Hopefully my dog Riley's energy will be easier to manipulate as he nears adulthood. He is 6 months today and no matter how calm I am during our walks together, should another dog come into view his hair stands up on end to the point where I look down and I think someone has switched my puppy with a porcupine! Even after several corrections with the choker chain he's still fixated on the distraction, like the corrections don't even phase him. He is scheduled to be neutered in 2 weeks. I'm hoping this also helps with his situation...

Oh Cesar! Where were you five years ago when I had a pack of six borzois and a red heeler? I was the only one in my little redneck town that believed in walking dogs. Everyone else believed in letting theirs run loose. My well socialized and friendly hounds were gradually trained by the loose ones to expect to be attacked, and that it was "Us vs. Them". After nearly killing two dachsunds, that of course came out of nowhere, threw themselves into the midst of my dogs, and began biting, I finally had to quit walking my dogs in town. I was going to get sued. The local judge, speaking through the animal control officer, let me know that she did not consider me blameless, even though my dogs were leashed, under my control, and passive until attacked. The small, loose, and aggressive dog was in the right, just because it was small. So I had to pack up my pack in a van, drive out of town, and walk out in the sticks. The first day we did that, a sheep saw us and wanted to join up or attack, I don't know which. But he came towards us with great purpose, and I was dragging my dogs back to the car. I felt truly persecuted! As all of this was occuring, my dogs began killing scores of cats that wandered into my acre yard, and even brought down a deer there! And I had some nasty dynamics within the pack, with one beta female tearing gashes into lower ranking and younger females. So where were ya? Man, I needed you then. Most of the pack has died off. The nasty beta female is now the alpha, and has mellowed into a degree of graciousness or just plain old age and infirmity. I'm watching and learning, for when I "reload" with young dogs again! You're brilliant, Cesar. I tell people about your show all the time! Lonni

It's true - about the energy. I will deliberately walk my calm german shepherd up to a crazy barking dog behind a gate. Within minutes of my dog and I standing there giving off calm/assertive energy, like Cesar says, the barking dog will calm down. It's pretty cool, try it!

Wonderful show, as most others will agree. I like the fact that there is an educated readeship and response to most that reply in this blog. My dog, a mix of some sorts, follows the ripple effect of canine behavior to the "T"-- calm and submissive until an agressive dog passes.

I was wondering if anyone out there could help with an issue that was on a show about a month ago, but Ceasar was a bit too quick to explain upon; that being the dog who would try to kill any small animal. My dog is wonderful, even quite sensitive of my cats next move, but if a squerril or rabbit moves within his sight outside, he is so fixed on it, its just like a 'red zone' case.

He even went as fas as to kill a muskrat tonight on our regular run. Though he should have been more controlled (like a shorter leash), I've lost hope in being able to control him in situations where he sees potental prey, any suggestions!?!

Mitch

Good Morning Tasha!!
I too would love to see a show on this because my trainers say I am CRAZY to do what I have done or think I would do again if it happened again!lol They tell me to hold completely still...welp thats not what I've done in the past and its NOT what I KNOW my normal instinct's would take over and do!lolol

My trainers say I'm either lucky or stupid!hahahhaa :D KathyB

cesar, i love your show!

it would be nice to have more episodes where you play matchmaker like in the episode where you played matchmaker for Buford the boxer (the owner was ANNOYING plus she wasn't cooperative!)...or even teach us how to find the right playmate for our dogs/pups. i've been wanting a playmate for my 7 months old dachshund and i failed twice already b/c i didn't know what to do!

you're the best!

