# Tips for Dog Training ?



## Brandy456 (Jan 8, 2010)

Anyone here framiliar with training dogs ? 
Preferably small dogs.
Preferable small dogs who think their raging bears
Although Sparky has gotten ALOT better then 2 summers ago, where he'd attack anything and everything. He hadn' bitten anyone in.. 5-6 months until Christmas night dinner, my brothers girlfriend.
He knows he's done wrong when he bites or lunges at someone, because he'll put his head and tail down and walk to his cage and lay down.
In the summer, most of you know I go camping alot. Where we have the camper parked ,it's full of kids, and other dogs. 
The kids(and dogs) just want to play with him and my ultimate goal is for him to play normally with a child. 
At first, he's okay, but we can't find what 'tiggers' his angryness all of a sudden.
And other dogs, thats like.. wishing money grew from trees.. not going to happen.
He walks good on a leash when we're there, and even runs with me.. 
The campground is opening up in 3 months and I want him to go in with a 'positive' attitude.
Btw, he totally listens to me.. he knows he has to listen to me. 
His vet told me to slap his bum (don't worry, he probably can't feel it with all his fur) when he acts up. 

Any tips ? 

This is he, at the camper.


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## jcottonl02 (Jan 8, 2010)

Aw he is a gorgeous little thing.

I have (well, my parents have, but I lived with them until I was almost 19 and still spend lots of time there) 6 dogs. 5 yorkshire terriers, and one yorkshire terrier-maltese cross, so I think I have a little knowledge lol!

We have had a differnet problem with each of them to overcome lol for example, Rolo pretending he can't hear us if he wants an extra 20 minutes running in the garden, or Lucy challenging ANY guest in the house to a growling match etc etc.

Aggression with dogs often stems from fear. It can also stem from lack of routine, or from a previous experience. I don't know whether my babbling with help at all, but if it doesn't just stop reading lol!

Never raise your voice to stop little Sparky from barking and growling etc. because it will just excite him more. You have to lower the energy in the room. Remain calm. Follow through with punishments, and punishments must be carried out IMMEDIATELY after the act has occurred, otherwise the dog may not understand what it is being punished for. 

If Sparky attacks or lunges at someone, say the same thing every time. 'NO, Sparky!' in a very clear voice. Tap him on the nose, not hard, but enough to make him break the thought in his mind of barking at that moment, and make him concentrate on you. Say 'No' again, pick him up, and place him 'somewhere'. Wherever. Outside? In a 'naughty pen'? Wherever. Don't make it somewhere like a couch or something because he'll be scared to go there lol.

Pay him no attention once he is there/outside etc. When you let him back in after maybe a few minutes, don't pay him attention.

Try this and see if it works. I guess different dogs response differently to methods.

Most of all- YOU are top dog. Sparky has to know this. You are the leader of the pack (thankyou, Caeser Millian lol), and you are always in charge.

I'd recommend watching some Caeser The Dog Whisperer. It sounds stupid but my god does he know what he is talking about. You watch how every dog he owns (he has about 30) walks to heel altogether when he takes them all walking etc. They are perfectly trained, and so happy. Buy a series or watch some on the internet. They are very good.

He deals with aggressive dogs a lot, surprisingly a lot are little dogs.

Hope this helped a bit. Maybe I just told u what u have already tried.

Do try watching Caeser or buying one of his books (cheap off Amazon of course  ) because they are very good.

Jen x


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## Brandy456 (Jan 8, 2010)

Thanks  

I do watch the dog whisperer. 
When he was younger, we almost lost him to some medical complications so we had a 'baby' him in some ways.
Like , I had to bottle feed him, and do a lot of things for him.
He also had a lot of privileges so now, all better he thinks he still has those.


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## jcottonl02 (Jan 8, 2010)

Yeah that can be hard. Our third dog, Pippa, had Giardia and Campylobacter at the same time, when she was only 8 weeks old, and she almost died twice. The worst thing was the vets couldn't work out what was wrong, so she just kept collapsing, almost slipping into a coma one time. We still think ourselves so lucky to have her, and sometimes when she's naughty and I need to tell her off, I just can't sometimes because I look into her little eyes and see her tail just wagging and wagging and think how close we were to losing her.
Thing is that can lead to bad habits, like you said, but you just can't help yourself can you? 

