Growling

by Cherrie Pierson
(Kincheole Michigan)

Growels at our smaller dogs.gets jealous at them being on my lap

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Nov 08, 2017
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by: Anonymous

Yep, if he see's you as alpha then he wants to be 2nd in command. My St. Bernard does the same with my 7 1/2 month Pyrenees/ Anatolian mix. I do not allow it, Cody stays on 1 side and keno gets the other side. As my dogs are not allowed on furniture I am on the floor and each gets a side and when Cody lifts his lip he is corrected. Keno has to be 3rd in line as Cody has been 2nd for awhile and is his senior. I do not push Cody aside but I definitely let him know I am alpha and run the show. Very normal behavior.
Nov 09, 2017
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starstarstarstarstar 		Growling
by: Donna

Never 'correct' a dog when they growl. They are telling you they don't like something. It is a warning. If you don't allow them to growl, they go right for the bite.

As for humans being alpha, this is an excerpt from Dr. Ian Dunbar's (veterinarian behaviourist) article in Dog Star Daily (http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/lets-just-be-humans-training-dogs):

To cavalierly and simplistically summarize considerably complicated canid social behavior as "a dominance hierarchy with an alpha dog dictator", is an insult to both dogs and wolves, and, advertises a complete misunderstanding of their most sophisticated social structure.

Whereas misunderstandings are understandable and excusable, we have to stop at people imposing the weirdness of their misunderstandings upon others.

To extrapolate a misunderstanding of wolf and dog behavior to dog training by citing slippery, phantom concepts of "dominance" and "alpha" as excuses to physically bully dogs is both unfounded and quite distasteful.

If you don’t know how to train the dog, it’s OK. No biggie. Come and learn how. But please don’t just assume that it’s all the dog’s fault. Don’t reflexively blame your dog. Don’t call your dog names.

Don’t assume that your dog is wolfy, or contemplating world domination. And above all, don’t make alpha-dominant excuses to make your dog’s life a misery by psychologically or physically bullying him/her under the guise of dog training. Instead, as a human being with a supposedly superior-functioning brain, give your dog the education that he/she deserves. As humans, we don’t walk on our knuckles when teaching children to read.

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