Tasha:
One note about the Newfies first. They were bred to jump into water and retrieve things and people...so the "mouthing behavior" is kind of natural, but still should have been discouraged.
Now to demonstrate my insanity, that I will tell you all to NEVER attempt unless you KNOW the other dog can't get you, and only as a last resort. Remember that a fence doesn't always mean you're safe too. This is only for those experienced with dog body language and non-verbal signals.
I used to walk my fluffy 90 pound lump of a wuss dog in a rather farm-country area where people did just let the dogs run wherever. Occasionally I would have to interupt a charging dog to protect mine, whom was taught early on to stand behind the human, obey whatever they tell you, and don't watch....man he was a wussy! Anyways, I played off of dog etiquette. When a challenger approaches it is only fair to give the target a chance to challenge back, so if you stand tall and assertive between the agressor and your dog (your dog not able to make eye contact) that makes you the more convienient target. There's an art to knowing how long to make eye contact with the dog, and it's roughly right when they slow thier stride or change thier stride for a second while making eye contact back. At that point break eye contact and try to look and act as invisible as you can...maybe stomp a foot to add to the "this is MY turf now. Back off" attitude. Once the dog stops or turns away, start to leave. Staying any longer prompts another challenge. This works exceptionally well against property protecting dogs that only wish to scare away passers from entering thier property, but not to "junk yard" dogs always as they are not only protecting property but also thier pack. Just warning more...
There was one fight i couldn't stop, but stalled at least by keeping myself between the agressor and my dog by holding onto the much larger dog's collar and nudging my dog into backwards waking in circles. The best part about that attack was that the owner finnally did come out and hauled her dog from me, and blamed me for it...when all I did was walk past thier driveway with my very obviously submissive dog. On the "projecting emotion" part of that encounter, it might have been slightly triggered by my dog, whom was not feeling well that day due to genetic liver problems and might have projected a fearful, uncomfortable, weakest link vibe.
Once again, this was just a very very very tricky process done by someone that only has good animal senses and no regaurd for her own life...only her pet's. I do not recomend you follow this, but instead keep it handy incase you are trapped. Practicing with your own dogs, nieghborhood dogs you know won't cause you harm, or those poor unsocalised dogs chained to an oak tree with towing chain and put behind a chain-link fence (I knew a few of those actually, and helped make thier last years more enjoyable by making decent friends with them but never challenging thier limits).
Now, all of you ponder how I'm still alive!

Hi Ewa- Thanks for the encouragement and the story of your two guys.
I definitely will never leave my 2 girls alone together when I'm not there. We still keep them separated when we are both at work, or when we go out. We did have one small incident a week ago in front of us, that we put a stop to immediately, but other than that things are calm and peaceful. You are definitely wise to continue to separate them when you can't supervise them. I won't guarantee you wn't have anymore trouble, but I think you are on the right track walking them together. Definitely keep me posted with your progress!

Hi Debi- I think Cesar is great and extremely talented, however I don't feel his techniques alone will work unless your dog has propper obedience training-especially the bigger breeds. I think that may be what the problem is here-because no one has showed you how to teach the dog to do what you want him too, and the no one has showed you how to give a propper correction-if you do it right you don't hurt or choke the dog. It's hard to see the exact way to do it on the show unless someone physically shows you.

Also-it takes time to assume the role as pack leader-if you watch Cesar, he has the facial expressions and body language of the dogs down pat, he didn't learn all of that in a quick amount of time. Being the pack leader has to do with an aura you give off, and how you use your body language to communicate to the dog what you want from him/her.
I would suggest you contact a trainer in your area, and I also know that some of the larger pet store chains sometimes how puppy starter classes that teach people how to stop unwanted behavior the right way.

I hope I'm not coming off as a know it all-but sometimes I think without obedience training-Cesar's techniques alone can leave someone kind of lost.

Debi-
Sometimes when she is going crazy at another dog, calmy step in front of her view and stand over her while correcting her. this is a dominant dog behavior which will ask her to look at you and not the other dog. you are also claiming the other dog and telling her i will not allow aggression towards them. then maybe when she is calm, she may be given affection and introduced to other dogs. also, have you tested her submission to you and tried to roll her over on her back? does she put up a fight or does she comply and roll over? putting up a fight means that she does not quite sense a strong enough energy from you.

Hi I would just like to ask what would you do if you had a dog that tries to be the boss? My father is the only person the dog really listens to. We watch your show all the time and sometimes we get what your saying and we try some of the things but most times it just doesnt work for anyone but my father and we try to do what he does but it just doesnt seem to work. Our other problem with the dog is that she over powers our other dogs and then thew other dogs get hurt and our other dogs Daisy and Shadow (both 4 years old) are the ones who get beat up and Cocoa is the littlest one who does the beating up the bigger dogs almost seem afrarid of Cocoa and to be truthful I am too. Our others dogs can't even go to the bathroom without the other dogs bothering her and it is really hard watching Cocoa hurt them and i just wanted to get rid of her because we found her on the road just there no owners nothing! And i felt bad but now i just want her to go back to where she came from!! So please just give us a little insite so we know what to do. Thanks
Debbie Foreman

Hi Debbie- I can feel your indecsiveness and even some fear just through this blog.
If you re-read what you have said, you have already empowered your father as the one and only bonafide pack leader before you even tried anything yourself. The reason I think these things have not worked for you personally, is because you do not truly believe you are your dogs pack leader. If I can pick up on this from a blog-imagine the energy you are putting forth to your dog.

