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Have you seen any of these behaviors in your dog?
- Won’t come
when called (even when you know the dog knows the command)
- Won’t sit,
lay down, or roll over on command (these are submissive behaviors)
- Lies on the
floor in your path. Forcing you to walk around him, instead of
moving out of your way.
- Muzzles your
hand, insisting that you pet him (a canine signal ordering you to
obey him)
- Will not let
you give medications, catch fleas ,groom or otherwise handle him
- Gets up on
furniture without permission, and won’t get down
- Defends food
bowl or other objects (toys) from you
- Stares you in
the eye, lowers the head or assumes a frozen threat posture
- Growls at
you, under any circumstance
- Snaps at you
but not connect his teeth with your skin and clothing.
- Grabs your
hand when agitated, then releases it without causing pain.
Learn to understand body language: a frozen stare, head lowered, hair
bristled with ears and tail up is a dominant posture
A submissive posture, on the other hand, is demonstrated by eyes, ears,
and tail down, crouching or rolling over, or showing his tongue.
If you allow yourself to be perceived by the dog as subordinate, and if
he has a tendency to dominate others, his natural canine response may be
to punish you. That is, if he believes that he is the leader, and you
perform any act that he thinks challenges him, he will act aggressively
in order to “put you in your place”
We unintentionally act subordinate to our dogs when we:
- Permit the
dog to lead, pulling you down the street, or let the dog go through
the door first
- Give up our
food ( from our plate)
- Allow the dog
up on our bed without permission.
- Follow orders
such as “Let me out”, “Let me in”, “Pet me now”
- Allow the dog
to intentionally block pathways, causing you, the owner, to move
around the dog.
- Freely or
excessively praise and stroke the dog (the subordinate grooms the
higher status individual)
- Play tug of
war and let the dog win ( the leader controls the favored items)
Therefore acts
that dogs interpret as the rights of a dominant pack member must be your
rights if the dog is to perceive you as the leader. The essence of these
rights is controlling resources such as food, freedom, petting, praise,
touch, toys, etc. Controlling these resources gives Leadership.
We can correct our
puppy’s behavior without destroying their self esteem. If you have to
make a correction, always follow and finish with a command that the
puppy knows and can perform well, like “Sit” “Good Sit!!” That way
puppy will feel good about himself when you are done with the training
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