Leash Aggression/Long Down

[Arlene]

Hi Todd and Tania,

Thank you for your advice. I do notice when something else is going on, she doesn’t fight the leash so much.

One thing that I was trying to accomplish with the long lay is that a training book I had had mentioned it as a means of managing alpha aggression, which I thought was showing up in her with the leash. As I mentioned when I had the leash on her I had her lay and sat beside her. She started fighting it and barring her teeth at me. I didn’t think she was afraid of the leash, but doesn’t like not being loose. Yesterday I did it for a few minutes and she fought it some but seemed not quite so bad. If I continue doing this will she eventually lay quietly? Is this a proper way to get her over her resistance? Also part of her resistance is in the form of taking her paws and putting the leash under her legs. Times when I need to have the leash on her outside, she fights it a little but then behaves all right.

I do most of the “alpha tips”. The one that is a problem is humans eating before her. It doesn’t fit in our life style. It's a while after she eats before we have our meals. Before knowing this tip, I thought feeding her before us would keep her from being a nuicense at the table - and it worked good for me to feed her when I first got up and taking her out to house train her. She never bothers us during meals. Overall I don't think she has an alpha attitude.

She is crate trained. We keep the door so she can open it and go in and out when she wants to when we're home. When we leave, we lock her in. I never used food treats in getting her used to the crate. She will sometimes walk in the crate herself when she knows we're leaving. Sometimes she'll come over to the crate when I say den time or nightynight and hold the door open, but have to lead her into the crate. Since I never used food treats for this I'm wondering if it's best not to start? If I start she'll always be expecting it!

I am still giving her a small piece of dog biscuit when she does her sit, stay, come, lay as she expects it. Is there any problem doing this? She seems to prefer the food reward over being petted.

Thank you. Arlene

[Todd]

HI there

Yes food rewards are fine but only if they are being used in the correct way. The way to use them is to get the dog used to them, using them everytime you make a command and they respond.

BUt if you keep doing this your dog will quickly learn that they do it to get the reward......if you don't have a reward they won't do it.

So you need to give them another reward that you can always give them....and that is attention and praise.

So slowly start increasing the frequency of treats ie start one reward for every command....then try a reward every second time they do it and so on and so forth. Always give them praise.

Slowly your dog will wean off the food and onto the praise reward.

Goodd luck

Todd