Prong Collars and Why I do not recommend them.

  Recently I have had an increase in clients asking me if they should get a prong collar to have their dogs walk better on leash.  While in some extreme cases a prong collar may be necessary, I do not recommend them for inexperienced owners.  I personally get a more efficient result from a simple slip or martingale collar with tags on them.  

  Prong collars were designed to mimic a dogs mouth.  The theory is: it is like having teeth around their  neck, like an alpha dog would do for a correction.  Problem here is an alpha does not bite a pack member on the neck for any minor mishap.  This makes your dog lose respect for their leader.  Just about every client I have been to who has a prong collar, has had it so tight the dog was getting a constant correction.  It bites all the time.  I have seen quite a few dogs become handler aggressive when receiving a correction from a prong collar, when they get that severe bite from the collar, they quickly turn and retaliate against you.  I recently went on a call where the owner had been using a prong collar on a dog-dog aggressive dog.  This dog was high energy, and horrible on leash (even with a prong collar).  The owner had told me a trainer before was shocked that the dog could take a such a harsh correction with the prong collar and not respond.  Needless to say, this dog was becoming increasingly aggressive towards her own pack.  Causing such extreme bites, the owner now has to keep her completely separated.  This dog has completely lost her bite inhibition.  She has been “bitten” so hard by the prong collar that it is perfectly normal for her to inflict the same intensity in her bite to another dog.  With one proper correction with a slip collar the dog responded and completely avoided her main target in her house, a nervous male.  This is the same dog that literally bent the prongs on her prong collar from being corrected so hard.

  There is alot of contraversay about slip collars and how they damage a dogs neck.   My question to you is if your dog is on a regular flat buckle collar and continuously pulling, aren’t they choking?  How can this not cause damage to your dog’s neck?  I have been on some calls where a dog will literally turn themselves purple, and be gagging from being choked with a flat collar.  With one or two proper corrections of a slip or martingale collar with tags, they respond and the leash is loose.  The sound of the “pop” is what they respond to. I would rather give my dog one good correction then nag them 1000 times or bite them constantly with a prong collar.  If you need help leash walking your dog correctly please contact us.

Tara, Brandie & the “pack”

www.trainingbytara.com

Is my dog dominant?

Training by Tara

512-402-4229

myheart4k9s@aol.com

www.trainingbytara.com

 

  Many of my clients ask me on a daily basis, if their dog is “dominant”.  In most cases the clients see their dog’s misbehavior as dominance, when in fact; they are acting purely on instinct or learned behavior (from humans).

 

  Dominance is usually not seen until 15 months.  Some pups are genetically dominant and some develop it earlier, because they were taken away from their mom too young.  Most owners and trainers alike, misread prey drive for dominance in young pups.  Another misconception is that dominance can be trained away, thus curing the dominance “illness”.  This is far from true.  Dominance is a personality trait that stays with your dog.  This is not an awful thing if it is managed and controlled properly.  By this, I do not mean making the dog fear you.   My definition (of manage and control) is to have rules and boundaries that your dog must follow on a daily basis.  This is accomplished by starting foundation training, also referred to as groundwork training (GWT) and proper pack mentality with your dog.  Too many people forget dogs are pack animals and instinctually follow a pack order and rule. Without a strong pack leader, you can’t have a strong pack and this is where anxiety and aggression starts to rear its ugly head.  A dog’s first priority is to survive; they cannot do this with out a strong pack leader.

 

   Just about all the clients who contact me regarding aggression issues start off by telling me they have established the “alpha” position. This is a very loose term people have developed over the years.  Let me start by telling you, if your dog shows aggression to anyone or anything, you are not the leader of your pack. ONLY the leader shows aggression and says when it is ok to show aggression.  An “alpha” does not need to challenge their pack members on a daily basis (staring them down), nor do they need to use aggression to keep their status (alpha rolling your dog or spanking them). A true alpha merely needs to use body language and attitude to have the pack listen. An alpha is always calm and assertive, not angry and demanding. There is no need for an alpha to fight, they are already confident in their position.

 

  Most clients with more then one dog often get confused as to which is the “alpha” of the pack.  Countless consults have started for one dog in particular and upon asking questions and observing behaviors, the dog they think is the “golden” child, is actually the problem child. 

