My little dog is dominant over everything

[jazzyminpin]

Hi my name is candice and I own a 1 year old Min Pin and my roommate has a 3 year old terrier mix. My min pin has always seemed to dominate everything around us. She is very protective of myself and my boyfriend. If we go for walks she barks and pulls toward other animals and people. She also will is very dominate over the terrier mix. She will try to hump her and is always bitting her tail, neck, paws anything she can get a hold of. Our Min pin will also show dominance over her toys. She will hump stuffed animals and growl and shake them around in her mouth. When it comes to feeding both dogs our min pin feels she gets to eat before the terrier is aloud even near the food. If we are tring to pet our terrier the min pin has to be in the action and will get upset if she isn''t. We have sent the min pin through a puppy and intermediate training class at Petsmart and she has passed with very little problems but at home or on walks she is a terror. We have also had our Min pin spayed thinking that may help with all the dominance and aggression. We need help with the problems I am losing my mind.
Thanks
Candice

 

[JCJD]

Date: 7/25/2006 10:46:43 AM
Author:jazzyminpin
We have sent the min pin through a puppy and intermediate training class at Petsmart and she has passed with very little problems but at home or on walks she is a terror.

Hi Candice, welcome to Pricescope!
I''m just a PhD student in animal behavior, and I simply can''t be much help over the internet, but I can try to give you some advice.
The portion of your post that I quoted above has me the most concerned. This is because much of what we think of as pet obedience training is actually pet OWNER training. Your confidence and assertion in controlling and managing your dog''s behavior is essential. With my limited knowledge and experience in pet and animal training, I suggest that you go through another training session, preferably private sessions, and get both of your training back up to speed. Some trainers will come to your home and help out with daily routine issues, such as getting along with companion animals and people. Basically, you need to be consistent with your control over her, and IMMEDIATELY reward her when she exhibits good behavior. Also, in my past experience working in a boarding kennel back in high school, smaller dogs are much more openly aggressive than larger dogs are. Small dogs were much more likely to bite than larger ones, and they were also the ones that barked the most. I think that she just needs more training and positive reinforcement of good behaviors.

Also, spaying her was definitely a good decision, even if it somehow doesn''t affect her aggression. Spayed and neutered animals are statistically healthier pets. Sorry I can''t help you much, but hopefully that will give you a starting point.

 

[moremoremore]

JC...you are better than the Dog Whisperer!!!

I have no dog advice, but I would LOVE to see a pic! I LOVE min pins...they are among my favorites!!!

 

[Mara]

haha the only min pins i have known were total terrors! there was one local and he was a nightmare, all he did was yap yap bark bark and he would also try to hump other dogs all the time. he was hilarious! i was just glad he wasn't mine...they tried putting a zapper collar thing on him and it just totally didn't work for his barking. i think they finally moved away. they are cute but seem really high-strung!

my girlfriend has a hyper jack russell who tries to be dominant over other dogs, esp larger ones, and he responds well to authoritative attitudes from US...his mom is totally useless in that she thinks he is hilarious and funny even when harassing other dogs...but when he comes to visit us, he is so much more well-behaved!! i really do think much of it has to do with the owner, and training them how to train their dog. dogs are very perceptive and can pick up much from the owner. when the jack comes over, he lets us roll him over onto his back (that is a way to show dominance as the human), we scratch his belly to show that we have positives to give, then praise him when he allows it...we give him a lot of praise and also if he does something wrong, i tend to thwap him on his nose or his butt, just to get his attention. it's kind of funny but when they lose concentration by a distraction like that (it's not painful)...they forget why they were barking or whatever they were doing. it's pretty funny because they look so disgruntled, and it's pretty effective.

can you feed them in separate areas of the house? feed them at separate times so that you can monitor and be there to see what is going on and correct bad behavior?

anyway i do agree with praise and foodie treats when he does something positive...they do learn quickly...being consistent is important...you may find that some things work for you and some things don't. also i totally agree re: bringing in a private person to help you learn to train your dog. dogs don't just go to training school and come out great dogs. the owner is a huge part of it. we had a trainer come for an hour when my dog was a puppy and she taught ME so much on how to train my dog. and also they can work on focused problems and stuff.

i definitely believe that old dogs can learn new, good tricks!! just keep at it and keep researching and trying. it will take work and patience, good luck!!!

 

[widget]

Hmm, sounds to me like you need the Dog Whisperer! (if you haven''t seen it, I highly recommend you finding it on the Natl. Geographic Channel, or buy his book, or I think there is now a DVD out that you can rent.)