I would suggest puppy training classes, but we tried that when we first got our first dog Rolo, but he was pretty hopeless at it bless his little heart. It was all tricks and rolling over and "down" and stuff, which is great to have cos it teaches obedience, but bless him, he got to sit and down and then just couldn't understand the rest. He's not the cleverest of dogs but he is the most loving.


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## Brandy456 (Jan 8, 2010)

He's over 2 years old


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## jcottonl02 (Jan 8, 2010)

He's over two years old? What do you mean? ....? Do you mean he can't do puppy training? There are dog training classes too around, I'm sure, even though a 2 year old dog has only just stop being classed a "puppy".


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## Korr_and_Sophie (Jan 8, 2010)

I would say that you (and you family) need to re-establish yourselves as his leaders. He is probably insecure and doesn't think that you can protect him. As he did have some issues when he was young and you did 'baby' him, he might not have been socialized properly. He doesn't know how to interact properly with other dogs, people and the general world around him. Having lots of privileges probably isn't helping either. 

There are some simple things that can help. Keep him off the furniture (couches, chairs, beds etc). The furniture is your place and he would need to be invited up (and not until he recognizes you as leader). Do not carry him around. He has 4 feet and can walk on his own. You should go through doors, hallways first, you should also lead on walks (he is beside or behind you). You eat before he does and you control the food (no free feeding). No treats, he should do what you tell him because of your bond, not because you have a bribe. 

You need to monitor him at all times. You need to watch for subtle changes in his body language. If could just be that he is a bit stiffer around a certain dog and may lift his lip slightly. Dogs will give many warnings before they bite. You would need to interrupt him before he acts, but still allow him to give the warning. If you prevent the warning, he could just go for the bite right away. It is good for him to have a positive reaction, even for a few seconds, and not have the chance to even need a warning. That way he associates something with just smelling them, and not needing to escalate (if that makes any sense at all). 
It is vital that you make any correction quick. If you are too slow, it is not effective. 

The best thing to help him is to socialize him. Take him for walks so he can meet other dogs and people daily. If you trust him at an off leash park, do that. One of the worst things people do is that their dog nips another dog and the dogs are pulled away. Dogs need to learn that they may not get along, but that is OK, they can still be around each other. Once they sort though some things, they can get along. One time at an off leash park, a dog was trying to hump my dog. My dog nipped him a bit to get him off. We were walking the same way as that dog and the dogs were able to sniff stuff and be friendly even though they had a disagreement at first. If you take the dog away, they don't learn how to behave in the situation. If you leave them around the dog that they had as spat with, they will learn that they can be around thing that they maybe didn't like a few minutes ago. 

I would recommend Brad Pattison. He has a show called At The End of My Leash. I have implemented some of his stuff with my dogs and they (mostly one who was a brat before) have improved. My younger one would nip at just about every other dog, not she rarely does and is a lot better than she was.


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## MyLOVEABLES!! (Jan 9, 2010)

*Korr_and_Sophie wrote: *


> I would say that you (and you family) need to re-establish yourselves as his leaders.
> 
> There are some simple things that can help. Keep him off the furniture (couches, chairs, beds etc). The furniture is your place and he would need to be invited up (and not until he recognizes you as leader). Do not carry him around. He has 4 feet and can walk on his own. You should go through doors, hallways first, you should also lead on walks (he is beside or behind you). You eat before he does and you control the food (no free feeding). No treats, he should do what you tell him because of your bond, not because you have a bribe.
> 
> The best thing to help him is to socialize him.


I couldn't have said it better. 

You should definitely read "If only they could talk" this book would help a lot! Taclkes problems about agresion , anxiety, behavior problems etc. Worth reading.


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## Brandy456 (Jan 9, 2010)

jcottonl02 wrote:


> He's over two years old? What do you mean? ....? Do you mean he can't do puppy training? There are dog training classes too around, I'm sure, even though a 2 year old dog has only just stop being classed a "puppy".


Most classes, around here for dogs his age must have puppy training. So while he spent most of his puppy stage at a vet's office, I wasn't able to get him into classes.

