Dominance issues
Hi all. First time I've posted a non rv question on here. I'm a little puzzled though and need help. I have a 10 month old lab doodle that has gone after our 6 lb papillon several times. Afraid she is...
Forum Discussion
At 10 months old, get her into a quality dog training course. A one-on-one training is even better.
Has she been spayed? Doing so can help a lot in this area.
A few things to start with:
1. no more slow eating treats (bones, etc.) for any of the dogs. This will reduce the opportunity for her to do a food grab. It also reduces the jealousy ("that little thing is still eating his bone and mine is gone so I'm taking his"). Cookies that are eaten quickly are OK as long as you follow the second rule;
2. all the dogs have to sit before any get food. At meal time, put them in a sit stay. Then set all the bowls down in the appropriate spots, and THEN give them a command to eat (I use "OK"). If one gets up before you give the command, put them back in the sit stay, wait about 30 seconds, then give the command. If you are giving them a treat, put them in a sit stay and hold out the treat. Only after you give the command (use the same command) are they to take the treat from you.
3. This is harder to do with more than 2 dogs, but always give them the treats at the same time (this is why you put all the bowls down first - so they all get their food at the same time). Don't give one dog their treat before the others. This keeps the food aggressive dog focused on her getting a treat rather than watching the others getting a treat.
4. If she finishes her treat/food first, put her in a sit stay until the others have finished. Then take them all out for a potty break/walk.
5. Do not let her eat what the others don't finish. She gets what is in HER bowl only. This goes for any table scraps/treats also - unless they are in HER bowl, she cannot eat them.
6. Don't leave food sitting out. This includes the bag of dog food just purchased - as soon aa it comes in the house, it gets put away. Leaving food out is just creating a potential issue.
You mention chew toys. Do you mean things like nylon bones, stuffed toys, etc.? If so, do away with any that are food scented or flavored. For the rest, teach them all the "let me see it". When one has a toy, tell them "let me see it" and take the toy. Don't yank it, but pull it with a steady pressure until they release it, saying "let me see it" repeatedly. When they let go, make a big deal of looking at it, making comments, etc. as to how pretty a toy it is and so on. Then say "do you want it? Sit" and put them in a sit. When they sit, give them back the toy. Once in a while, after you take the toy, tell them "enough" and put the toy out of reach. Once they pick up on "if I sit, I can have my toy back", occasionally give the toy to the other dog if it sits first. You want to give the toy back to the dog you took it from at least 80% of the time, but occasionally giving it to another dog or putting it away.
You'll be surprised how fast they all pick up on the rules if everyone in household practices them consistently.
One word of caution: the dogs will obey the commands, so if you are feeding them while talking on the phone, etc., you will have to interrupt the conversation so you can say "OK" (or your chosen command) before they will start eating - no amount of pointing your finger will work... :)
Has she been spayed? Doing so can help a lot in this area.
A few things to start with:
1. no more slow eating treats (bones, etc.) for any of the dogs. This will reduce the opportunity for her to do a food grab. It also reduces the jealousy ("that little thing is still eating his bone and mine is gone so I'm taking his"). Cookies that are eaten quickly are OK as long as you follow the second rule;
2. all the dogs have to sit before any get food. At meal time, put them in a sit stay. Then set all the bowls down in the appropriate spots, and THEN give them a command to eat (I use "OK"). If one gets up before you give the command, put them back in the sit stay, wait about 30 seconds, then give the command. If you are giving them a treat, put them in a sit stay and hold out the treat. Only after you give the command (use the same command) are they to take the treat from you.
3. This is harder to do with more than 2 dogs, but always give them the treats at the same time (this is why you put all the bowls down first - so they all get their food at the same time). Don't give one dog their treat before the others. This keeps the food aggressive dog focused on her getting a treat rather than watching the others getting a treat.
4. If she finishes her treat/food first, put her in a sit stay until the others have finished. Then take them all out for a potty break/walk.
5. Do not let her eat what the others don't finish. She gets what is in HER bowl only. This goes for any table scraps/treats also - unless they are in HER bowl, she cannot eat them.
6. Don't leave food sitting out. This includes the bag of dog food just purchased - as soon aa it comes in the house, it gets put away. Leaving food out is just creating a potential issue.
You mention chew toys. Do you mean things like nylon bones, stuffed toys, etc.? If so, do away with any that are food scented or flavored. For the rest, teach them all the "let me see it". When one has a toy, tell them "let me see it" and take the toy. Don't yank it, but pull it with a steady pressure until they release it, saying "let me see it" repeatedly. When they let go, make a big deal of looking at it, making comments, etc. as to how pretty a toy it is and so on. Then say "do you want it? Sit" and put them in a sit. When they sit, give them back the toy. Once in a while, after you take the toy, tell them "enough" and put the toy out of reach. Once they pick up on "if I sit, I can have my toy back", occasionally give the toy to the other dog if it sits first. You want to give the toy back to the dog you took it from at least 80% of the time, but occasionally giving it to another dog or putting it away.
You'll be surprised how fast they all pick up on the rules if everyone in household practices them consistently.
One word of caution: the dogs will obey the commands, so if you are feeding them while talking on the phone, etc., you will have to interrupt the conversation so you can say "OK" (or your chosen command) before they will start eating - no amount of pointing your finger will work... :)
