The ***OFFICIAL*** Friday/Saturday Night Singles' Thread

Free Republic ^ | 1/06/06 | scott7278

[apackof2]

He refuses to obey commands. He jumps on people unexpectedly

Alaskan Malamute/Siberian Husky are notorious for being very independant however a 90lb dog jumping up on you will turn into a unpopular 90lb dog!

I don't know if you have taken him to obedience class but if so I would continue to take him. At 4 he is still young.

However a big thing with dogs, as we know is to establish YOURSELF as the alpha dog, if you don't your dog will treat you like a doormat, so to speak because dogs operate on a pack mentality, being submissive to the alpha and seeing the rest as his siblings.

I know that sometimes that is hard because us dog moms
treat our dogs like furry children.

But a trained and obedient dog is really a happier dog and so is the owner!

Although even a trained dog will have a moment when they will do their own thing, like going on a hunting adventure, ignoring being called, like a naughty (Maddie) teenager!!

[Goodgirlinred]

Harm and I tried obedience school when he was nine months old or so. Even then he was almost half my body weight. He pulled me down so many times that I hurt my back and we flunked out.

Unfortunately, Harm has established himself as the Alpha male and me as the Alpha female. He rules. RATS! He even used to gently put his mouth around my throat when he would get me down on the floor. He doesn't do that anymore. Whew! He has some very big choppers!

However, he is a big sweetie and loves people, except for the ones he senses are a threat to me. There have been a couple of those and he has taken care of the situation. ;)

So, do you think we could try obedience school again? He listens to other people, especially people with deep voices, better than he listens to me. :(

Oh, Harm does recognize my late husband's 17 year old sheltie as the alpha dog when they are together. Teddy has dementia, is very hard of hearing and has difficulty seeing. Harm will not try to take Teddy's food away. When Teddy growls at him, Harm lies down on his back and exposes his throat. He also looks after Teddy when they go outside.

[RosieCotton]

I believe they offer obedience training classes at most Petsmarts...I've never lived close to one before when I had dogs, so I dunno!

Mostly those classes are good for teaching you to teach your dog...and exposing the dogs to distractions, so they have to learn to overcome that. If that makes sense.

[RosieCotton]

Good post.

[Goodgirlinred]

Well, I will have to give them a call and see if they will take a dog as big as Harm. There are two PetSmarts not too far from me. One is about 30 min. away and the other about an hour. Harm loves to ride in the SUV (his) so that is no problem. The problem will be getting from the parking lot into the store without him dragging me in front of a car!!! He has no car sense since we live in the country. ^^^

[apackof2]

So, do you think we could try obedience school again? He listens to other people, especially people with deep voices, better than he listens to me. :(

Yes I do because Harm shouldn't be the alpha, YOU should be!

used to gently put his mouth around my throat
when he would get me down on the floor.
Yup this is dominant dog behavior

If you allow him to be the alpha, that's why he doesn't listen to you, and a 90lb dog that doesn't listen/obey his owner can be problems, like jumping on people. He is so big he could hurt someone!

Also when Teddy passes then Harm will assume Teddy's alpha postion and he could get bossy!

I know its hard because we tend to think that our dogs are furry kids and sometimes think they think like us, but they don't and Harm NEEDS to know that YOU are the boss (alpha). Its really the best for you & him.

[apackof2]

Thanks

[apackof2]

without him dragging me in front of a car!!!

No more dragging you!

Harm needs to walk on a leach if need be. I know that you live in the country and he spends most his time off leach but he needs to learn to walk on a leach and not drag you
Some situations (like travel, hotels) require a dog to be on a leach and you don't want to avoid them becasue Harm drags you

Have you ever considered a small sled for him to pull/train with in the winter?

After all that's what he was bred for and dogs are happy when doing what they are bred for, like Maddie hunting

I bet there is a sled dog club or organization close to you, check the Internet
Could be a fun social thing for you too!