 

  Here are a few misconceptions humans have about dominant dogs:

 

1. My dog sleeps in bed with me because he loves me. Growling at my spouse or sleeping between us just shows how much he loves me.
2. My dog paws at me, leans on me, or jumps on me because he loves to be affectionate.
3. My dog is protecting me when he growls at family members who get too close to me.
4. When my dog growls over food or toys, he is just being a dog and it is his stuff
5. My dog just loves to go for walks so much that he has to be the first one out!
6. Rushing down the stairs is just a game to him.
7. He just doesn’t like other dogs, not everyone likes all people.
8. My dog isn’t very bright.  It takes 3-4 times before he will down or sit on command, if he even does.
9. He only growls at “certain” people.  I think he senses something about them.
10. He only sits on the back of the couch to be closer to me or he thinks he is a cat.

 

  I have heard all of these in my 20 years of working with aggression cases. Every one of the above incidents clearly describes a dominant dog.  We have humanized our dogs so much that we actually make excuses for aggression and bad manners.  It is our nature to want to coddle and over-love our pets; but to your dog it is yet another sign that you are not a strong leader. 

 

  Now let me describe the same 10 things in dog language:

1. The leader of the pack gets the best sleeping area (which includes height) and there are only 2 leaders (generally male & female).
2. Dogs display dominance by body checking other dogs. He who gets that space owns that space.  Pawing at an owner is demanding attention, not asking.  Jumping on an owner pushes them from their space, again “my spot”.
3. Dogs claim their “territory” or mates by warding off other pack members.
4. Dogs show resource guarding when they are confident in their leader status. “I own this.  I tell you when you can have it.”
5. I have an old saying, “whoever is in the lead, is the leader”. Dogs rush out the door first, so they can control the environment that you are entering.
6. Again, “whoever is in the lead” is the leader.  Pack members must follow their leader.  Rushing down the stairs first is another way of doing showing leadership.
7. Dog-dog aggression is the most common sign of dominance.  Strange dogs are never allowed into a pack.  This challenges their leadership.
8. Not listening to commands is not a lack of intelligence, but a sign of strength of leadership to your dog (if they were taught the command properly). In your dog’s mind, ”Who are you to tell me what to do?  I am the leader here.”
9. Only the leader is allowed to show or direct aggression.  Those “certain” people may carry themselves confidently. This is not allowed.  It is a challenge.
10. Dogs will seek “higher” ground to display their leadership.  Leaders are always above the pack.

  Now, there are many other signs as well but I think you get the picture.  If you have a dominant dog, I strongly suggest some foundation training along with obedience.  Foundation training will get you started in re-establishing yourself as the leader and laying down some rules and boundaries. Obedience comes after your dog knows you are in control. 

 

Why obedience if your dog now sees you as the leader?  You cannot expect your dog to know what sit, stay, down, come, and leave it means without properly being taught these commands. Dogs are not born with the knowledge of how to perform these commands.  It would be unfair to get angry at your dog if they don’t “down” when you never taught them what it means.

Be calm, fair, and assertive. Your dog will be calm, happy, and obedient.

 Tara, Brandie & the “pack

Why “Spanking” your dog is wrong!

   I have had too many people tell me that they “spank” their dogs for misbehaving. While this seems effective to you, I need to clarify that this could not be more wrong!  I will start by breaking down why this method is ineffective and why it will cause more severe issues.

  First, in the wild have you ever seen an Alpha “spank” a pack member?  The answer is no!!  They simply use their body language to display their power and they only show aggression if a pack member steps out of rank (Remember, only the alpha is allowed to show aggression in a pack).  This aggression they use is body posture, sound, and a quick bite to the neck to make them surrender.  They never continue after the dog has surrendered.  This is the most vital piece of information I can give you.  If your dog lies down on their side or curls up in a ball, they are showing you submission and asking for forgiveness.

   Have you ever witnessed two dogs playing?  They literally throw their full body weight against each other with such force it would knock over a human.  How much effect could your “spanking” truly have?  You may be saying, “My dog is always affected if I “spank” him, he cowers after”.  Well my friend let me tell you why your dog cowers from a human who is “spanking”.  In your dog’s eyes, your body language has gone from calm to violent.  Your face has now become angry and crinkled, your voice loud and excited; you are standing over him even after he has surrendered.  Your strike has nothing to do with it.  What you are seeing is a dog that has fear of its pack.  This is the most dangerous issue to create.  Loss of trust in a pack member makes a dog more unstable and fearful.  Fear biters do more damage with every bite and become unpredictable.

