submissive training for dogs

Not every trainer knows what you're talking about, if I even understand. But it's just something that takes time and much patience. But first the dog has to trust you and know you're the pack leader. I've worked with my dog on kindness to everything, except coons and possom. He'll take a possum out pretty quick.
 
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When we were looking for our Pyr, we wanted one that had the temperment that showed she'd tend more towards submissive to us. I have several small children, and could not risk the dog we chose being the boss..We passed up one dog because the way the owners treated him was that he was the king, and did whatever he wanted, and she just put up with it. Not my kind of dog...
When we found Sugar, she immediately came up to our then 2yo, who was then terrified of dogs, and laid at his feet...We knew she was a keeper! She was so sweet! We did things like when you walk out the door, she doesn't go first, we do..She was trained like that, and we knew it. She's been the best dog..When we brought her home, we did a little bit of work with her and the chickens, but she did get one..Not sure why...So, we took a chicken, made the dog lay down, and this takes two people..We held the chicken right near her, about two feet away, and told her "Not yours Sugar" over and over...She knows that command..If she tried to sniff or reach out for the chicken, we'd yank her chain back and tell her it wasnt hers..Once she stopped doing that, we put the chicken on her back. Same thing..over and over...until she submitted to the chicken..Ever since then, we've not had a problem..Now, it's her personality..She's a pleaser..She's such a good girl, and awesome with the children..When we run her in the back yard, if it's me, dh, or one of my older children, she will run super fast and buck around like a bull..It's the funniest site..But, if there are little ones around, she's more careful and wont get quite as crazy...
You can watch Caesar Milan on youtube and also on netflix if you have it..I think you have to get the cds for it from netflix..It does help, and we got some awesome pointers from him...
Hope this helps!
 
Do you want to make a submissive dog more confident or a dominant dog more submissive?

is he's too submissive:
expose him to more things, my goldie was the most spooky, nervous thing when I first got him. But I took him EVERYWHERE with me! Petrol station, supermarket (dresseed him up like a guide dog puppy!), markets, fairs (inc fireworks &noisy rides), dog school once a week for socialising, a dog oval every day for the same thing! Whenever something spooked him I'd take him right up to the 'scary' thing and, it sounds crazy but, I'd pet the 'scary' and tell it how good IT was until he was wagging and confident that it was a nice non-scary thing. He was also scared of loud noises, so I would purposefully kick a metal bin or drop a pot but act like it didn't happen, eventually he caught on that noise is no big deal and if I do it now he just looks at me like I'm an idiot lol
The most important thing is not to praise the dog! It will just reinforce that being scared/unsure is good. Scary things need to be ignored =because they don't matter and aren't scary, you dog will trust you and follow your lead. or, the scary object must be praised therefore making it a positive thing.
The opposite also works if you don't want your dog to touch something, make sure you dog is watching and smack and growl at the thing you don't want him to touch. In his head, this thing = angry human and I don't like angry human so I'll stay away from what makes them angry!

If he's too dominant:
Let him see you eat your dinner and finish before you give him his, dominant one always eats first!
Make sure whenever you go through a gate/door that YOU go first, dominant one always has right of way!
When walking him, if he starts pulling in one direction, turn and pull him in another direction, dominant one ALWAYS leads where we go!
Make him work for his food, feed him less dinner so he's hungry but make up for the reduction in snacks for doing tricks etc it will make him work for a full belly and he will respect you more because he will have to 'obey' for a full belly. This also applies to cuddles...
Watch your posture, shoulders back, stand tall, look at the body language of a dominant dog and try to imitate. Don't look at your dog constantly (submissive always looks to the dominant one for direction), try to be aloof, it will confuse him at first but he will realise things have changed.
 
Thanks,
Are dog is not extremely dominant but, she is not submissive either. I just want to teach her to be able to be around our chickens.
 
best is to introduce the most dominant hens to the dog when it's a puppy so they tell him off if he's too boisterous. They learn to repect the "big scary chickens" lol

An older dog I'd keep right next to the chicken run until he stops being obsessed with staring at the chickens, and the chickens can get used to his presence. I find problems only really occur when a chicken freaks out and the dog decides to join in on the 'game' by chasing it.

It you make a little door or two in the run that only a chicken can fit through they will be calmer as they can take refuge in the coop and know the dog can't get them. I do this for mine cos my goldie goes a little nuts sometimes and will run right through them while doing laps of the garden. I think they can recognise his 'I'm gonna chase you" face because there will be a stand off then the hen will run for the coop!
The biggest danger with him would probably be him accidently standing on them while trying to play.
 

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