Let Harm watch the Iditarod on TV, LOL

Iditarod Infor Here

[ozarkgirl]

Harm NEEDS to know that YOU are the boss (alpha). Its really the best for you & him.

I agree. If you want your dog to be mannerly and well behaved you must be assertive enough show him the behavior that is expected and tolerate no less.

A perfect person to help is Hair of the Dog. I think she may train dogs. But having many dogs in my lifetime, first I ask is he neutered and then either way you must be the one in charge (usually getting in their face and saying NO in a rather aggressive stance will do that). There is no option and he WILL try to get away with what he thinks he can.

You will be well pleased when you are in control of the dog rather than vice versa. You will greatly appreciate being able to take the guy into public with proper manners.

[HairOfTheDog]

An obedience class would be great, and you'd really enjoy it. While there's a few flakes out there, most who are doing obedience classes know something about what they're doing. Only word of warning might be to avoid the oversensitive types who think there is never call for correction for bad behavior. They all own and train shelties and Golden Retrievers and have never had to deal with a big strong willed dog ;~D Call around a couple in the phone book, describe your situation and your dog's issues and see if they sound like they make sense and click with you.

Really, to end up with a nice all around pet to be around, you can't beat an 8 week class. It will force you to spend the time and focus on the dog that's really needed.

I might offer a couple tips for specific problems... for instance, jumping up. The tactic I know that works is this: When he jumps up, grab his front feet, hold on and start pushing him backwards until he falls over. Sounds funny but it works. Have a couple friends help you do the same thing when he jumps on them, and within just a few tries, he starts not wanting to give you his feet ;~D

[Goodgirlinred]

Well, I know that I need to be Alpha. I do try to get in his face and use an assertive tone of voice. Problem is, I have a soft voice and I can't get it to be too assertive sounding. You should have heard me when he pushed past me into my son-in-law's chicken coop while I was Chicken-sitting. He went after a big rooster and caught it and I was screaming and I finally caught him and pulled him off the rooster using all the strength I had. Harm is stronger than I am and he went back after the rooster. I finally hauled his butt out of there, I don't know how, but all my screaming and "BAD Dogging" didn't do any good. (The rooster is fine.)

When I get in his face he either pulls away or kisses me. Rats! On his hind legs he is about as tall as I am. He is overwhelming sometimes. I want him to be trained and I try to do it, but he is so darned stubborn.

I will try to find a trainer to help. I even have had difficulty finding a groomer for him. One lady refused. The lady at the vet's does him now. They anesthetized him the first time. :( His former groomer, who has hurt her back and can't do it anymore, did not have much trouble with him. She is good with dogs.

Oh, and Harm has been neutered since he was a puppy. He was really aggressive then and ate up my great room furniture and ruined the carpet. When I moved him to the basement apartment, he ripped the carpet off the steps, ruined that carpet and pulled up a lot of it, and ate a sofa completely, leaving only the wooden frame. He even took out the springs. :( He is not destructive anymore, though, except with his stuffed squeaky toys.

[HairOfTheDog]

Harm and I tried obedience school when he was nine months old or so. Even then he was almost half my body weight. He pulled me down so many times that I hurt my back and we flunked out.

90 pounds is not an OVERSIZED dog. But he's too strong to be yarding you all over the place with a flat collar. I'd recommend a pinch collar.

It looks like a torture device, I know, but it is not as bad as you think. You can try it on your own leg if you doubt me. What it does, better than any amount of pulling with a flat collar, is speak to the part of his brain that only his momma could reach when she used to grab him by the back of the neck. It mimicks the dominant throat hold of the dominant dog. And it equalizes your strength to his. You put it on him only when on leash, and you never let him pull on it. Only sharp jerking corrections when he needs them.

[Goodgirlinred]

There is a lady who will come to my house that I have heard of. I will call her and see if she can work me in. Should I have private lessons, or would Harm do better in a class with other dogs? The only other trainer I talked to wants to keep Harm for several weeks without me. I can't do that.