I also don't trust him off leash.
He way he thinks he's so.. superior to other dogs could lead to another trip to the vets office with him being so small.
(9 pounds)
But thanks a lot.


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## jcottonl02 (Jan 9, 2010)

To be honest, puppy classes are just a beginning, I guess to stop problems before they occur, so I don't think they'd help ur guy that much anyway.

It's Me or the Dog is a bit stupid sometimes too but her theories are actually very good. Maybe give that a read or a watch?


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## degrassi (Jan 9, 2010)

*Brandy456 wrote: *


> jcottonl02 wrote:
> 
> 
> > He's over two years old? What do you mean? ....? Do you mean he can't do puppy training? There are dog training classes too around, I'm sure, even though a 2 year old dog has only just stop being classed a "puppy".
> ...


You should easily be able to find beginner adult dog trainning classes. I took my dog when he was 4 yo. Look for a training school that will teach you how to be "top dog" not just sit, come , stay. Although, any training classes will still help get him to learn to listen better and get use to you being the leader. 

The key to a well behaved dog is for him to be submissive. If he isn't the "top dog" in the house he won't bark, bite or growl and will look to you for everything. 

For my dog we had barkbusters come to the house as even though he was well trained(he knew his commands and was a good dog) he would bark at our big bay window when people walked by and we couldn't get him to stop. So barkbusters came over and taught us that Barkley was the dominant one in the house and we had to take charge and re establish our dominance. It wasn't anything harsh, just a few vocal queues, a shake can(to make a loud noise) and a new chain collar(not a choke chain). The change was noticable instantly in barkley, but took a few weeks of working to get it really solid. The key is consistanscy. I noticed a few months ago we stopped doing the corrections and began getting a little slack with his behaviour and he was reverting right back to his old ways. 

So I would recommend starting with a basic dog training class. Then work at establishing your family's dominance. You dont' have to be mean, no yelling, or hitting, but through body language(calm, assertive, stand up facing the dog etc.) and priviledges your dog needs to learn where he stands in the family. I call it "doggy boot camp". No treats, no bed or couch unless invited on, no begging for attention(ignored him, not even eye contact) and daily training.


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## MyLOVEABLES!! (Jan 10, 2010)

Maybe a private training class with a behaviorist ?


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## Bassetluv (Jan 11, 2010)

Sounds like your guy needs a class where he can learn socialization with other dogs and people. Not sure if there are any like that in the Ottawa area (I know, when I looked for classes for my dog many years ago here, they were only taking adult dogs who'd successfully completed puppy training). 

I also second (and highly recommend) any training videos and/or books by Cesar Millan, as well as his show on National Geographic. I've never seen anyone who understands the actual behavior of a dog the way he does, rather than moulding a dog to conform to human ways, he teaches humans what makes a dog tick, how they think, react, and why they do what they do. He's the first behaviorist I've seen who adequately reflects what I've always believed about dogs; that we need to learn their language in order to teach them how to live with us.

I tend to disagree with your vet's advice...a slap to a dog in any area of his body to correct him isn't the right way to correct a dog, ever (imo). Watch some Cesar Millan...when he's walking a dog who is prone to aggression toward other dogs, he never slaps. In order to break the dog's focus on another dog they cross paths with one, he reaches his foot around to the back of the dog and taps him with it...the dog is distracted, but does not associate the tap with the human. It is simple redirecting of an intense/unwanted focus. Never raise a hand to a dog, even if it is a light slap; especially to a dog who tends to get into an aroused state.


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## Brandy456 (Jan 13, 2010)

Bassetluv wrote:


> I tend to disagree with your vet's advice...a slap to a dog in any area of his body to correct him isn't the right way to correct a dog, ever (imo). Watch some Cesar Millan...when he's walking a dog who is prone to aggression toward other dogs, he never slaps. In order to break the dog's focus on another dog they cross paths with one, he reaches his foot around to the back of the dog and taps him with it...the dog is distracted, but does not associate the tap with the human. It is simple redirecting of an intense/unwanted focus. Never raise a hand to a dog, even if it is a light slap; especially to a dog who tends to get into an aroused state.