You have to somehow project power and leadership to your dog-Cesar sometimes reccommends to people that they take their role model or someone they admire and try to emmuate them. I Have been on both sides of things, not having my dogs listen to one word I said before, and now when I decided to really work on things and take the reigns and be the pack leader-it can be done trust me you just have to believe in yourself and your dog will believe in you too.

Your feelings are welcome....
I live in a rural area. I have never had to tie any of the dogs I have had in the past. They choose to stay home.

I took in a stray (resembles an austrilan shepherd). she is everybodys friend. She is a runner and is gone just as much as she is home. Seems to find her way back. It is very obvious that she is more than able to fend for herself.
My plans are to have her fixed this week so puppies will not be a issue. I have a owner tag on her collar and she is tied as we speak. Eventually i fear the other two dogs will follow her. If not for them i would let her run no questions asked.

I often feel that keeping her tied is close to abuse. Sometimes I feel I should take off the collar and bring her back into the wild. She is so people friendly on one hand but such a free spirit on the other. She hunts and kills wild animals and I know food would not be a problem for her. I worry that someday I may be liable for some sort of damage she might encounter.

I realize dogs are tied, boxed, housed, all the time. I have never had to do any of it and it is causing a question in my mind.

I would appreciate any idea's, comments, suggestions that would help me see my way through this. Thank you

P>S> the dog is walked on a lease and walks behind me one to two times a day. She is loose at minimal 3 hours. pr. day. She sits, lays, and stays for short periods of time. She will come when called unless her body a long distance away and her mind already made up to leave.

We just discovered the show and we are totally addicted to it! We just adopted a 4 month old poodle mix (looks just like Benji) from the pound. She was a sweetheart to begin with but implementing some of what we've seen on TV she really has become a well behaved dog.

We've even used the same approach with our kids (8, 13) and have found the calm, no nonsense, I'm in charge attitude to be very effective with them too!

Lynda-
It will work and you will feel it ;)

Deb,
Its so great to hear about that! Its wonderful when people share that they rescued a dog, and are creating a balanced life for their dog as well. nice work!

Mitch,

Five years ago, when I brought some baby chicks home, my lab clearly indicated she thought they looked very tasty. To the point of chattering her teeth like a cat stalking a mouse, when she looked into their cage!

I used my fingertips on her neck like a bite, (as Cesar does), and a verbal "eh-eh" to indicate her behavior was not wanted by me. She clearly understood my meaning and backed off. As the chicks grew, I kept an eye on things, and in between her and the birds. She learned to ignore them very quickly.

When I brought a new, shelter dog home 19 months ago, I took her directly into the midst of my 9 hens and 2 ducks. I kept her behind me and as I greeted the birds. The birds were used to seeing me with a dog at my side, so they didn't bat an eye, remained calm, and didn't even acknowledge that this was a different dog!

This was a dog, I was told could not be around cats, because she would chase them. I believe she followed my calm energy, and understood that these birds were part of the new pack she was entering, simply by how I was acting and thinking.

Unfortunately, your dog has killed a small animal. But, it is not to late to make changes.

I would recommend watching the episode where Cesar works with the dog that killed a squirrel, as many times as you can. There is always something more to learn, each time you watch it.

It's important that you stop your dog's focus the second it enters his brain, (ears and eyes starting to lock on target), before it escalates. Turn him away from the animal and make him sit until he is calm and submissive, with ears back. Your dog should not have any unsupervised contact with other animals. Walks should be on leash, and structured. Keep between your dog and the other creatures at all times, and remain calm. Hold the thought, that all of these animals belong to you. Your dog should be behind you on walks, so he can see you and react to what you are doing, not the other way around.

The more you watch the show, the more techniques you will learn on how to establish yourself in the leadership postition, and communicate what you want from your dog.

Well, that's about all I have to offer over the net. You may want to get a behaviorist/trainer to help you with this in person.

Take care!

Deb

Hello,
It is incredible how much I have learned from Cesar. I have a 4 year old lab/newfoundland that was impossible to walk. I have been working with him daily for 3 weeks and he has shown enormous improvement. Thanks, Cesar!
Deborah

