Ask your dog-obedience questions here

7 comments July 1st, 2008

Got a problem with your dog’s behavior?
Have you had success fixing one of your dog’s bad behaviors? Will you share it with others?
Blog about the problems/successes here.

My son’s dog, Bailey, graduated from basic dog-obedience classes last month at PetSmart.

Once a month through October, Kent Meyer, co-owner of Meyer’s Kennel, will answer one dog-obedience question. The question will be chosen from those posted on this blog, and the answer will be posted here as well as published in the GO section of the Rockford Register Star. Of course, we’re hoping that others will post their own answers to the questions based on their experiences.

In 1996, Meyer and his wife, Gwen, bought the kennel business in Belvidere that his parents had opened in the mid-1970s. They expanded it to include a location in Roscoe and one in Madison, Wis.
Today’s question was posed by Mike Miller of Gilbert, Ariz., who was reading a May post on the Ask Geo blog about Cesar Millan being portrayed on the animated comedy show “South Park.”
QUESTION: I have a 12-year-old Lab, Onyx. Two years ago I married Tami, and Onyx has taken over as my wife’s bodyguard. If I try to hold my wife or kiss her, he becomes immediately aggressive. Sometimes when I’m just talking to her across the room, he will growl, bark and rush me. I have tried several things to stop this, but nothing changes. He is also blind in one eye, besides being old. He goes into deep sleeps and once when I startled him, he bit me and it required stitches. I don’t want to put him down, but he seems to be getting worse.
MEYER’S ANSWER: When dogs are being aggressive toward family members, it is important to reinforce the dog’s rank in the family. Remember that all dogs are pack members. Some are leaders and some are followers. Your wife should take over full responsibility for the care and well-being of the dog. She will do daily leash walks, making sure that the dog is not pulling and acting out of control. You may use treats to lure the dog into obeying all commands. She also should be in charge of all feeding times and sleep areas. I would not allow the dog on any furniture, as this may reinforce his being in charge.

Read Ask Geo column about dog obedience here.