DOG PROBLEMS!! HELP

[SavageDestiny]

Read the second line I stated. "he still got all the loving and excersize that was givin him off the chain", i have been a certified dog trainer for 15 years boss, i train for obedience, hunting and K9 so i know dog behavior and psychology very well. He is still considered a pup since he is only a year old, go figure!

You obviously don't know all that much, "boss", if you seriously think the chain caused 100% of the dog's issues.

 

[Americano Blue]

Read the second line I stated. "he still got all the loving and excersize that was givin him off the chain", i have been a certified dog trainer for 15 years boss, i train for obedience, hunting and K9 so i know dog behavior and psychology very well. He is still considered a pup since he is only a year old, go figure!

i know some dogs will behave poorly because they feel less loved. Negative attention is good as long as its attention. or maybe that's just my dogs

 

[Americano Blue]

we put a ton of rocky dirt in all her holes so she gets 1 last chance to prove she can be a good dog

 

[Papas Chickens]

we put a ton of rocky dirt in all her holes so she gets 1 last chance to prove she can be a good dog

Good Luck Americano Blue i wish you the best.

 

[Americano Blue]

Good Luck Americano Blue i wish you the best.

thanks

 

[Lucky KY Chicks]

I would just like to say that you are approaching this problem in a "symptom - treating" manner. You can not fix the problem and stabilize your dog mentally by simply "containing" her.
I recommend Cesar Millan to you. He does not "train dogs". He uses dog psychology which is infinitely more useful. Your dog is highly unbalanced because you allow her to be the "alpha female". Being the alpha is a huge responsibility and it is highly stressful for dogs. And sorry if she is the boss of the other dogs then she is the boss of you. Wrestling her to the ground every now and then does not make you the alpha. Being alpha isn't just being the strongest. Being the alpha is being the pack LEADER. LEADERS don't do crazy things like be inconsistent with their pack. One minuet you want her to lead the other three dogs and the next you want her to submit to you. This is highly confusing and stressful to your dog. You mentioned that you "don't see how she can get bored. she has 3 other dogs to play with, a sandbox, a pool, and a billion toys." None of these things provide her with what she craves most, leadership. Only you can give her that and when you don't she tries to take over. The problem with domestic dogs trying to be pack leaders is that when they try to "lead" us we just don't listen to their signals. Why would we? Most of us don't understand how dogs communicate and most humans don't care to try. Also humans should never actively try to be the subordinate member of a domestic dog pack. Unfortunately it happens all the time though. If you are serious about fixing your situation then go buy all the Cesar Millan Books and videos you can find. It takes work though. Since you are "just about done with this dog" I won't go into all the details of what I would recommend to you based on Cesar's techniques.
I sincerely hope, for the sanity of both you and your dogs, you heed this advise because I whole heartedly stand behind his methods and apply them to MY pack every day.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I caution anyone on using Cesar millan's methods because, quite frankly, they are dangerous and not entirely accurate.

People tend to get wrapped up in being the alpha, but so many trainers (I'm talking veterinarians certified in animal behavior) will advise clients to stay as far away from his training methods as they can. He gets hurt, sometimes quite seriously, more times than the general public ever hears about while employing these methods.

It works for some people, but can also ruin dogs, and this happens quite frequently. I don't have enough fingers to count the number of times dogs come in for behavior consult here at the vet school due to issues caused by that type of training. That is why I like to offer a word of caution.

I do, however, think spending money on a behavior consult with a board certified animal behavior veterinarian would be a wonderful thing, especially if it will save the life of an animal. It is cheaper to do than I expected, and many times can be done over the phone. I can get you the name of the woman I had classes with here at Cornell if you are interested.

 

[Lucky KY Chicks]

I caution anyone on using Cesar millan's methods because, quite frankly, they are dangerous and not entirely accurate.

