pumaward
Posted : 6/22/2006 1:17:51 PM
Another good read,
How to be the Leader of the Pack and Have Your Dog Love You for it by Patricia McConnell.
animal_magnet, my dog also knows who's alpha. I did go the Millan route at first (boy howdy, it sure seemed to work on TV!) but, honestly, alpha rolling and pinching is not going to solve a mouthy 9 month old puppy. If you consistently believe that a dog does things wrong (BTW, dogs don't have an understanding between right and wrong) because it's status seeking, you're not going to properly be able to modify the behavior. I suspect this puppy wasn't taught bit inhibition at an early enough age with understanding of how sensitive we as humans are. He doesn't trust one owner but the other seems safe enough.
BTW, beta wolves are the ones constantley obsessing with showing their dominance. An alpha is actually quite tolerant and even handed.
In closing, while I don't appreciate you making the assumption that I treat my dog like a person, I take it with a grain of salt. I treat my dog like a dog, not some status seeking, misbehaving creature to whom I must physically punish. Is she perfectly behaved? No, definately not. Does she respect me? You bet. Does she trust me? Yup. A year ago, I was following advice simliar to what you're giving... my dog rarely behaved, didn't trust me, and mouthed a lot. I found this forum and was enlightened. Now I enjoy her for what she is, a dog with a beautiful mind, not a drone to do as I say because I'm the "alpha." I also used to be a Millan fan, but have since seen that he takes nearly a "one size fits all approach" and I know wish to delve a little further into animal behavior.
But that's enough of my ramblings.
[/soapbox]