K-9 Insight Dog Obedience School
Home of the PhD Dog Training Method
Perfect, Happy Dogs!
for excellent articles by Gary Wilkes, Click on "clicker Training" .
For excellent information on pinch collars:
http://www.dru.org/prongcollar.htm ,
http://www.cal.net/~pamgreen/pinch_collar.html
http://www.seefidodogcollars.com/Collar-Dog-Pinch-Training-2.html
http://www.vizsladogs.com/ARTICLES/pinchcollars.htm
http://www.cobankopegi.com/prong.html#AStudy
http://www.rnews.com/print.cfm?id=29302
http://www.oaktrees.org/dogs/prong.html
If you only read one, read this one!
Please join this organization and help DOG TRAINERS make the legislation
that regulates our profession, NOT animal
behaviorists!
http://www.naiaonline.org/articles/archives/sciorprop.htm
http://ezinearticles.com/?Caring-For-Your-Dogs-Neck-and-Spine:-Dog-Collar-Issues&id=108357
A good dog training article:
http://www.smartdogtrainer.com/training_methods.htm
Excellent article on the purpose of obedience titles:
http://www.itzarion.com/training.html#whatistitle
Dog to Dog Aggression: One Solution
By Andrea Holsinger and Kass Goulding
Our special thanks to our friend, Dr. Debra Martin, DVM, whose insight into this particular type of aggression has been invaluable to us. Thanks, Debbie!
There are many types of dog to dog aggression problems. This article deals with one type only; two dogs fighting where, in the family, the subordinate dog has been supported.
How can you tell if your dogs fit this description? Take both dogs to a strange (to the dogs) person’s house or to a training kennel. Leave them for a week. Have the people keep the two dogs together. If the dogs are peaceful and get along outside the home, your dogs fit the criteria for the type of aggression we address in this article.
The dog fighting in your home has been caused by the family supporting the submissive dog. By support, we mean the owners have treated the subordinate dog as the “special one”. This dog usually gets most of the attention and many of the treats. These dogs may be very demanding about attention from the owners and are frequently so darned cute that no one can resist their charms. Unfortunately, dogs are still dogs and take your attention to mean they are protected and supported by the family. Therefore, around the family, they will often fight with the actual dominant dog. Many times, owners misread this situation and punish the wrong dog, making the situation escalate. Dog do not come with an “owner’s manual” and it is easy to do the wrong thing as we people tend to think in human terms when it comes to the dogs.
As this situation in your home continues, the dominant dog will become more and more frustrated and may begin to fight even more. This is because they are unable to establish their dominance and restore balance to the pack.
You cannot control or change which dog is dominant. Mother Nature makes that choice for us. Do not be fooled by some dogs, as they can be very submissive to people but still be the dominant dog in the pack. Some of the signs to look for in helping you identify the dominant dog are:
1) Who wins the fights? This may be characterized by one dog on top, one on bottom, or a dog that consistently ends up with their head or foot over top of the other dog’s back. The victor may also mount the subordinate dog.
2) The dog that starts the fight is not an indication of who is dominant. It can be either dog and may depend on their level of reactivity more than their dominance position. Most true dominant dogs hate fighting. They would rather have peace and order in the pack.
3) Does one dog always run over and cover the other dog’s urine with their own urine? That is a sign of dominance.
4) Does one dog take toys away from the other successfully? That dog is usually dominant, but not always. If the dominant dog cares little about toys, this behavior from the subordinate tells you nothing. In combination with some of the characteristics above, it does help to paint a picture of who is dominant and who is subordinate.
If you are having trouble determining who is the dominant dog in your home, get help from a knowledgeable trainer or dog behaviorist.
Once you have established which dog is dominant and which is subordinate, it is time to begin the “program” to return order and balance to your dog pack.
Before you can begin this program you must have a crate for each dog and both dogs must have good responses to standard dog obedience commands, which are “come when call”, “sit”, “down”, “stay”. Pacesetter training Kennel’s Total Recall Program is the perfect training program in which to enroll your dogs before beginning the dominance reordering of the pack.
