Friday, July 20, 2012

Dog Health Questions: How can I assert dominance over my dog on my babies' behalf?

We adopted an Anatolian Shepherd/Greyhound mix from the humane society 3 days ago. He's a neutered male, 2 years old and we found out after the fact that he's been adopted and returned several times. I don't know if the humane society has purposely lied to us or the last people to turn him over, but he is not good with small kids and cats like they said. He is trying to show his dominance over them (my two 11 month old babies and two dog-friendly cats) and cannot be trusted yet. He knows I'm the boss and so is my husband, but maintains a threatening posture around the cats and babies. I have them separated constantly right now except when my husband and I are both home and at the ready, but this is exhausting trying to give everyone the right attention. He is a good dog and has a lot of potential and is perfect for what we want him for-a companion for me, a stay at home mom who lives in the boonies and protection for the house. I'd hate to be anyone that tries to break in. We live on acreage so he has nearly unlimited opportunity to exercise and I haven't left the house since we got him, I can tell he's afraid of being left again. I can tell he is used to bossing people around and although I haven't dealt with dogs like this, I've had a few horses who were like that and use that knowledge with this dog. I'm a dominant person to begin with though and don't want to be too intimidating. I've had to be at 5'1" and 110 lbs. But, anyway, the babies don't poke or mishandle him at all, but he's stands squared off and stares at them and will growl if approached. My husband rolls him onto his back and makes him stay that way when he does this. Is there any merit to this approach? Or is the alpha roll an outdated method? We will start dog-training classes, but not immediately as I live far from them and have no babysitter. We are new to this area. Thank you for your help. Oh and are there any dog-training DVDs that are good? Thanks again.

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Recommended Answer:
Alpha rolling is out dated.

It's dangerous to the handler, the dog, and it ruins any trust you may have built w/the dog. He needs to stop that.

You need to find a professional trainer, no video is going to help you with this. I would find a + reinforcement trainer or even better a natural dog trainer. He's part grey hound so his prey drive is pretty high, a natural dog trainer should be able to use his prey drive to correct these unwanted behaviours.

add;

Recent research has shown that the alpha theory is incorrect.

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  • I don't think people who are not trained in properly administering the Alpha Roll should not give the Alpha Roll - ever. You can do more harm than good.

    Definately - you are on the right path with training. See if they can come to you - you may really want to consider that instead.

    There are several good methods for training - but if you are signing up for formal obedience training - call them up and ask them what method they use so you aren't using two different methods. Koehler is one method, there is reward based, clicker, etc.

    I use a combo of methods. Good luck.

  • Hi
    I think you're on the right track I believe that the dog needs to know his place in the pack and when he is sure of it he'll be much happier,the bottom isnt a bad place to be at least its a place!I would ensure also that you feed him away from the kids and after you have all eaten. I would be cautious when rolling him on his back as you dont know his temperament well enough and he may bite out of aggression or fear. Get a good class started or ask a good trainer to come to your house.I would get someone experienced in as the aggression you see could be mis read fearful behaviour in which case you could make it worse if you treat it as aggression. Look up the 5 minute rule on the internet its a really good exercise to do for any dog. it basically involves you ignoreing (completely) the dog when you re enter the house for 5 mins or more if needed until he is calm this just helps to re afirm your status. One other important thing NEVER leave the dog alone with the kids no matter how well he seems to be doing

  • You're on the right track and I commend you for wanting to improve your situation and learn how to handle your dog.

    Personally, I'm kind of torn on the alpha roll. I agree that it should never be done by someone who is not well-versed in doing, but on the same token I'm not sure that it even SHOULD be used. I've seen plenty of research to substantiate that the alpha roll is not an action performed by the alpha dog at all, but rather a rush at the offending dog and at the same time submission displayed so that it APPEARS that the alpha roll is being performed.

    If your dog really is an Anatolian mix then you expect them to be dominant and independent anyways. Greyhounds are triggered by movement, and in general are fine around children they are raised with, but not so much with cats and smaller animals.

    I would suggest you contact a professional trainer who can observe your home life as well as study your dog in-depth and provide personalized solutions for your situation.

    http://www.iaabc.org/suchen/
    http://www.apdt.com/
    http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/
    http://www.associationofanimalbehaviorpr…

    I hope this helps you, and good luck to you!