Hehe, I'd trip.
I've done the 'poking' thing that cesar does, and it actually words  

Thanks _


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## BooLette (Jan 18, 2010)

Please don't use Caesar Milan's methods. He has a variety of lawsuits against him right now for hurting people's dogs with his methods. His training is fear based and from what you said about your dog it seems like he is fearful enough already. It also sounds like he is full of anxiety. 
My first mode of action would be to take him to the vet and get a blood screen to make sure that is normal.

You should get a book on positive reinforcement training. Dominating a dog like Caesar does is not the way to go.


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## Bassetluv (Jan 18, 2010)

> Please don't use Caesar Milan's methods. He has a variety of lawsuits against him right now for hurting people's dogs with his methods. His training is fear based and from what you said about your dog it seems like he is fearful enough already. It also sounds like he is full of anxiety.
> My first mode of action would be to take him to the vet and get a blood screen to make sure that is normal.
> 
> You should get a book on positive reinforcement training. Dominating a dog like Caesar does is not the way to go.


Just adding my two cents on this (and of course, it's really one opinion against another).

As far as I know, Cesar Millan has faced two lawsuits; one surrounding an alleged breach of contract with someone he employed several years ago; the other, alsoa few years ago (and now settled) involved a case where one of his employee's dogs suffered an injury at his dog psychology center, when a friend of an employee was handling the dog on a treadmill...and from what I've read, Cesar wasn't present when it occured.

I will still heartily advocate Cesar's methods, even though they may not be for everyone - as he states himself, his way is not 'the only way'. However, I do not believe that his methods are fear-based in any way; I've yet to see any evidence of that on his show. He teaches owners to be the leader with their dog, to set the boundaries and rules, just as the leader will do in a dog pack. Never does he strike, hit, orkick a dog (as has been accused of him, his method of tapping a dog with his foot has been turned into *abusively kicking dogs* by those who do not advocate his training methods). He bases his methods on dog behavior, and his track record for rehabilitating the toughest of cases, dogs with extreme aggression - notthrough force, butthrough dominance (there is a huge difference) - stands on its own, simply in the number of lives he's saved, and in the number of people who have had their dogs seen by him. Many of the tougher cases of aggression that he's seen were fear-based, and using gentle methods of dominance, and discovering what the dog is afraid of, the aggression has been successfully treated.

However, as I said, his methods are not the only method, nor are they everyone's method of choice.It's all a matter of researching different dog trainers and finding one best suited for your own personality. 

(Again, I just posted to stand up forCesar Millan, as it seems there is a misconception heis instilling fear in dogs, orhas multiple lawsuits ongoing, or is abusive toward dogs. I just don't see it, and of all the trainers and behaviorists I've seen (or read their books) over the years, in my opinion he is at the top of the list in both methods and results. And that's how I see it...)


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## Brandy456 (Jan 19, 2010)

I've been using some of cesars methods.. 
The one where you poke them in the side when they get excited.
Worked. 
He now keeps a 'perimeter' around my baby nephew.

I have a story to tell of what happend to sparky a few days ago. In a sense, it's funny.. if you think about it (ingury's put aside) but really sad.

Anyways my moms friends came over, a lady and her husband.
And Sparky was all happy getting on his lap. But he got up and put his head under Mike's chin (i was sitting beside him) and all I see are teeth. I thought he was Playing because thats how he plays. But I randomly turned my head and saw his lip curl. 

So I leaned my hand over, to push spark off (towards the floor) while Mike had the same idea.

Sparky then flew, onto the coffee table. Then sat there, and started wagging his tail.

This dog is nuts !


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## MyLOVEABLES!! (Jan 19, 2010)

Sorry Brandy but that is funny I can just imagine him grinning sitting on a coffee table!


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## Brandy456 (Jan 19, 2010)

He sat there like nothing happened XD


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## MyLOVEABLES!! (Jan 19, 2010)

Silly silly boy! So cheeky. So are things going better?


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## Brandy456 (Jan 20, 2010)

No 
Well they were

But since I babysit my nephew almost every day while his parents are at work, he keeps toys here and Sparky got ahold of a little plastic ball from a mini-basket ball set. So I went to get it from him and he tried to bite me.
-.-


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## BooLette (Jan 20, 2010)

I suggest that you join this forum:

dogforums.com

They will be able to give you in depth advice on how to train this dog and to keep him from biting you in different situations.