  Dogs follow body language and tone of voice.  You would have the same effect if you removed the striking and acted the same way.  The problem with most “spanking” and correcting is that humans do not know how or when to stop!!  Your dog’s instinct is to surrender and lie on their side or curl up in a ball to submit.  A fair strong pack leader stops at this point.  Too many people over correct their dogs and wonder why they have to keep “spanking” for the same behavior.  If you correct your dog for showing aggression towards people or dogs in your “old” style, your dog gets overly corrected.  They then see people and dogs as the reason for this discomfort and anxiety in you, thus creating a larger display every time after to keep them far away so it does not happen again.  The end result is it always happens and gets worse!!  They have to become more aggressive to stop you from being upset.

  I have had people hire me for severe aggression cases that they essentially created.  It is very sad and upsetting to me to see how many people over correct their dogs and never praise good behavior.

   Your dog knows when you are displeased, just your body posture and tone is enough in most cases.  A simple note here: If your dog is showing aggression, then you are not the leader, simple as that.  You need to restructure your pack order and have them understand you control everything and they own nothing!  If you become a strong and fair leader, your dog will respect a simple verbal correction.  Your dog may be affectionate to you, but do they truly respect you?  If they are showing aggression or dominant behavior the answer is no and no amount of “spanking” will change that. 

   Fear will not stop aggression or misbehavior, fairness and strong leadership will.  A dog, who respects their Alpha, minds them and shows no aggression.

Tara,Brandie & the “pack”

Pack Structure, who is the leader of your pack?

OK, so over the years I have heard many people say, “Let the dogs work it out.  They need to figure out the pack order.”  I have also heard some trainers tell people to feed their dogs in pack order, the “alpha” first.

This is so wrong!!!  First thing I need to say, the alpha in your house needs to be you.  You need to be the leader.

If you let the dogs “work it out” or allow one dog to be above the others, you are responsible for the dog fights in your house!  As harsh as that sounds, I would like to explain my theory.

As you all know, I have had the worst of the worst dogs come into my home and within a very short time, they are living peacefully among the other dogs and the cat.  How is it possible?  No drugs, no abuse, no “dog” alpha; Brandie and I are the alpha leaders in our home.

If you allow a certain pack member to be “alpha”, you are creating a ladder in your pack.  Think about this for a moment.  The “alpha” is in charge.  You are #1, putting tremendous stress on one dog to lead your pack and #2, telling your dog you are not in control.  That “alpha” dog you created now has to fight to keep it’s rank when a subordinate dog challenges it, keep order and peace within the pack, and decide who is next in line.  As that dog gets weaker; the younger, stronger dog naturally will want to take control of the pack.  I can not tell you how many calls I have been on that a beloved pack member has killed one of their own.  Why?  It is nature!  This is their instinct.  Dogs need a strong, fair pack leader to survive.  When weakness is discovered in a pack, the pack structure is weakened. Their natural tendency is to eliminate the weakness so the strong pack can survive.  If you have a ladder, you have the constant challenge for the top rung.  There should be no ladder.  The human is the one who should be the alpha leader.

No matter what aggressive issue we bring into our pack, the dogs can live peacefully together because there is no question to our dogs, who controls the pack.  The humans do. 

Now, this old myth of allowing a dog to be alpha may have worked with dogs in the past, but with how many vet visits?  How long can you keep your dogs separated?  If they came into contact, who could stop the incredible fight they will have?  Not the human, the dogs unfortunately will attack each other until there is a clear winner (we just hope they both survive).  How much anxiety can your “alpha” dog handle before becoming overly stressed?  

I find it alarming that so many people have the notion of letting the dogs work things out.  This is completely unfair to the dogs.  The end result is that one of these dogs is either put to sleep for aggression or surrendered to a shelter, where they are either re-homed into another pack or automatically euthanized as the end result.  There can be calm, peaceful dogs living together if the human is the clear leader.  You need to have solid boundaries and pack structure if you have more than one dog.  Everyone will be happier and calmer.

Tara, Brandie, and the “pack”.