  • First of all, I would like to point out that it will never be a good idea to leave your dog unattended with children that young! I don't care how much training this dog gets and who ends up being boss, there will never be a good ending to that scenario, so you may have to get used to being there ALL THE TIME.
    I am frankly surprised that you would be willing to take on a rescue dog when you have so much to do with twins. I would actually recommend that you return this dog and wait until the babies are older before you consider taking this on.

    For those who think the "alpha roll" is a good idea, please show me a video where the alpha roll is used in the wild-wolves, wild dogs, hyenas-I will take anything! You will have some trouble, as this is NOT done in a pack environment-ever. Pack leaders rule through intimidation-they very seldom have to resort to violence or anything physical.

    When dealing with very young puppies, a gentle roll onto the back (not forceful at all) is a way of teaching a pup to respond to you as a leader. A forced "alpha roll" on an adult dog with issues is a great way to get your face ripped off and the poor dog euthanized.

    Dog training DVDs are not dog training. You need to be involved with the trainer in order to learn anything.

  • Exerting dominance and alpha rolling him around the kids will only teach him that being around the kids is not a good thing, not something you want him to learn. This may not be a good match for you- greyhounds are typically not good with cats and other small animals that look and act like prey. Not their fault they were bred to chase prey!

    Regardless of how good he ends up being, I advocate never leaving dogs and kids uner 5 (bare minimum) together alone. Too much potential for something to go awry even with the most laid back Lab.

    The following resources may help:

    http://dogs.suite101.com/article.cfm/dog…

    http://www.canismajor.com/dog/kidsdog2.h…

    http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/product…

    http://clickerpets.stores.yahoo.net/puki…

    Additional info in response to edits:

    I may be too much of a grammarian ;-) but when you said that "right now" you don't leave the dogs and kids alone unsupervised, that implied to me that you might in the future.

    Don't give up on clicker training yet. The dog may still be settling in and that may be affecting his appetite. Regardless of the reason, you can train your dog to eat on schedule. First try just putting the food down for a short period of time (ten minutes is plenty long enough, 5 is probably fine) twice a day. Pick up whatever he didn't eat in that time and don't feed him again until next meal time- and only feed a regular sized meal, don't add the rest of the missed meal to the next one. If he still isn't eating regularly in a few days of this, put him on Sue Ailsby's "Train to eat" program- I haven't seen in fail yet!

    http://www.dragonflyllama.com/%20DOGS/Wr…

    Also consider letting him eat in a crate or other out of the way spot- he may be too nervous to eat if there are toddlers running around, etc.

  • ASPCABEHAVIOR.ORG may have your answer

  • Greyhounds are not safe around cats or any animal that runs, the shelter should have told you that. Greyhound mixes are the same way.

    You can try leashing the dog to your waist and keeping him with you for the majority of the day, instantly correcting him when he does something he should not, and giving praise occasionally through the day.

    the Cesar Milan videos on Youtube can help, but you need to get some pet gates installed in your house to block him off physically from certain rooms and the kids. Do not take a chance with the kids. A dog that growls does so out of fear or aggression, and a fearful dog is more likely to bite. With kids they bite at the face. When he's with you, put him in a sit position, they can't get as aggressive that way. And do not let the kids reach for or grab or poke at this dog, he could misinterpret that as attacks.

  • Trainers still tell you to use the alpha roll, and it is effective. However, when your husband does it, it is him exerting authority over the dog not your kids. He will still see them as things to be dominated. Training him is a great idea. Just remember that your kids should never be allowed to punish the dog. They should be allowed to give him positive reinforcement only. I'm not sure if he snaps at your children or you when you give him treats, so if he does ignore this advice. But, one way for your kids to start having more authority is by them giving the dog an order to sit and then giving him a treat. I don't know how old your kids are, though.

  • No matter what anyone says the alpha roll is never out dated, because dogs are not out dated. A dog is a pack animal, your husband, you and your children are a pack, and in a pack there are leaders period. It sounds like you have an idea, but just aren't sure. Shepherds are dominant becauseof there bred roll, to protect and herd. Im sure him being taken back as played a roll in his temperment, but safety has to come first for you children and yourself.
    An older dog will try to test his roll consintly especially in a new home. You husband isnt wrong, some people choose to put them on there back or bite them. I choose to make them wait for there food, untill I say. Also giving that type of dog a job, helps tremendously, guarding the property is a perfect job. There is no quick fix, its gonna take a lot of time and energy. Good luck and do whats best for you and your family.

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