People tend to get wrapped up in being the alpha, but so many trainers (I'm talking veterinarians certified in animal behavior) will advise clients to stay as far away from his training methods as they can. He gets hurt, sometimes quite seriously, more times than the general public ever hears about while employing these methods.

It works for some people, but can also ruin dogs, and this happens quite frequently. I don't have enough fingers to count the number of times dogs come in for behavior consult here at the vet school due to issues caused by that type of training. That is why I like to offer a word of caution.

I do, however, think spending money on a behavior consult with a board certified animal behavior veterinarian would be a wonderful thing, especially if it will save the life of an animal. It is cheaper to do than I expected, and many times can be done over the phone. I can get you the name of the woman I had classes with here at Cornell if you are interested.

Unfortunately I have also seen dogs that have more behavioral issues when their owners attempt to apply SOME of Cesar's techniques. That's the problem. When owners watch one or two episodes of the dog whisperer they think they can train their dog. This is simply untrue. Cesar does not use the same techniques on every dog. He varies his techniques to suit the dog at hand. That is why you have to truly study his method and observe the different techniques he applies and why. You have to educate yourself on dog psychology and not just learn a few tricks and try to go make your dog do what the dog on TV did. Let's look at two different situations that I have seen Cesar deal with: With a stubborn large dog that will not walk on the leash, but is not in shut down mode, Cesar simply pulls the dog into motion and the dog is forced to follow. The large dog goes through a momentary refusal then is happily jogging along with Cesar. With a smaller dog that goes into complete shut down on the leash Cesar DOES NOT just pull the dog to make it walk. He recognized the harm this will do and actually used food to encourage the dog to walk forward and he keeps the dog from going into shut down mode. Both situations have a dog that will not walk on a leash. While it would be very easy to pull the small dog and make it move, Cesar recognizes that this is not what the dog needs! And while food would likely motivate the big dog, Cesar also sees that the larger dog is not fearful of the leash so food will only serve as a temporary fix.
MAIN POINT
The behavior modification you need to do is going to take a lot more work than just getting advise on this forum. You will have to educate yourself. I highly recommend buying the books Cesar has written and the shows he has produced and as many of them as you possibly can. You will need all of them to get an idea of all the ways Cesar applies his method and you will mainly need them so you can learn the signs that Cesar reads in a dog to decide what technique to use!!!
As far as the alpha being a bad thing as the previous poster suggested, the alpha is simply the leader. Being the leader is not about trying to be the meanest and most powerful. Leaders provide structure. Rules, boundaries and limitations. Leaders also provide security, comfort and fun. A leader provides the time that a pack can eat, sleep and play. The pack sees the leader as the source of all of these things and not just a source of pain or correction. The person who gives only discipline will not be seen as the pack leader!
As to the injuries Cesar receives:
YES Cesar has been bitten. What dogs bite him? Client dogs who have been allowed to reach the red zone state. Most of the time the dogs that bite Cesar have been deemed un-trainable by their owners, dog trainers and vets. Many of these dogs are on their LAST LEG and are literally ridding their last chance to avoid being put to sleep. It is very unfair to judge a trainer based on the fact that he was bitten when dealing with dogs who were purposefully sent to him because they had no other hope.
Cesar Millan is not bitten or in danger at any point with dogs who have not been neglected to the point of reaching such a desperate state. Not providing proper mental stimulation is neglect in my book.

 

[SavageDestiny]

The problem with Cesar is that his methods involve forcing dogs into shutdown mode, kicking dogs, and generally mentally and physically abuse them. For example, that video of him getting nailed by Holly the Lab, the dog is showing SO MANY signals of "I don't want to bite you but please leave my food alone." Instead of working with her gently and teaching that good things can come from people near food, he just kept invading her space and pushed her straight over the edge, which got him bitten. Literally anyone with sense could have avoided being bitten by that dog in that situation.

 

[dainerra]

love Cesar or hate him, no one who doesn't have experience with these methods or in reading dogs should try to employ his methods.