how do you discipline?

Question

I have a large dog who attacks his sister only at a dog park when they're both running loose. He's fine with almost every other dog. I'm not sure how to handle it except I grab his collar and try to snap him out of it but he'll bite my hands and go right back to her. What do I do please?

Come to think of it, he does happen more when other dogs are playing with her. But theyre both fixed

Answer 1

I am wondering why he attacks her there and not at home.??? The only solution I can come up with at the moment, is to muzzle him when you take him to the dog park, or take them separately to the dog park (which is a pain.. I know)

I almost wonder if he is jealous of the other dog's attention toward her there and maybe he is taking it out on her?!?

EDIT: Even if they are both fixed doesn't mean that he can't be jealous. Fixed only means he can't seal the deal, he still might think of her as HIS... dogs are very possessive of people/other animals in their lives.

Answer 2

Stage 1: Verbal Correction

No matter how careful you are, your dog (and you) will make mistakes. Try to catch him while he's still just thinking about it, before he actually does whatever it is. From the start, discourage his potential trespasses as though you were a mother dog. Issue a low growl, "Unh unh," or "No", with the warning message, "Don't you dare. Don't even think about it!" He'll probably reconsider. Be sure to give him verbal praise when he responds correctly.

Next best is to catch him in the act. If young puppies make a housetraining mistake during the first week in the new home, don't scold. Just take the offender outside and praise him when he does his business in the right place. It's your fault. For older puppies, a good sharp scolding is in order when they blow it, whatever their mistake may have been. Surprise the pup so he's taken aback and links the reprimand to his action. Then learn from this mistake so you don't allow the situation to repeat itself unless you are there to warn him.

Scolding after the act is virtually useless, but we sometimes yield to the temptation and do it anyway, because it makes us feel better. The dog, however, rarely makes the connection between the punishment now and the great fun then.

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Stage 2: Environmental Correction / The Set Up

Environmental corrections can bring miraculous results. To the dog, it seems as though someone's watching him at all times, so he'd better behave. What a good attitude to cultivate, as long as the dog doesn't become skittish as a result! Environmental set-ups work particularly well against mischief. Many dogs are smart enough to figure out that they can get away with things when you're not home. But luckily dogs are predictable-they do what feels good and stop doing what doesn't feel good. So we can set up a situation where the environment makes the dog feel lousy.

Here are some examples of successful set-ups suggested by professional trainers for certain misbehaving pooches:

One dog got his kicks rummaging through the bathroom rubbish and strewing the shredded contents everywhere, especially when his owner wasn't home. The owner cured him of this nasty habit by sprinkling a little hot pepper in the first few layers of miscellaneous tissues and papers in that rubbish bin and then leaving for work as usual. It took the dog exactly one experience with the prepared rubbish to cure him for good.

A dog who liked to steal things off the kitchen table never did it again after his owner left him a great set-up. The owner put a piece of linoleum on the table so about half of it hung over the edge. Then he put tin cans filled with pebbles and several other miscellaneous noisy but harmless items on the linoleum so that when the dog jumped up, the whole pile came tumbling down on him. That surprised dog did not risk another jump.

Set-ups are powerful medicine and can be very frightening, especially to submissive dogs. We highly recommend that if you are having a problem with your dog, you ask a professional trainer to evaluate your dog's personality and suggest the right type of set-up to use. Be sure no real harm comes to the dog.

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Stage 3: Time Out

When children go over their limits, parents often send them to their rooms for Time Out. You can do the same with your dog if he makes a big mistake. Scold him and put him in his crate or in a closed room for twenty minutes. Ignore him while he is inside. After time is up, just let him out and forgive him completely. Cheer him up with a little petting or play time.

Some trainers don't like to use crates this way, however, we found this technique invaluable as an aid in solving our dog's problems, and she still loves her crate. We saved the Time Out for serious mistakes when she was a puppy, like biting too hard.

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Stage 4: Physical Correction

We highly recommend that, except for collar corrections, you use physical corrections only with the guidance of a professional trainer. Physical corrections must be done properly to work, and even then, they aren't effective on all dogs. Many dogs only return violence with more violence. And for some dogs, physical correction is terribly frightening and can damage their confidence.

Don't ever hit your dog, not even with a rolled up newspaper. It does absolutely no good whatsoever to push his face into a pile of poop. The only thing that can accomplish is to make him a poop eater.

Collar corrections:

For dogs over four months old, you can use a chain collar as a discipline tool. The collar correction is handy for problems around the house or when you're out for walks-whenever you can be there personally. One important warning however: Never leave a correction collar on an unattended dog! He could choke and even kill himself (many have done so!)