Clearly your little girl has assumed the alpha role in your household, and she needs a demotion!

A home visit or few from an animal behaviorist is really a good idea, to help the HUMAN family members learn how to become alphas.

I''m a great fan of Cesar Milan''s system (the Dog Whisperer), and believe that everyone will be happier (including your minpin) when the proper pecking order is established in your home.

Good luck!
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[dani13]

Candice-

We have a min pin- he is a total terror too- definitely a high-maintenance dog with special needs...he was worse though when he was younger (he is now 6), before we got him neutered, and before we got him professional help..lol..yes, we brought him to a doggie psychologist/trainer...

The breed is known for all of the behaviors you described- dominance, sometimes aggression, and they are also highly intelligent. But, they also are really good, loyal, and fun dogs that just need patient owners that are willing to work with them. Take your dog to a professional and let them work with her- it will be worth it!! There are still some times that our little Eddie will be aggressive- like when we go on walks and he sees something/someone funky, etc. We just try to avoid his triggers. He does not get along with other dogs, he does not like children, we have just gotten used to keeping things the same with him. Sometimes you just have to accept your dog's personality and that's it. Strangers are told not to pet him b/c he is just not friendly- plus, he would totally freak out! He has yet to bite, but I would not trust him with strangers at all. Its funny, because with our family he is the most loving dog- crazy!!
I feel your pain! Good luck!

 

[moremoremore]

Can a girl get some min pin pix? LOL....they are so stinkin cute...

 

[AndyRosse]

Date: 7/25/2006 10:22:27 PM
Author: moremoremore
Can a girl get some min pin pix? LOL....they are so stinkin cute...

LOL, yeah! We need pics!!

 

[monarch64]

Hee hee, my co-worker has a female min-pin named Hershey...she is the cutest l''il thing! BUT I''ve heard some horror stories about her...she likes to come inside their house after she''s been outside to pee and then run right upstairs and pee on the master bath *bathmat.* She is VERY loyal only to my co-worker and doesn''t want much to do with the rest of her family, which consists of a husband and 3 children, ages 9-14. She is mainly sweet and loving, but very territorial and aggressive to other dogs. They DO try and reward her every good behaviour with a treat and verbal praise, but haven''t seen many changes in the last year.

I would say don''t give up, and definitely take the advice the above posters have given. We have a very aggressive, alpha-male beagle (small dog...30 lbs.) and have had the same issues with barking, etc. He isn''t necessarily aggressive to other dogs when on leash, but when off leash it''s a different story--he''s a humper who doesn''t discriminate between males and females even though he''s been neutered. The day after he came home from being neutered he was humping the German Shepard across the street (our mistake--we didn''t realize we shouldn''t have let him play with his buddy so shortly after his surgery). It was like he didn''t even realize he wasn''t a "male" anymore. He just has a very dominant, Napolean-complex personality, and we have spent lots of $ on training over the last three years to try to change this. What we have realized, is that he does have his own personality and it isn''t likely to change, but we do know that we can try to modify his BEHAVIOR with praise and treats, which has worked so far. We would never, ever give him up, but we know his personality well enough that we know what to watch out for, and what situations are problems for him as well as others.

I hope that everything works out for you Candice, and that you are able to resolve some of your dog''s issues with training and good parenting. It takes a lot of patience, and is well worth it, to raise a dog and have the ability to bring it around other dogs and people...I hope you don''t give up!

 

[dani13]

Date: 7/25/2006 10:22:27 PM
Author: moremoremore
Can a girl get some min pin pix? LOL....they are so stinkin cute...

MMM...LOL...Promise to get some pics in a day or two and post them here...problem is Eddie's pics are on the computer at my parents house, plus he lives with them (dont think I am a bad mommy, my mom- "grandma" is his best friend and he would be miserable without her!) One of the first things that came out of my family's mouth when I told them I was moving out was, "your not taking Eddie, are you???" It was like sacriledge....he is the king of that house, I am not sure where they would be without him...I miss him so much, but I know he is happier there! Him and I are still very close even though I dont live there anymore- I visit him every week and still take him to the park, spend time with him, etc. I just love him to bits!

Will get you pics asap! He is so cute, chocolate brown color with rust markings and green eyes! He is a little big for the breed (20 lbs), but we were told he is definitely a pure breed- just big bone-ded!!!! lol