Not a fan of bicycles or thunder or my 1 year old or...orrrr

by Amy
(Naples, FL )

So we rescued Jack, an 11lb Rat Terrier/Chihuahua, 6 weeks ago from our local DAS. We were told he was 4 years old, and I just found out this week that he is actually 7 years old. Not a big deal... We also believed he was deaf when we first got him, and our vet confirmed. He has since done a 180 and can miraculously hear perfectly; we joke and say he has "selective hearing". He hate thunder and we live in Florida, so the thunder is a regular occurrence. We do not think there is any way to overcome that, so we do the best we can with him in a storm.

I went on a fact finding mission on Jack because after 6 weeks with us, and after taking a nice long walk earlier this week, he nipped at my 1 year old's hand when we got back in from the walk (literally for no reason at all; I saw the whole thing go down). When I went to pick up my son, to get him away from Jack, that is when Jack jumped up to nip my son again, but he bit me on my thigh instead; in two places.

Pump the brakes, Mister! After 6 weeks in the same house with the same family, this happens? My husband and I are trying to figure out where, why, what, how. Was it the long walk we took, was it that he was too hot when we got back into the house, did he suddenly not like my son? We also have a 6 year old girl who is like Jack's BFF! We think that is because when we rescued Jack, she was with me picking him up and taking him home. Maybe she was his hero. Either way, 6 weeks go by and he snapped. Now, this morning when I was walking him with our other dog (8lb Jack Russel/Chihuahua who Jack gets along famously with), a bicycle went by and Jack flipped his stuff, started going bonkers and I locked his leash and went to hold his harness to keep him from lunging, and he went up to bite my wrist. He did not get me this time, but he would have if I wasn't paying attention the way I was.

Can you really teach an old dog new tricks? HELP US! Surrendering him is NOT an option.

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Nov 11, 2020
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Become The Pack Leader
by: Online Dog Trainer

Become The Pack Leader

Of all the questions that people ask "how to become the pack leader" is the big one! This is by far the most important question how to convince your dog that you are the person in charge. Think of the pack leader as the decision maker - where you should go on the walk, how to behave in different situations and how to respond to all the strange things that are out there.

When you understand how dogs packs work you soon realize the importance, that pack leader makes all the decisions. If you leave it up to your dog then there a big chance that your dog is going to get something’s very wrong and make a mistake!

In order to understand how to become the pack leader you must first recognize that the following means nothing to a dog….

What car you drive, the size of your house, the money you earn or the fact that you speak languages! Your dog would happily swap all of that for a nice snack!

Asking your dog to sit before her dinner falls a long way short of what you need to be achieving to become the pack leader and walking through doorways is only necessary when your dog is on the lead.

Lastly - dominating your dog is certainly not the way to become the pack leader in fact this can back fire badly on you later on if you teach your dog that physical strength is what it is all about. Whilst you may force your dog into submission it will not be convincing your dogs mind that you are worthy of the position and that you should become the pack leader only that you are a bit of a bully.

So how do you become the pack leader? All dogs worldwide, regardless of breed use the same ways to check to establish the pack leader. The best way to learn about how to put it into practice is to watch it being done on video as I have done through one of the video based web sites. The important areas to take control in are the following:

The pack leader will be in total calm control when your dog barks and alerts you to danger. This includes anything that your dog may perceive as dangerous and barks at in and around the propertyOn the walk your dog should not pull you at a single stage, even the beginning! Learning to walk your dog properly can only really be learnt through video as I have found out!

If you are the pack leader then your dog should be able to relax and switch off completely inside the house. If your dog is always switched on most of the time and can’t relax then that is your dog on pack leader duty!

Getting your dog to switch off is directly connected to how you meet and greet your dog after your return home. You need to watch it on video it is so subtle but it is the difference between being the pack leader or the follower.

Lastly, feeding your dog correctly will establish who is the pack leader and there is much more to it than asking your dog to sit! Also if you have a dog that is "not food motivated" then you may be in for a surprise!

There is one site that shows you – using video – exactly how to become the pack leader and how crucial it is to changing any behavioral issue.

If you want to understand more about this topic or see the videos that explain everything then simply take a look at:
The Online Dog Trainer here.

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