Constant pulling can damage your dog's throat. If you don't already know how, see a professional trainer to learn successful collar correction technique.

Summary

Inappropriate use of physical correction can trigger dog aggression or create a fearful animal. Use verbal correction whenever possible, but learn some physical correction techniques appropriate to your dog just in case you need them.

Answer 3

The problem with hitting a dog or even yelling at it is that the dog usually doesn't understand why it's being 'attacked' or threatened by its owner. So most often 'disciplining' a dog usually just scares it. If it stops the bad behavior it's a side effect, not a result of the disciplining. I teach my dogs the behavior I want them to do be doing. So when they are doing something I don't like, I get them to stop it. I may do this by calling them, tossing a ball, changing direction and walking away from them. Once they stop what they are doing (you have to stop, or better, prevent the bad behavior in order to change it) I get them to do something else, like sit for a treat.

I don't know why your dog is going after his sister, but he's obviously aroused enough to go after you. He could be playing and just over excited or it could be something else. You need to find someone who can help you figure out what's going on. But in the meantime, work on basic obedience commands with your dogs. Get super good treats so they pay attention to and if you even suspect that your male dog is going to go after the female, stop it before it starts, call him, get them, get them to sit, feed good treats and release them. The challenge is that if the dog get so aroused he can't focus on you, you can't work on changing the behavior. So you want to work on preventing it to start with. But remember to always give your dog a new behavior to practice instead of just trying to stop the one you don't like. If it's really bad and he's actually hurting her you could fit him with a basket muzzle so he can't bite her.

www.fearfuldogs.com

Answer 4

Is he a puppy? First of all, don't let him loose at the park. Next, try to take him to discipline school. My parents have a giant Schnauzer who acts the same with their other dog, only a certain times. They are taking him to obedience school and things seem to be getting better for them. Good luck.

Answer 5

Keep him on the leash a couple of times that you go, and when he goes to attack, pull him up and make him sit, telling him 'no' in a firm voice. Do a bit more reinforcement training with him to make sure he is listening to you, like , sit, stay, with no rewards. Is he neutered? Is she spayed? Him biting your hands is his way of saying 'stay out of it, im the alpha and i will do what i want'. You need to snap him out of that, there are lots of good training regimes out there for dominant dogs, just search it on the web and im sure you will find something that works for you.

By the way, i bet my bottom dollar that the reason why he does it at the park and not at home is because at home he is the dominant dog and she accepts this, but when they are away from home territory, he is a bit insecure so is trying to assert his dominance and squash any independant behaviours she may display.

Answer 6

Is he neutered? If not, that would be a start.
Then before he attacks another dog & you get sued or he attacks a person, I recommend a professional trainer or at least sign up for classes with one to help you better manage him. This could get dangerous if he is so agressive that he will bite you.
If he attacks another dog & the owner attempts to intervene & gets bit, your dog could get put down & you could again get sued.

Answer 7

i watch the dog whisper and Cesar says redirection is good i just try to let them no i a calm that is not the behavior i want i use choke collar but be trained how to use it the vet taught me i still hate to use but sometimes it is necessary

Answer 8

That's a good question...Wait.... does the sister dog get along well with other dogs? tell me, and I'll answer the question better next time

Answer 9

there are lots of different ways to disapline dogs here are a few...

spank them (unless they have a hard bite)

tell them "bad dog!" (almost only works on little dogs)

get him trained by a pro.

get him, and his sis a check-up, mabye theres something wrong with him or his sis.

he could just not want his sister to have alot of friends there.

you could get him a leash

or you could take him and his sister to the park at diferent times (i know it would be a pain)

or if it comes down to it you might have to get ride of one of your dogs...

i can't give you THAT much help cause i don't know what kind of dogs you have sorry.

p.s. a friend of mine has a boxer and she says that when he acts up she does not give him as much food and points to what he did and says "that's why your so hungry" and spanks him. she doesn't starve him or anything like that but, she doesn't give him good tasting food and skips the treets. (hope i help alot)

Answer 10

It's a dominance thing. Keep him on his lease. The minute the tail goes up and his body stance starts into an attack zone, ears forward, pull up abruptly on the leash. UP. gets his attention. Keep at it until he understand that is not acceptable.

You can try pushing him to the ground in her presence and hold him on his side until he calms and becomes submissive. Let her smell of him while he is down if she tries. Once he shows a submissive attitude in her presence he will probably not attack. And you may need to use both of these techniques for a while. Depends on how dominate he is. Check web site :http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/ for additional help