Ask your dog-obedience questions here
July 1st, 2008 at 02:20am Georgette Braun
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.
Entry Filed under: dog obedience
7 Comments Add your own
1. Sherri Ruston-Happy Camper | July 24th, 2008 at 12:40 am
Geo & RRStar Readers,
We are so very excited to have the one & only Dog Whisperer come to Rockford. Any Dog Whisperer fan has seen how Cesar can manage up to 20 to 30 dogs in his cage-free facility.
Now, we at Happy Camper Pet Resort NEVER claim to be a facility for rehabilitating aggressive dogs (we screen out aggressive dogs from the start); we do; however, use Cesar’s philosophy on leadership in the pack.
Some ask us how we manage groups of dogs in a cage-free setting without dog-fights, I tell them we use Cesar’s methods, as well as those of other experts’ in the cage-free setting.
Our doggie-guests are completely satisfied and so are their parents. Any guest who becomes a risk for the group is put on probation, and this dog is referred to our dog-trainer. Many, many parents do not want to lose the opportunity of our cage-free daycare or boarding.
Any questions or comments about this post, please contact me directly at 985-6611 or info@HappyCamperResort.com
Thanks,
Sherri & The Happy Dogs of Happy Camper
2. Georgette Braun | August 4th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Cindy emailed this question: If you have suggestions, please post:
My six year old lab is getting worse and worse during storms. She howls and tears things up in the house. During night storms, I have to sleep with her to settle her down. But during the day when I’m at work and a storm comes, there seems no solution to her destruction. The vet has given me drugs to settle her, but the suggested dose of one pill is so strong that she’s like a drunk for hour and her breathing slows so much I’m afraid the dose will kill her. At one-half the dosage, she is still affected by the storms. Any suggestions, especially for those times I can’t be there?
________________________________________
3. tracey parker | September 18th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
I have a 2 year old labordoodle who has been with me for about 6 months. She spent the first year or so of her life in a cage with another dog at a puppy mill. She has come a long way with my 18month old lab, Ellie, my husband and my 2 kids. She is still somewhat shy, but really improved. I think what we are doing is building her confidence. I at a loss at what to do about her eating her fecces as well as Ellie’s. I know this is a bad habit she developed at the puppy mill because I am sure she was not fed regularly. We tried For- Bid and another food additive with no success. Any suggestions? I would greatly appreciate it.
4. James Webster | September 22nd, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Dear Georgette Braun
I hope you understand Cesar Millan Is not a dogwhisperer. His so called rehabilitation methods incorporate a behavioral modification strategy called flooding. Flooding is rarely successful in establishing new behavior.
I whish you and SueAnn Fincke could have know the original dogwhisperer C.W. Meisterfeld. His books Jelly Bean versus Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde and Psychological Dog Training are still better than anything published today for people with dog behavior problems.
Too bad for dogs and owners that such a personality as Ceser Millan was accepted as an expert.
5. Julie Jackson | November 15th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Regarding the 12 year old lab Onyx, I encourage the owners to make an appointment with their veterinarian ASAP. When a change in behavior occurs, it’s imperative that physical issues be ruled out first. The next step would be to contact a local qualified behavior specialist or positive trainer with behavior knowledge (www.dacvb.org, www.avsabonline.org, www.certifiedanimalbehaviorist.com, www.apdt.com). I address aggression issues only after taking a full history, observing the dog, its environment and owners.
When working with a dog with a bite history, safety precautions should be in place. It is also important that no punishment be used in an aggressive situation (or during any type of training or behavior modification for that matter) – violence begets violence. I recommend the use of a Gentle Leader headcollar for control and added safety along with an indoor drag line.
Dogs do need benevolent leaders. If left to their own devices, often times inappropriate behavior results. Something that can be done right away is putting Onyx on a “No Free Lunch” program – Onyx needs to “sit” for meals, “sit” before going outside and coming in (it doesn’t matter who goes first – Onyx needs to “sit” until released), “sit” before petting, “sit” to have his leash put on and taken off, “sit” before throwing a toy, “sit” before being invited up on the couch – “sit” for everything!
While every family member is to be viewed as a leader, the husband needs to be the focus first and working with Onyx. When working with clients, I also recommend handfeeding by family members. Because food is a high value resource, it can be a powerful tool when working with behavior issues. The human controls the resource and the dog needs to work for it by responding to cues – “sit”, “down”, “stand”, etc.
Regarding thunderstorm phobias, consult your veterinarian again. Perhaps there is a different drug available or the dosage can be adjusted. A couple of other things to try would be a DAP (dog appeasing pheromones) diffuser (also known as Comfort Zone) or try putting a snug t-shirt on your dog during thunderstorms – there has been some success with this method – it’s similar to swaddling a baby - and can be calming for the dog.
Regarding coprophagia (feces eating) – there are scientists who have been working on this issue trying to come up with a remedy that makes the dog sick enough to be effective, but not so sick as to kill them! There are many theories as to why this occurs and just as many food additives that mostly do not work. One of the ways to handle this issue is to immediately clean up any feces to eliminate the dog’s opportunity to eat it. While it is a disgusting behavior to us humans (especially if they then want to give us kisses!), it is not abnormal dog behavior. Be aware of your reaction to the situation, as sometimes this behavior is inadvertently reinforced because of the attention the owners give the behavior.
Perhaps the paper would be willing to consider changing the category from “Dog Obedience” to “Dog Training” which is the more modern terminology.
Finally, I would like to recommend a great website for behavior information – www.abrionline.com (Animal Behavior Resources Institute).
Julie Jackson
Certified Pet Dog Trainer
Machesney Park, IL
6. Georgette Braun | November 17th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Julie: Thanks for all the info. And in future stories, I will use “dog training” instead of “dog obedience.” Thanks.
7. Vickie & Barb | November 18th, 2008 at 10:53 am
FYI: the recommended website Julie Jackson recommended above is www.abrionline.org instead of .com.
Thank you for this opportunity for dog people to receive current, scientifically-based information regarding dog training. So much education is needed for humans— to develop that bond with their dog that we so desire.
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