Harm and I spend most of the time together. Since I am a widow and my late husband's sheltie (there is that sheltie and my last dog was a golden retriever ^^^) is senile and nearly deaf and blind, Harm is my companion. So going to obedience classes is more of the same in terms of spending time together. ;) We have date nights and we go through Arby's drive thru and I get the Martha's Vineyard Salad and Harm gets a plain roast beef sandwich and gets one to take home to Teddy. They always remember Harm, not me. LOL.

Harm hates for anyone to touch his feet. I will try what you have suggested. Thank you.

[Goodgirlinred]

I know. I am going to try really hard to make him behave. He is really very gentle with the grandchildren. My one year old granddaughter doesn't even come up to his chin. He was very careful not to knock her over. She just loved to pat him.

However, New Year's Eve a really dear friend, who is 78 but looks 60 and acts 40, and I went to dinner at a jazz club. When she came in the house, Harm unexpectedly jumped up on her back. She is shorter than I am, so he was a lot taller than she was. It was a blessing that she did not go down on the floor. It scared me to death. He has never done that before. Luckily she is a dog lover, but it scared her, too.

Gotta get that bad doggy trained. He is bossy. He is demanding and I have to do what he wants, or he barks his head off at me and if he can find a piece of my clothing, he races through the house with it until I do what he wants.

[HairOfTheDog]

With the jump up thing, just rush him backwards quickly till he falls over backwards. He'll be quite surprised at that, and will be reluctant to repeat it too many times.

I understand about not wanting to send him away. The whole point is for you to learn to teach him.

If he's really unruly now, to where you'd be overwhelmed in a class, have the private lady come out and work a few sessions first, then do the class when he's ready to have those added distractions.

Sounds like you'd think the classes were fun together time, and that's good. They are fun if you look at it that way, and if the instructor is any good :~D

You will find in talking to the instructors that some are geared toward training family pets, and some are geared toward training people who want to compete in obedience shows... really, for now, you want the first. The second will be worried about a lot of stuff that doesn't matter to you, like if he sits straight and correct, when you just want him to sit and stay put :~D

[Goodgirlinred]

LOL! Yep, I don't think Lt. Commander Harmon Rabb (his whole name) could ever compete in an obedience class. :*) To find a really good trainer, I might have to travel a few hours, like to Charlottesville. A really good trainer that I know, Veronica Sanchez, told me that the only trainers whom she could find on the internet that she knew anything about who were anywhere near me were in Charlottesville or Richmond. Those are 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 hour trips one way! :( Harm is a very friendly dog, so maybe we could be in a class. Maybe he would try to copy the other dogs????? =^D

[Goodgirlinred]

Good Lord! I have to wrestle him to the floor to put a regular collar on him. I have to wait until I get him in the SUV to snap on his leash! I will have to get the trainer to help me get that thing on him. My poor baby.

[HairOfTheDog]

Are you in a tiny town? Because I'm in a fairly small town and there's several. A few of them are lightweights, but really basic obedience is not that hard.

[HairOfTheDog]

Poor baby indeed! You might have to have help getting it fitted the first time, it's important that it fit him sortof snug so it stays right up under his jaw at the top of his neck, and not down on the strong muscled part of his neck.

Perhaps his first lesson needs to be sitting still to get collars and leashes on. It can't stay on him all the time so you need to be able to do it every time you walk him or work with him.

[apackof2]

Hairofthedog has good advise

The collar is good and grabbing his feet and pushing backwards until he falls is good also.
Another is to raise your knee when he tries to jump up and your knee will hit him in the chest but I think he is too big for that

I agree with Hairofthedog that you need to be the one training him with a private trainer or a class

Northern breeds are more stubborn and because he is 4 and has gotten away with a lot with his mommy, he will resist but keep up the classes (8 or more weeks) and you will see results