Funny you’d post that.
Odin just got his daily, raw bloody steak.
For an inherently sharp, very dominant Euro Dobe, “behaving himself” when surrounded by 5 other dogs *also* wanting the steak is very difficult.
To “earn” his steak, he must not only *not* show aggression/posessiveness to the other dogs, he must sit/give paw/lie down no less than -3- times and *then* he is ~allowed~ to *gently* take the steak and go eat it with no hint of bad manners on his part.
He did very well today except when he got done and only the center bone was left.
He’d finished with it, didn’t really want it, dropped it on the floor and one of the other dogs picked it up which caused him to get ‘snippy’.
I took the bone from him his mouth in a very intentional manner and pointedly handed it to the other dog, right in front of his face.
He was not allowed to take it back or get upset about it.
Neither the steak or the bone are “his right”; they are his privilege.
At breakfast and supper time, the dogs’ bowls are set down randomly, in no particular order.
They eat when and where I give it to them and no one is allowed to molest another dog’s meal.
If they break my “commandments”, they find themselves without their bowl until they “get their mind right”.
To my dogs, I am God.
~I~ giveth and ~I~ taketh away.
Period.
I practice “positive reinforcement”.
There are no “punishments” for bad behavior; there are only rewards for good behavior and the -absence- of reward [or attention] for bad behavior.
For dogs who desperately desire their master’s loving, *happy* attention, simply being ignored drives the point home very quickly.
With any breed considered “aggressive”, aggressive treatment only breeds more aggression in the dog and they
-will- learn to suppress the overt, normal signals such as “warning growls” and go right to a bite if they have been “punished” for growling.
Rewards for right behavior are far more effective _in the long run_ than punishments for wrong behavior.
Do well and you get what you desire.
Act like a kook and you don’t.
Very simple.
>There are no “punishments” for bad behavior; there are only rewards for good behavior and the -absence- of reward [or attention] for bad behavior.
For dogs who desperately desire their master’s loving, *happy* attention, simply being ignored drives the point home very quickly.
With any breed considered “aggressive”, aggressive treatment only breeds more aggression in the dog and they
-will- learn to suppress the overt, normal signals such as “warning growls” and go right to a bite if they have been “punished” for growling.<
A friend of mine has a very effective method for curing a dog that barks and screeches in its crate after the family has gone to bed. She gets up, takes the nail clippers she keeps at the ready, and proceeds to clip a couple of toenails attached to the offending dog. She then puts said big mouth back to bed, and she shuts of the lights and retires herself.
The dog gets the message loud and clear that nighttime is for sleeping.