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Shep has a way of sideswiping my almost 2yo, which knocks her flat. He does it in one of 2 situations: 1) He just gets in a playful mood and runs past her, but not quite so it knocks her over, or 2) When my husband comes home she runs to greet him, but Shep wants to get there first, so he knocks her over because she's the littlest and the only one level with his head.
For the second situation I'm going to leash him as soon as I hear my husband coming up the drive, then make him sit while he says hi to the kids. But what can I do about the other situation, which seems to happen out of nowhere?
We are due to start obedience training in about 3 weeks, but I'd rather not wait that long to ask the instructor. Just wondering if anyone has had this experience before and what you did about it.
You have to make your dog understand that you and your family are the alpha omega and not him.
Dogs are like kids, put rules down and all of you stick to them and your dog will respect you.
Don't let your dog sit on the couch with you, sleep in your bed or even become more worthy then you are, you will have trouble
You have to make your dog understand that you and your family are the alpha omega and not him.
Dogs are like kids, put rules down and all of you stick to them and your dog will respect you.
Don't let your dog sit on the couch with you, sleep in your bed or even become more worthy then you are, you will have trouble
busta
I agree with you 100%. Dh and I agreed on this before we brought him home. He's not allowed on the furniture, on our beds, etc. Someone suggested one way to make sure he understands the kids are over him is to have them take turns feeding him, giving him treats when he obeys their commands (like "sit,"), stuff like that. It's something I'm willing to try. My 5yo is able to understand instructions on how to do this properly, she fed him dinner and it went well. He sat for her automatically and waited just like he does for me. Not sure about my 2yo but I'll think of something.
Thanks for the supportive pp. Shep's been with us only 1.5 months. I'm sure this is a somewhat common problem for new dog/families and we wanted to address it asap before it became a bigger problem.
Sam did this as well, it was pretty much of a puppy issue. He was firmly corrected, with a "NO, BAD DOG" when this happened. And made to lay down, and mellow out a bit. It only occurred when he was over excited about something. It seems to me, that involving my kids more in his feeding, and giving him treats, by making him sit for them before getting a milk bone, he listened to them, and respected them a bit more, and calmed down a bit. After all, if a two year old is in charge of your pig ear...that is alot of respect! And this also trained the kids to work with Sam, on telling him to sit in a firm voice, so when he was overly rambunctious around them, they were empowered to correct his behavior, by telling him to sit. And he usually listened to them, because he thought they had a milk bone? I don't know..but it seemed to work. Even a two year old can tell a dog to sit. You need to work with her on it.
Sam did this as well, it was pretty much of a puppy issue. He was firmly corrected, with a "NO, BAD DOG" when this happened. And made to lay down, and mellow out a bit. It only occurred when he was over excited about something. It seems to me, that involving my kids more in his feeding, and giving him treats, by making him sit for them before getting a milk bone, he listened to them, and respected them a bit more, and calmed down a bit. After all, if a two year old is in charge of your pig ear...that is alot of respect! And this also trained the kids to work with Sam, on telling him to sit in a firm voice, so when he was overly rambunctious around them, they were empowered to correct his behavior, by telling him to sit. And he usually listened to them, because he thought they had a milk bone? I don't know..but it seemed to work. Even a two year old can tell a dog to sit. You need to work with her on it.
You know, my 2yo is actually more assertive than my 4yo. This morning he came nosing around like he always does while she was busy with something, and she said, "no! no! no!" And he actually sat down (she can be very bossy). It's my 4yo that needs coaching, she tends to shrink back from him the most.
[quote=maestramommy;19129337]You know, my 2yo is actually more assertive than my 4yo. This morning he came nosing around like he always does while she was busy with something, and she said, "no! no! no!" And he actually sat down (she can be very bossy).
He sounds like a great dog! Keep correcting him and I'm sure he'll learn quickly. Definitely not a situation to give him up!!!! But of course you know that.
As I said, it is usually a young dog, overly excited. This is not an aggression issue. Has your dog been fixed yet? That was pretty magical for Sam, he went to the vet this bundle of out of control hormones, and came home a day later like the most calm, mellow dog in the world. It was literally like night and day the transformation was so remarkable.
My kids were very cute in training Sam, and making him sit, lay down, shake hands. And firm with him when he was "bad", like jumping up and wanting to lick their face. He LOVED that!
If this was an aggression issue, like biting or food guarding, that would require more vigilance on your part and consultation with a dog behavior specialist.
It sounds like you have a good dog, help him calm down a bit. I would anticipate things that made Sam excited, much like you are, and I would hold him by his collar to "help" him relax, and not get over stimulated.
Jasper, yes Shep is a rescue dog. He was fixed before being listed on Petfinder. I'm pretty sure it's high puppy spirits too, but if you follow the Dog Whisperer (and we do) the 2yo probably has very unstable energy because she is such a screamer, is rather high strung and has a tendency to flip out easily right now. So it's normal imo that he might want to assert some dominance. However, I think once he calms down they will be the best of pals. Of all my daughters she took to him from the first without any fear, and he has responded in kind.
It seems to me, that involving my kids more in his feeding, and giving him treats, by making him sit for them before getting a milk bone, he listened to them, and respected them a bit more, and calmed down a bit. After all, if a two year old is in charge of your pig ear...that is alot of respect!
I briefly touched on this in an earlier post. Dogs will definitely respect the children more if they are involved in the feedings and treats.
BUT it's vitally important that the children never take away food or a chew as a punishment. That will lead to aggression. I'm not saying your children took chews away----I just was afraid someone might misinterpret "two year old in charge of your pig ear" to mean taking it away. Big no no.
That's what caused me to need an animal behaviorist. My calm wonderful labrador of 8 years in our family suddenly started guarding his stuff whenever my son walked into the room. It turned out that my son had taken a chew away from him as a punishment (without me knowing.) The behaviorist recommended that my son start feeding him his meals (and of course never took any food away from him again). It worked wonders INSTANTLY.
Even though the OP's dog isn't being aggressive, she will see a remarkable difference in the respect that the dog gives the children if they help with feeding the dog.
I don't think this is a good idea. You can leash the dog so you have control WHILE your husband is greeting the dog and the kids at the same time. But I would not make the dog wait to be greeted last.
The dog views himself as an equal to the kids, as if the kids are his litter mates. He wants to see his master just as much as they do. To be relegated to the total end of the line via restraint could cause resentment.
The way to put children ahead of dogs in the pecking order is to have the children help feed the dog the meals. You don't train dogs to be at the end of the pecking order via punishment.
I'm glad you enrolled in classes. Obedience training with rewards will be a better solution. You should have verbal control over your dog---where your dog will stop on a dime at your command. That could prevent your child from being knocked over.
No dog should ever be permitted to consider itself equal to any human family/pack member. The dog's position is always to be lower than all humans including children. Teach the dog to sit and wait for permission to greet. This is one part of a NILIF program.
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(she can be very bossy). It's my 4yo that needs coaching, she tends to shrink back from him the most.
