twoweis Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 Am having a bit of a problem with 'Prince' Pablo; he's a very wired german shorthaired pointer of four years of age; we've just had a newish wei puppy (5 months) who is already his size and there are three dogs, him, Enzo aged 6 (dalmatian) and the pup. He's obviously testing for top dog within the three but he's kind of going overboard. Last night he tried to dominate everyone for all the dogbeds although he was on (obviously!) only one. When I told him off and stood over him to get him to settle, he was really (almost frighteningly!! but I tried not to let him see and stood my ground) snarly and growly ... I stood until he stopped that and then 'shot' him with the water pistol which is an attention getter for all of them. Any advice; he seems better today but am I doing/not doing anything you might advise differently? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 Just one thing from my perspective: if he stopped snarling and growling, I would prefer to REWARD that behaviour (with an enthusiastic "good boy!" and maybe a game on his own - whatever works for him) rather than effectively punish him with the water pistol. JMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 Yes I agree with TSD, if you 'shot' him when he stopped growling you're actually punishing the dog for the correct behaviour, seems a bit strange to me as well. If I were you I'd start TOT (Triangle of Temptation) with this dog immediately. I had a very pushy young male here and I would have to say that starting him on TOT and following the NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) program have made a world of difference to his behaviour. TOT is pinned at the top of this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 I stood until he stopped that and then 'shot' him with the water pistol ?? why do something negative when he had stopped the unwanted behaviour? I would also recommend the triangle of temptation http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...gle++Temptation for this boy ... and maybe , if he IS going to be top dog...then pay him more attention etc to make it easier and quicker? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoweis Posted May 1, 2008 Author Share Posted May 1, 2008 Look, I'm after constructive advice here, not snotty replies; thanks for the response Spotted Devil and the links from Miranda and Persephone which I will read. I guess I didn't explain fully that I stood over him while he was still sitting and he needed to 'drop' and settle on his mat - the water was to get his attention to lay down; I didn't want to walk away while he was growling as I thought that would show deference to his dominance - once he was fully settled, I did pat him and he was ok again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haven Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 You're unlikely to get any more replies at all considering how rude you are to people who have attempted to give you constructive advice. Punishing your dog after he does what you want is a clear cut training mistake and a great way to exaccerbate leadership issues, which the others tried to point out to you in what I think was a nice manner and certainly not snotty. Perhaps that's not what happened but the blame for the confusion is yours for not explaining things properly, not those whom were only trying to help you based on what you wrote. Jeez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 Yep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoweis Posted May 1, 2008 Author Share Posted May 1, 2008 The one thing I never am is rude without provocation - I have thanked everyone for the information which I will take on board and I explained further. I won't come back here now so if you have any more non-constructive comments I suggest you take them elsewhere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haven Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 Did you want advice or did you come here looking for a mindless affirmation that you were doing the right thing? Based on what you wrote some people saw a potential problem and pointed it out, nobody was rude or nasty about it. They described how they might have dealt with the situation differently and provided you with somewhere you might find some more detailed information to help you with the issue you posted about. On the other hand you had a tanty and called everyone snotty, that is rude and unless you call the fact that you didn't get a pat on the back provocation, there was no need for it. If that is how you are going to treat people who try to help you then it's probably best that you don't come back IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonElite Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 How do you know the dog was growling at you not the other dogs? Where were the other dogs? Maybe he wants some peace and quiet and the puppy is invading his space? So he tells the puppy off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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