My aussie shep ruscue puppy is more head stong by the day.What do i do?
I have sequence cesar millan videos. .I devise upon tractability propagandize after his outing to the vet.I’ve usually had him for the week as well as dont wish get off upon the wrong foot.Somebody told me to pin him down to claim my dominance.Is which the great idea?
« MEET MY PETS! | Home | My Puppy Jack »
Comments
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!
Your puppy is NOT being "dominant" or "head-strong". You do not need to "assert yourself", pin him down, use force or physically harm him! Instead you need to use POSITIVE training and build a relationship with him!
You’ve had the poor little thing for a week. He’s young. He’s confused. He doesn’t know what is and isn’t acceptable in your world. He doesn’t know what you’re asking of him! He doesn’t speak English afterall.
Instead of bullying and punishing what you don’t want why not praise and reward what you do want? You’ll very quickly end up with a dog who works WITH you because he WANTS to rather than a dog who works FOR you because he HAS to.
Instead of using Cesar Millan, Koehler and the Monks of New Skete try finding books by Karen Pryor, Patricia McConnell, Jean Donaldson (I really reccommend "The Culture Clash" by her), Victoria Stillwell (who’s TV show doesn’t carry a warning at the start…) and other Positive reinforcement trainers. Go to the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT website and use their "Search for a trainer" link to find one near you.
I can’t explain my hatred of Cesar Millan and so I’m going to use other people to do so. Please, PLEASE at least read through the links below. If you still decide to follow him then so be it, but at least you’ll have heard the other point of view.
The thing that really gets me about CM is the fact that you can get the same state that he calls "calm and submissive" by putting a dog in a cage with an electrified floor. At forst the dog with fight it and try to escape but eventually they just lie down and accept it. They’re not enjoying the shocks, nor are they not feeling them but they’re realised they can’t get away so the stop fighting. They shut down. Their metabolic and nervous system stop working. And this is the same state the CM calls "calm"!
Nope – bad idea. Alpha Rolling is old school – doesn’t mean it can’t be successful, but it should only be done at the advice and guidance of a professional. This "somebody" doesn’t sound like a pro to me, or they wouldn’t have suggested it to a new dog owner.
Dominance can be asserted in much safer ways – such as controlling the food source. Dog must make eye contact with you and be CALM when doing so, long before you put the food down. YOU must go first, dog must go last. Dog must be invited up onto the couch or bed, or not be allowed up at all. Controlled walks are important as well – meaning the dog is beside you and loose leash at all times.
The program of training that uses this type of stuff is called NILF – nothing in life is free.
I suggest reading Koehler Method of Dog Training in addition to Cesar Millan. A lot of the same concepts only Koehler is based off the fact that dog’s have brains AND the power to learn on their own based off of their actions. Meaning allowing the dog to make mistakes, then letting the dog’s actions invoke the consequence (such as you standing firm when the dog is bolting on a long line, and letting them hit the end of the leash a few times.)
http://www.koehlerdogtraining.com/
I have recently just bought a puppy and i am in exactly the same boat ! scruff him by the neck and shake him a little while saying "NO" in a deep voice is always a great idea ! the pup wont take this offensivelyy because it would have been what his mother done to him… It works though ! my pup has learnt from doing that, i have only had him 5 days and he is learning in a great way.. this is what the breeder told me to do.
Hope this has helped your question
No, I don’t think pinning him down is a good idea in this situation. You and your puppy are only just starting to bond and by pinning him down he will either fear you or defend himself; neither of which will help.
You need to assert your leadership over him by:
– eating your meals before you give him his
– making him sit at a doorway whilst you walk through first
– never feeding table scraps
– having him walk next to or behind you on walks
– controlling his resources, e.g. food, toys, etc.
– make him ‘earn’ everything by giving him a command before he gets anything, e.g. sit before food, paw before being given a toy, etc.
– if you look him in the eye, maintain eye contact until he turns away
I wouldn’t do that right now, you haven’t had him long enough for him to trust you properly. When you’re around him, *expect* to be respected and if he doesn’t do so, then give him the look you’d give an impudent child. You have to have the attitude that you are in charge and there is no other option. That doesn’t mean be harsh at all, being kind and giving praise for good things is part of it, but you have to make it clear to the pup that you won’t hurt him but you wont’ take gruff either.
I say this assuming he hasn’t been abused- since he’s a rescue but you don’t say what circumstances he was rescued from, assuming you know. If he has been physically abused and is mentally scarred, then just be gentle with him and use positive praise when he does good things, and ignore him when he does something you don’t want him to do, at least until he’s comfortable and better.
Leave a Comment