my way as my dogs are now petrified of anything that resembles one, and I wish the owners would take them into check, rather than thinking it is amusing.
http://www.janfennellthedoglistener.com/
I would also say that what you have been told to do is generally in the main the best way to go about things, neutering could help, but there are no guarantees.
I have had the argument about SBT's for many many years, they are not the easiest dog to train, and if not handled correctly they can turn aggressive, and I believe you would be best to read Jan Fennel's book, follow her suggestions and have lots of patience.

One tip I was told many many years ago by a Professional Trainer, who was also a Crufts Obedience champion handler was to, on a daily basis, stand behind your dog, and pick up his two front legs, so you are in a dominant position standing behind him, and leave him there for around 30 seconds to a minute. Good luck.

Answer 6

Although dogs shouldn't be attributed with having human characteristics, they are intelligent enough to be able to understand the concept of, and execute, certain actions that their owners require of them - if these actions are asked in a way that dogs find rewarding. So, with this rule in mind, owners have to be clever as well and find a way of training their dog that actually works quickly and efficiently. The eBook I wrote explains how to achieve this ideal - how to speak “dog” so that you’re able to communicate effectively with your four-legged friend.
As with any training, the best time to start is as soon as you get your new pet. The fundamentals for successful housetraining are:

- Crate training is very important so it should be mastered.
- A schedule is required for feeding and exercising.
- Be vigilant and patient throughout the training period.

House training is most likely every dog owner’s top concern. And it should begin as soon as possible. That's the very first day your dog comes into your home. If you've adopted a new furry friend and spend months in the home without aiding him/her achieve success when it comes to training then s/he’s going to set a precedence that you now need to change. So, concentrate on prevention as opposed to cure. House training comes down to one
rather simple skill - being a good dog time manager. And this means managing your pup's time so that you let them have as few chances as possible to make house training blunders.

If you want a free copy of my ebook just send an email to: [e-mail]

I'll send you immediately the book and some tips on how to live better with your dog.

Answer 7

I agree with the points you have made. The behaviour will get worse (as he tries harder to get attention) before it gets better - he realises that his bad behaviour is not going to get him what he wants.

I'd really recommend going to an obedience club and doing some work with your pup. You might be uncomfortable at first, but most clubs will have experience in dealing with a dog like yours and will be able to set you on the road to succes.

Alternatively why not try some private lessons at home and then work your way up to classes.

Best of luck!

Answer 8

We tend to think of dog training as a series of steps for teaching particular behaviors. To teach a dog to stay in a particular position, you reward her as she remains in place for gradually longer times, at gradually greater distances, with gradually increasing degrees of distraction. Read more https://tr.im/y2dAr

Now, this is fine, training does involve teaching dogs specific behaviors with a step-by-step approach. This week, though, I’m going to discuss three mental habits that will not only enable you train more effectively but also make life pleasant for both you and your dog.

Answer 9

It sounds like the problem you are having is dominance. Your dog has taken the alpha role and given you the subornment role, you need to reverse that.
Training is your best solution.
You can continue to train yourself and you can see where it got you, or you can listen to people on QA and that won't do much better, in the long run it's the dog that will pay the price.
I have been into training for some…35 years or there about. Unless you are knowable about training and your not then the best thing to do is find a class where you will get trained along with you dog. You will both benefit, you will both learn the proper commands and bond in the progress.
The prices of training classes varies from state to state, but in the long run it is one heck of a lot cheaper than getting sued. No matter how small the dog you could get sued by someone who gets bit!
Contact your vet; they may have a bulletin board or postings that list training organizations, schools or associations or clubs. If they don't then ask them where there is something in your area. Join one and you will see what you and your dog can do together.
You only need simple obedience training, but once you get started with it you may want to go on further. I started taking my dog for training, I got involved in it and before I knew it I was teaching the class.
It works like this, you are taught to train your dog, and it’s that simple and only requires spending time with your dog. Basically you learn and you teach the dog.
One of the early objects in training is insisting that the dog look to you for guidance, leadership, take the alpha position.
As you say he has problems with other dogs then you may want to talk to the instructor first and perhaps introduce them.
You have not mentioned the age or breed but I assume it is a large breed.

Answer 10

First of all the dog wisperer is a phony. Also the therory that dogs think of the pack is also false. Dogs branched off wolves millions of years ago and have long since been domasticated, so they dont believe they run in packs. The one way to train a dog is through positive reinforcment, negative reinforcment, shaping(pperant conditioning) For example if you want him to sit when hes around another dog you get a bag of dog treats(small) and a dog training clicker. or a noise making device. Dog clickers work best. Next you click the clicker and give him a treat. Repeate this several times. He will begin to associate the sound of the clicker with a reward. Next you click and push his but down and give him a treat. repeat this when he starts to do it on his own. Only treat him when he begins to sit. Then only treat him whin he sits farther. finaly once he sits all the way give him a treat only some of the time. Next you associate a command for sit. or just say sit use the clicker and give him a treat. repeat this and then stop using the clicker and just say sit and give him a treat. Eventualy you wont need to give him a treat . and you will be on your way to having a better behaved dog. Repeate this type of traning for any behavior you want. good luck, also this is the just of what hill learn in dog training