Tips for getting my Alpha male dog to see me as the boss?
Question by Dragon s: Tips for getting my Alpha male dog to see me as the boss?
I have a German Shepard. i know where he gets his alpha status, since he was a pup me and him did aggressive playing he would play bite and do little growls and i would use my hands to push him down and stuff. his bites never hurt but now that hes 2 its worse, he now when he doesn’t wanna do something like lay down he will bite if i try to pull him down. I just got done teying to show my domonice after he jumped onto the table and ended up with 2 bleeding cuts and lots of red lines on my hand. I did what i saw on that dog whisperer i pushed him down onto his belly and kept him there until he would stay in that position until i left the room. anything else i should know and how soon do you think he will start showing me as alpha male or pack leader.
Best answer:
Answer by BulliesRock
Pack leaders never have to assert their dominance using voilence. That’s your first mistake. You need to take your dog to positive reinforcement training. Find a trainer here:
www.apdt.com
This is easily corrected using humane methods and not the kind you see on Dog Whisperer. A pack leader never rolls his subordinates. The LOWER pack members do this. He’s confused because you aren’t acting like a true leader. You assert dominance by eating first, leaving the room first, not allowing the dog on high spaces (bed, couch). None of these require hurting your dog. Take your dog to training or bring the trainer in to show you how to correct the mistakes you made in the beginning.
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That’s why you train them from the time they are a pup as they are as an adult. You don’t teach it behavior that’s okay at one time, but not another. Just doesn’t make sense and can be very confusing. Now that you’ve basically made it near impossible for him to see you as the alpha, you’ll need to bring in the guns. I hate suggesting this to people as I think everyone who owns a pet should be able to train it themselves, but here it goes. You need to take it to training. By being a total irresponsible owner and not realizing that your breed of choice is this way by nature, you have truly made a mess. Please get a professional to correct it before he hurts someone other than you.
Here a some things I do to keep my dogs in line and so they see me as in charge:
1. Food time limits–pick up their food after 15 minutes and don’t do open feeding.
2. Sit in them–I will turn my dogs on their backs and sit on them for a short period of time.
3. Don’t reward for bad behavior–have consistant reactions for misbehavior (ie loud deep vocalizations). Don’t sooth a nervous or bad behaving dog as you are rewarding it.
Lots of other things…just do some research.
bite him on the ear. my bro swears by u marking your territory in the yard the same way he would…
Since he’s now 2 and has no manners you really should seek the help of a trainer. Simple obedience would do wonders for the both of you. This is a prime example of why dogs need proper training from puppyhood.
Look through your local ad papers and check out craigslist to try and get some contact info for dog trainers. Make sure to check their references.
Definately do NOT confuse him. Be self assured and confident he will pick up on that. But don’t attack or hit him at all. Be Firm with your words and commands and communicate with him often ! He will listen. The more you ignore him if he ignores you the more he will pine for your affection and decide to obey you more often.
With my Staffy, if he tryed to display dominance, I would say in a low, barkish growl “Nooooooo…” so that he can hear my anger, and understand it feel it that way rather than having to use agression. He liked that and I felt much better training him as so. it’s not natural to have to touch or dominate n a physical way for very long. Try to get into his mind….. I know it’s frustrating and very trying but can also be fun. and good for both of you.
It will be an on going process. German Shepard’s are strong breeds & they need boundaries. Always correct him with dominance but not aggression. I think you are doing the right thing it’s just for 2 years your dog has been the boss so it will take time for him to learn he is not the boss anymore. If you are located in the Central Florida area check out http://www.thedoggyguru.com he can help. Good luck!
Well it is really hard to tell…but it won’t happen overnight….it will take awhile. You have to do it every time….and this will take longer because this is what he is used to.and he has been doing it for 2 yrs….so it will just take a little longer..and i little harder to do.
Oh dear.
Well you’ve gotten yourself into a tough tough situation now. Especially with a male GSD.
1st thing’s 1st. Don’t do the “belly roll” anymore. That should ONLY BE EVER DONE with small-medium dogs, because of the huge risk that a larger dog could bite your face and cause serious injuries to you..
I know people will thumbs this down, but I have had experience with overly-aggressive Rottweilers, German Shepherds and other large breeds…… but you’re gonna have to take matters out of your hands and into your legs/feet. If the dog jumps onto the table again, push him off with your legs, not kicking him, but in a firm way.
2. Eat first.
3. Push the dog aside and go downstairs and thru doors before him.
4. DO NOT let him on the couch, or in your bedroom.
5. BE consistent.
6. Be firm.
7. Use a choke/pinch collar while walking him. Place it just where the head and neck meet, underneath the jawline… extremely dominant large hard to handle male dogs can be handled like this easily.
8. When he does something good, praise him, but do NOT praise him when he “asks” for it. Only when you want to.
9. Do not go to HIM when you want him. Make him come to you.
Just follow these, and I promise he will be a changed dog within a month. Make sure to be consistent and firm.
train your dog- he wants to please you deep down and you are letting him down. he can be obediant and do many tricks but you need to take some responsibility. TRAIN HIM starting……. NOW!!
Simple- he is a working breed. So from now on, he works for a living. It can be as simple as making him sit on command and wait for his food in the morning. No sit, no food. If he outright refuses, you put the food away and try again later. Better yet, take him for a nice long walk before his meals. Teach him commands, even if they’re pointless ones like speak or dance, the fact that he is obeying you in return for a reward elevates you to dominant status. When you walk out the door, you go first and make him follow. On your walks, he walks slightly behind you (tighten the leash up and then hold your arm back a few inches so his head cannot pass your legs). If he bites during play, stand up and walk away and ignore him. Keep a training collar and leash on him in the house, if he won’t get up or down from somewhere, grab the leash instead of trying to grab him, and direct him gently but firmly with the leash. Avoid forcing him onto his back or belly, that has not been proven to establish dominance, and it puts you at risk for being bitten. Do not play games that he can win, like tug of war. Play games like fetch, and end the game after he has returned the object to you- never let him keep it. The idea is to show him that he lives in YOUR house, eats YOUR food when YOU give it to him, plays with YOUR toys when YOU say so, etc. Everything belongs to you, and you must give him permission to use it.
You may want to consider the help of a professional trainer if simple changes don’t seem to affect his attitude.
NILIF : http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm
Read this about Dominance Fallacies: http://www.dogtrickacademy.com/members/articles/2007/11/23/dominance-submission-and-the-alpha-role/
Please don’t imitate what you’ve seen on the Dog Whisperer. And as for the comment above about “sitting on your dog”–it’s just a modified version of the Alpha Roll. Neither of which is a tool that will actually teach your dog anything, other than possibly submit to you out of fear, or challenge you because he’s tired of being flipped over or sat upon.
Your dog will start viewing you as his pack leader when you act like one, which doesn’t include pushing him down and holding him there.