Its Me or the Dog!

I have a pure obsession with watching this show.  It’s not that I agree with even half of the things she does, but a lot of it makes complete sense.  I’m not a person that likes to train with “positive” training so to speak, but I don’t train with “negative” either.  I feel like, if you wake up and new rules are instated and they are expected to listen, it’s how it is.  Now I know that’s difficult to do when the dog doesn’t know basic training behaviors, but typically on these shows, one dog does, and then the other dog doesn’t behave.  In which case, then I feel like that’s simple enough to train.  That’s how I mostly trained Titus, based off of what Puppy does (except he actually sits when you say sit and for some reason, she won’t, though she will sit when she needs to – it’s very strange).  

I typically don’t like the fact that when she deals with an aggressive-dog case, she wants to give it tons of treats so it associates “other dogs” with good things.  I have to jump back to the dog whisperer on that one and suggest the technique where he surprises them into losing interest.  It’s the more alpha way to do it, in my opinion.  I think they respond better to simple pack behavior versus treating them.  And then when she discusses how dogs are so very reactive, that’s true, because they’ve not been trained to pay attention.  It’s good for a dog to be reactive, especially if they’re paying sole attention to you which is something I like.  Titus is incredibly reactive, but he listens completely to me, but I didn’t train him to watch me, I treated him like he was the pack member and I was the alpha.

Now, I’m not into all of that alpha-rolling theory because no wolf-alpha rolls their pack members.  Submission is something that is freely given, not forced.  When you have that position with your dogs, you’ll see them freely give it to you, be it if they’re playing and you think they want you to “rub their belly” or you’re walking passed and they just roll over, they’ll do it.  Another form of freely giving submission is licking your face.  Most people hate it when their dogs lick their face, but if they’re licking your lips or chin once or twice, that’s giving respect.

Sorry… I got into a wolf-behavior tangent.

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