Behavior Problems and their Solutions

[Being Alpha] [Excessive Barking] [Pulling] [Separation Anxiety] [Eating Inedibles] [Protectiveness and Aggression]

Speaking "wolf" involves communicating with your dog in a way he can understand, the way his mother did when he was a pup. When his mother asserted control, she would stand tall, well up on her toes, and her barks or growls will be low-pitched, deep. Therefore when you give commands or scold, you should also stand tall and your voice should be pitched deeper than normal (lower not louder).

"Winning your dog's respect, a feat that can be accomplished in a quiet, gentle, even graceful manner, gives him the most important resource of his life -- someone to look up to. You may not feel you need a model of behavior in your life, a mentor, a problem solver, a nourisher. But you are a human adult. You're dog, because he is a dog and because he has been domesticated and lives with another species, will always be like a child. He cannot be an autonomous creature, living on his own and making important decisions for and by himself. He needs protection and guidance."

So, you're already having problems with your dog. "His housebreaking is iffy. He goes outside if he feels like it. He goes inside if he feels like it. His recall isn't reliable. Sometimes he comes when you call him, but sometimes he doesn't. His stays are short, his attention span shorter. Worse than that, he sits and stares at you, preferably from a place where he can look down at you. He campaigns for attention when you're reading or on the phone, and he usually gets what he wants. When you give a command, he may bark back, or worse, snap at you. He acts as if he's more important than you are. Sometimes you think about placing him elsewhere. You think you have a lot of problems. Relax, you only have one. Your dog is alpha. You're not."

Alpha has to do with being in charge. Everything in your house, including your dog, his toys, his food, his bed, everything belongs to you. You say what does and does not happen in your house. Start with his food. Make him sit and wait while you prepare their food. After you put it down; make him wait a little longer until you say "okay" before he is allowed to eat it. You should also be able to stop him and take the food away at any time without him showing you any kind of resistance or aggression. If you can't, then you need to grab the food and the dog, put the food up and wait a while. Then you can give it back to him, making him wait again. Remember that everything belongs to you, and you are in charge.

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The way we addressed his barking was to let him bark to alert us of whatever problem he saw, and then we would go and look for ourselves. Once we made our determination that whatever it was no threat, then we say, "it's all right, that's enough." It doesn't matter what you say, as long as you remember to say the exact same thing every time. Then, when he stopped barking, even for a second, we rewarded him. If he started back up again we would tell him no firmly and insist that that was the end of it. For us it was really an alpha issue. Our dog's job is to warn us of danger, our job is to determine whether it is a danger, and deal with it. Therefore, once he has warned us, his job is finished and he must defer to our judgment. Generally, dogs pick this up very quickly; especially when a treat is involved <g>.

Most dogs will learn to bark on command within a week. Many will do it in a day or two if you start them by barking yourself."

"Once your dog will bark on your signal, he is no longer simply responding to outdoor noises or his desire to manipulate you into a game. Now he is responding to a command. He is aware of you. He is obeying you. He is just where you want him. Now, after a bark or two, tell him, "Enough." If your tone won't silence him, slip your hand into his collar, give a gentle tug sideways and repeat your command, "enough." Praise warmly for compliance."

"What shall you do when your dog barks at the door? Praise him for alerting you, tell him "enough," ask him to sit and praise him again.

When you open your door, he should be sitting at your side, alert, but no longer barking."

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If your dog still "falls apart when you leave him alone, work slowly and carefully, leaving him for very short periods of time at first and keeping your comings and goings as low key as you can. Do not over-praise him on your return. In fact, it is wise to all but ignore the dog when you first come home and then, a moment later, appear to notice him and say, "Hi." After you check your answering machine, hang up your coat and look through the mail, then greet the dog more warmly, feed him, walk him, play a game when you return."

Another reason for the anxiety could be your own attitude when you leave him alone. If you worry and fret, perhaps he is picking this up and getting worried himself. In this case, you need to make a determined effort not to upset yourself and him before you leave the house.

"If your dog is having a bad problem with being left, try exercise and a training tune-up, even ten minutes of each, right before you leave. Leave a sterilized bone for him to chew. Leave the radio on to soft music. If your dog really gets hysterical, you may need to crate him to prevent him from hurting himself or trashing your home. In this case, unless he is already crate trained, begin using the crate, minutes at a time, when you are home. Do not leave the dog in the crate and leave the house until he accepts the crate with ease."

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Second, you expand his training to use setups. You can drop a nice smelly sock on the floor, warn him to leave it, and see if he'll take it. If he does, correct him. "Almost any failure to resist temptation can be corrected by creating a setup when you are prepared to work with your dog."

Finally, you have to realize that he will not always be able to resist temptation, and you shouldn't expect him to. "If your dog steals, do not leave him alone with the roast while you run back to the kitchen for the baked potatoes. That is only courting trouble. If he chews, you'll have to put your things too high for him reach or in the closet with door closed. If he marks or soils your house, crate him when you cannot watch him." And when you're out walking, try to spot the things you know your dog will try to put in his mouth before he does. "Whatever you do, do not leave the cat to mind the canary and then complain about it later."

A combination of training, setups, and prevention will probably reduce the problem to manageable levels.

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And if you have properly established your role as alpha, your dog should defer to your judgment. When your dog alerts you to an intruder, praise him, and then tell him "Enough" and that should be the end of it. If your dog does not quit, then you need to correct him and reinforce the idea that it is *your* decision. A hearty "no!" should suffice, and if not, an alpha rollover (as described by Jerrie, I think) would be appropriate here.

One common mistake people make when their dog is over-protective is to try to soothe him. They hold his collar and say "no," and stroke the dog to calm him. This is sending mixed messages to your dog, because he will interpret the stroking as praise. It is important to be clear in your intentions.

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