These people are great and some of them are actually dog behaviorists.


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## BooLette (Jan 20, 2010)

*Bassetluv wrote: *


> > Please don't use Caesar Milan's methods. He has a variety of lawsuits against him right now for hurting people's dogs with his methods. His training is fear based and from what you said about your dog it seems like he is fearful enough already. It also sounds like he is full of anxiety.
> > My first mode of action would be to take him to the vet and get a blood screen to make sure that is normal.
> >
> > You should get a book on positive reinforcement training. Dominating a dog like Caesar does is not the way to go.
> ...


Rolling a dog over on it's back and 'dominating' the dog, is a fear based training. Do you think that your dog likes this? Also, I don't know why anyone would try to be a dog. Obviously you are not a dog and your dog isn't going to see you as one so they aren't going to take this dominance the same way as they would from another dog.

All you are teaching your dog through doing this is that you are an unpredictable person that they should fear.

I have worked with dogs for a long time and have tried many different training methods. Caesar Milan Is ridiculous to me. It's just my opinion, but I think that if you want this dog to listen to you then you need to start with basic obedience. When you work with training a dog through positive reinforcement you build a bond with the animal.


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## BooLette (Jan 20, 2010)

*Brandy456 wrote: *


> No
> Well they were
> 
> But since I babysit my nephew almost every day while his parents are at work, he keeps toys here and Sparky got ahold of a little plastic ball from a mini-basket ball set. So I went to get it from him and he tried to bite me.
> -.-



You should never just take something from a dog without trading them. They will become aggressive and reactive when they have a toy or treat or something that they don't want to give up because they will learn that you are going to snatch it from them.

I like to work on my dogs with the 'trade game' while they are still puppies. When they have a toy or something that they are really into then I go over and gently take the toy out of their mouth/grasp while saying 'trade' and then give them a different treat or a toy. This way you will have a dog that you won't have to fear is going to bite someone or a child especially if they get their toy snatched out of their mouth. Have a two year old it was very important to instill this in my dogs from day one.


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## Brandy456 (Jan 20, 2010)

BooLette wrote:


> *Brandy456 wrote: *
> 
> 
> > No
> ...


No offence, but no way in heck was I going to give him another toy, or treat for stealing the babies toys which he knew were Dawsons. He just needs to learn not to freak out.


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## degrassi (Jan 21, 2010)

*BooLette wrote: *


> *Brandy456 wrote: *
> 
> 
> > No
> ...


I totally disagree. A properly trained dog should give you anything it has in its mouth, anytime, no matter what it is(food, toy, etc). Trading is usually used as a last resort by owners with poorly trained dogs, whos dogs won't give whatever they have when the owners asks for it. If a dog is protective over its toys, food or other items you as the owner are not in control of that dog. 

A well behaved/trained dog should *never* growl or snap if you try to take something away from it. As the owner(alpha "dog") you should be able to take and do whatever you want, whenever you want and the dog should let you, because he should be submissive to you. 

Practicing the "trade game" is fine for puppies. but that needs to turn into the "give" command and the dog needs to know that "give" means "give", not growl, snap or I might give it to you if you trade me a treat


> Rolling a dog over on it's back and 'dominating' the dog, is a fear based training. Do you think that your dog likes this? Also, I don't know why anyone would try to be a dog. Obviously you are not a dog and your dog isn't going to see you as one so they aren't going to take this dominance the same way as they would from another dog. All you are teaching your dog through doing this is that you are an unpredictable person that they should fear. I have worked with dogs for a long time and have tried many different training methods. Caesar Milan Is ridiculous to me. It's just my opinion, but I think that if you want this dog to listen to you then you need to start with basic obedience. When you work with training a dog through positive reinforcement you build a bond with the animal.


I personally don't believe in putting a dog on its back and "dominating it" or physically hitting or hurting the dog in any way but I do believe you need to be dominant over your dog,be the leader. This is easily done with body language, tone of voice, eye contact, setting rules etc. Obedience is part of that process.


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## BooLette (Jan 27, 2010)

*degrassi wrote: *


> *BooLette wrote: *
> 
> 
> > *Brandy456 wrote: *
> ...


