Not made up. My friend is completely reliable. Sorry.
This.
I have heard from professional trainers of working dogs, many times now, very much this.
CeltDog is a rescue dog, and while Dr. Dunbar’s method worked well, he still would get desperate and eventually mouth me in a very immature and puppyish way. I surmised that he had been weaned too early, and decided to try adding a way to meet the emotional need.
So, in combination with the Dunbar response, I bought some good hard pressed rawhide, and started holding it for him while he chewed during evening family reading/cuddle time. It was basically like holding a bottle for a baby, and it calmed him immensely. Just ten minutes or so per night changed his behavior dramatically.
I still do this occasionally when something has happened to scare him or put him off balance. Works like a charm.
That’s a sweet story.
Well, yes. Take a look at what website you are on. This website is about fighting ignorance. The fact that you’ve seen something in real life means nothing if studies say that what you say isn’t true. Are you going to next tell me that homeopathy works because you’ve used it to cure a cold?
The entire point of research is to find out what is really true as opposed to what merely appears to be true. Now, of course, you can have problems with the research, but then you need to go through and point out the problems. Things that you see because you are “paying attention” don’t trump research. The dominance hierarchy idea has been taught to you, so of course you are going to assume that’s what’s happening.
I’m not saying your necessarily wrong, but the fact that you’ve observed something that seems to prove it wrong doesn’t mean you are right, either. It’s very possible there is another explanation for the behavior you experienced. For example, I’ve noticed that my puppy will try to pin my other dog, even though the other dog is much bigger. But it’s clearly only in play, as he always lets here know when she goes too far. And he will even intentionally flip over to get her started.
You win.
[QUOTE=Merneith;16974011what you’re trying to communicate here is, “Stop it - that hurt” - not, “Me Alpha! You fear me!”[/QUOTE]
You obviously don’t understand what Alpha means to a dog. It’s got nothing to do with fear.
There are collars, both electroshock and ultrasound, which are activate by a “clicker” type device.
You have already lets this develop into a serious problem - a 120+ biter goes to the shelter and is identified to them as a biter.
It will be dead shortly.
Figure out something and do so quickly.
Changing your reaction will simply mean you are initiating a new game - which it starts by biting you.
I seriously recommend that, starting immediately, biting no longer feels good - in fact, every time it bites, it feels pain as well as hostility from the human.
Whoever you’ve been using for “training” is not the person you need. Any “professional” which lets a dog get to 85 lbs and still biting should not be dealing with puppies.
I agree that establishing Alpha status is not about fear. In many ways, it is an assumption of responsibility, and can be a huge relief to a dog who has taken on a role he has no way of fulfilling.
Celtdog came to us accustomed to providing his own needs He was a very accomplished scavenger, and had a very hard time trusting me to provide for him. Butter sticks and egg shells were especially tempting, and it took him a long time to relax and let me be in charge of the hunting and gathering.
But once I took steps to make sure he knew I was Alpha, Celtling was Beta, and he was - well, zeta I guess - he took on the role with aplomb. Like any pack, our “least” member is in charge of initiating play, and greeting/inviting new members. And he does it beautifully, fetching toys, and charming the neighbors whenever possible. Having his role made clear, he is a much happier dog and has the chance to excel every day.
This. The single most effective way to stop a behavior that you do not like is to withdraw all attention, both negative and positive. Teach him that biting shuts you off and makes him invisible.
I wish there was a thread for kittens on this subject; the training tips on denying attention don’t seem to work.
Dogs not only evolved from creatures who rely upon complex tribal social dynamics to survive (wolves), but then spent about 30,000 years reading human beings to survive.
In contrast, there are cats. Don’t expect too much.