What to do:
Set up a crate in the living area. When you are unable to watch the dogs closely, the subordinate dog goes into a crate. This crate is also used for the subordinate dog after a fight. It is important to note this is not punishment and you should approach this with a very matter of fact attitude.
For a period of time, until things begin to cool down between the two dogs, no one is to interact with the subordinate dog in front of the dominant dog. All family members are to shun the subordinate. Do not allow the subordinate dog on the furniture or in anyone’s lap, do not pet the subordinate dog and do not speak to the subordinate dog in front of the dominant dog. The dominant dog is invited onto laps (if that is allowed in your home), petted and talked to regularly.
The dominant dog must be fed first, taken out the door first and generally attended to first in every way. All of these signals tell the subordinate dog that the family is no longer supported their position as queen or king and that the family supports the dominant dog as the dominant dog. It does not mean you love the subordinate dog any less nor will it be interpreted by the dog in that way. This does not mean the subordinate dog will not pitch a fit over the new rules. They will, however, adjust, and be happier and healthier for it.
Both dogs are re-introduced on leash. Use harnesses or collars and long lines (6 to 10ft) on each dog. Try to let the leashes drag and do not hold them, as your tension and fear will be passed down the leash to each dog and may cause fighting. If a fight breaks out, pull the subordinate dog out of the fight first, using the leash. Step on the dominant dog’s leash if she tries to go for the subordinate dog again but DO NOT PULL her back! Give the subordinate dog a good “shaking up” and put that dog in the crate. A few sharp corrections on the leash and a sharp, “NO” a couple of times should do the trick. Dogs have heightened senses right after a fight so be sure to gauge your dog’s reaction carefully so you do not get bitten. The dominant dog gets no punishment of any kind and stays loose and gets lots of attention, while the subordinate dog sits in the crate for a 30 minute period. If the dominant dog postures around the crate, that’s excellent but say nothing. However, if the subordinate dog shows any signs of submission, like averting eye stare, lowering head, turning away, lying down, going belly up or urinating, praise for that, using only your voice. Do not go to the crate.
You will repeat this process until things begin to calm down. This might take several days or several weeks. Just keep it up until you see progress.
While out together, the dominant dog is allowed to growl, mount, stare and threaten the subordinate dog. Say nothing about this. The subordinate dog is to be corrected for any of these behaviors dominant behaviors towards the dominant dog, with the collar! The subordinate dog can be praised if she shows submission, turning away, lowing head and body, going belly up, urinating.
The dominant dog is never placed in a crate in front of the subordinate dog! Take the dominant dog to another room to crate her/him. You may give the subordinate dog plenty of special time when she/he can get lots of attention but only away from the dominant dog. Take the subordinate dog to another room and close the door.
Work your obedience exercises each day and do both dogs together if you have two handlers. Use your obedience regularly around the house.
Remember, this is not a life sentence! You will not have to behave this way for the rest of the dog’s lives but you will have to keep up the program until balance is restored. Then, you can never go back to making the subordinate dog the “Golden Child”. Defer to the dominant dog, feed it first, pet it first and if the dominant dog comes up to you while you are petting the subordinate dog, start petting the dominant dog. Remember, this is AFTER the fighting has stopped and the home is calm.
Continue using more structure in your dog pack. Feed dogs separately in crates or separate rooms. Keep high value items like rawhide or bones IF they caused conflict between the dogs. Your dogs can get all the love you wish to lavish on them but make it on your terms. They are invited on to the couch. They are invited on to your lap. Uninvited results in a bump to the floor! Games should be played on your terms, also.
If you support the dominant dog in your home and take control of your dog’s behavior through obedience, order and peace will, once again, be part of your happy home. It does take some work and it forces you to change some of your habits regarding the dogs. You will come to appreciate dogs as dogs over time and have great respect for what dogs are and how they live. It is both a joy and a privilege to have a window into the dog pack through our personal dogs. Think of this as a new journey in which you will have to give up some of your beliefs and habits but you will replace them with something much more real and fascinating than before.
Copyright 2005
This document cannot be reproduced in part or in it’s entirety without the permission of
Pacesetter Training Kennel
Pacesetter Training Kennel 706-742-5743 pacesettertrainingkennel.com