Yes, and once they are trained by this method you will see these results. This dog is obviously not trained so it must be treated like a puppy. Period.

Being 'dominant' is a load of crap that was cooked up by Caesar Milan to make a load of money. I see more people ruin there dogs by administrating these techniques than anything. AND if you notice on every one of his shows he has statement saying these methods are not to be tried at home by someone who is not a professional trainer. Wonder why? If you don't know what you're doing, and since the OP asked this question I'm assuming she doesn't, you do more harm than good.


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## Brandy456 (Jan 28, 2010)

Just started getting nice weather here, I was going to work on him with walking. 
Can't now, he just HAD to take a flip down the stairs 
Poor guy


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## Bassetluv (Jan 28, 2010)

I've never heard of the trading method in training dogs; don't think I would necessarily agree with it myself, especially if a dog has possession of something that he or she is not supposed to have. A dog should always be respective of its owner/handler, and shouldn't have to expect a replacement if something is taken from him/her.

However, to each his own in dog training methods. There will be as many people disagreeing about methods as there are trainers to teach them. Whatever works best with the person and their dog, and is a humane and safe method, will be best.

*As for my own dog, when I adopted her I discovered she had high food and dog aggressive behaviors. She had been returned twice to the shelter by people who'd adopted her before me, as her issues were pretty bad (all of which I found out after I'd adopted her, as it wasn't disclosed to me by the shelter staff). I didn't know much about training dogs, but in working with her found that dealing with her issues by dominating her had by far the best results. (For example, when I first took her home and fed her, she would attempt to inflict seriousinjury - teeth bared, lunging at my hand -if I went anywhere near her food dish...major issue that had to be dealt with. So she was not allowed to eat unless the food dish was in my lap, with me holding it; in other words, I wasclaiming her food as mine, and in dominating her over that food, she was onlyallowed to eat it with my permission, which was given when she stopped showing aggression.) My theory had always been that as a pack animal, a dog is either a leader or follower...and unless I wanted her to always be dangerous around food, I had to become her leader. Guess that's why I enjoy Cesar Millan, as he tends to reflect most of what I believe about dogs and their issues (there are one or two things I might disagree with him about, but very few). I suspect that for some, the word 'dominance' denotes a sort of bullying or even cruel connotation; but - the way I use 'dominance' over a dog, it is not bullying, not cruel, and not breaking them in any way. It is simply establishing a role. (**Note about Cesar Millan: The methods he uses are not classified exactly as dog training; he is a dog behaviorist and a great deal of the cases he deals with are high aggression issues, which can be very dangerous to attempt if one does not know what they are doing. Hencehis repeated suggestion for people to work with a trainer.)

One more case in point aboutmy dog: sheis also the type of dog who has a high predator/prey drive. If she were loose and saw a wild animal, she would give chase (in her younger days) and kill it if she managed to catch it. This included rabbits...though thankfully she only ever once caught a wild animal...a groundhog. Since I have rabbits as part of the family, I definitely had to teach her that they were not part of the dinner menu. This too meant asserting dominance, and I am so glad that I didpractice this with her,rather thanalwayssimply keeping her separate from the rabbits to avoid disaster. One day Ileft the house, late for an appointment, and while I had shut thedoor to the rabbits' room, apparently it hadn't latched...for when I got home there was Yofi tearing around in the living room with my dog watching him, and a look of total annoyance on her face. And while I was extremely fortunate that she didn't bite him (he knows exactly how to push her buttons), had I not worked with herand the rabbits, and - as I interpret it, taking on a dominant role over my dog - there most definitely would not be a Yofi around today.

Anyway, as I said, to each his own...andas a disclaimer Itoo will say, only try methods with a trainer that you trust, if you are unsure of how todeal with a difficult issue. 

And after all of that rambling....back to the subject...

Brandy, how is Sparky? Did he hurt himself taking a tumble?


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## Brandy456 (Jan 28, 2010)

I love Cesars methods, 
Most of which i've used, and have helped me get a 'better Sparky'
Just not, fully finished with him.


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## Bassetluv (Jan 28, 2010)

LOL...sounds like he's a diamond in the 'ruff'.  (Sorry, bad pun.)


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## Brandy456 (Jan 28, 2010)

I may or may not have totally lol'd at that


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