Kathy-
I see your point. She is clearly a dog that is street smart. I applaud you for getting her spayed. You are correct about the fact that if she is wearing your collar, and she gets into trouble, it could be a serious problem for you. By putting a collar with tags on her you are taking responsibility for her actions.
Now, of course this is just an opinion, and I am not a know it all about dogs, but keep in mind that you are pack leader, which means that you will decide if she may join the pack (of course). This also means that you decide when it is time to "walk" a.k.a. "wander off and find food". If she is deciding when she can come and go as she pleases, she is teaching your dogs that she is a stronger pack leader than you, and you are right, they will follow her primal energy. Being that pack leader also means creating balance and a pack of followers that co-exist and accept eachother.
About dogs being boxed, or housed, you are correct that no dog should be kept in a house (yard or not) or a crate all day without daily stimulating walks, but so long as a dog receives daily walks, and "sit" "stay" before meals, and other basic needs of a pack animal, then being in a house, or even better, a crate serves as a "secure den" which is where a dog lives in any habitat. So you are not being cruel. The only cruel thing anyone can do for their dog is not providing excersise"walks", dicipline"no straying from the pack", and last, affection "pet them when they are in a calm submissive state". Tying a dog is not in this category really because a dog that is tied up can only watch life pass by. Still, it is not cruel if the dog gets proper balance in his/her life.
Going by your blog, it sounds as though she is a freindly dog who is looking to follow with a pack and have a den to call home, yet she cant help but feel like she still needs to fend for herself, because it seems encouraged. So I am saying that if she is permitted and told to be wild, then she will continue and progress in being a wild dog and pack leader, yet if she is asked to follow you and place trust in your energy, she will be happy to comply, and she will always be in tune with nature. She may appear now to be happy as a "free spirit", but all dogs are pack animals, and because she does not have that structure, she may be bored.
I hope that this does not sound wrong. In most cases, I think that my comments get mis-understood because I do have a hard time explaining, and properly wording things. Maybe somehow I offend or bore, and if I have done that, I truly apologize. Best of luck to you and your dog ;)

Our family has 2 dogs. Our 4 year old male Boston terrier, and a 9 month old female shitzu. Our boston is very hyper (so are our boys) and the shitzu is well a baby in every sense of the word. After watching several episodes of the dog whisperer, I have managed to stop my bostons obsession with the vaccuum cleaner (he attacks it) and his obsession with helium balloons (he barks and attacks them). We used the leash training for the vaccuum cleaner and it only took about twenty minutes start to finish to stop the behavior....but only when I vaccuum. Now I have to train my sons (12 and 8) to use the vaccuum appropriately ( i actually think they were chasing the dog!). Next on the list of behaviors is to get my dog to stop running out the front door (amazingly enough he never runs out the back door) and down the street. I also have to work on his barking and trying to attack people as they leave my home...yes...anyone can come into my home but no one can leave. BUT the number one problem in our home right now is house training the puppy. OHHHH, she has ruined my carpet, she is so stubborn about going potty outside. my Goal is to use confinement, exercise and leash training to get control of the situation. My plan is to put her on the leash any time she is out of her crate. Making sure either myself or my kids walk her every afternoon for 15-20 minutes or more if she needs it. and finally if no one is home she will have to be confined to her crate. The problem is training my boys. They get home before I do and let the dogs out on their tie outs just outside the back door. But I think they let the puppy in too soon because by the time I get home 30 minutes later...she has had an accident in the house. So I think I'll tell my oldest to take her for a 20 minute walk when he gets home so she has plenty of time to get her exercise and do her "business" but I dont think it would be good for him to walk both dogs at the same time. What do you all think? by the way as I was writing this I decided its the tie out at the back door preventing him from running off, so I'll put another at the front door. duh.

My German Shepherd watches the show too. I always get a kick out of seeing her staring at the screen and talking whenever there is a close up of a dog or the dogs are being noisy and sometimes she'll pace back and forth in front of the tv trying to figure out where they are.

Tianna,

What you said to Kathy was very well put, in my opinion.
I didn't pick up anything offensive in your effort to communicate.

I had planned on replying in much the same way as you did, but don't see the need as you did a fine job!

Learning the "pack mentality" as taught by Cesar has opened up a whole new view into the world of dogs.

I really think he's an answer to prayer for dogs and those who love them.

Shari and Tianna,

Thanks for your help. Miss Smartie Pants and I did go to Puppy Preschool at Petsmart. It was very helpful EXCEPT the teacher let Smartie jump all over her. So that encouraged her to pull towards people for that affection. I take her into stores as much as possible and walk and walk around them. I click and treat when she is walking great with me but most of the time she pulls. Maybe I need to reward alot more when she is walking correctly and not pulling.
I can have her on her back and she waggles her tail and thinks it is cute. She sits, lays, stays, and waits at doors.
I am moving to Fort Collins Colorado next month so I will try and find another class to enroll in. I think that will help.
In the mean time I will do my very best to remain calm and assertive and I will continue to walk and walk and walk with my dogs.
Thanks I feel as if I am not alone and that gives me hope.

Hi Debi- You'e welcome! That teacher definitely did the wrong thing in letting your dog jump on her.
Clicking is definitely better than giving treats, I always found that if you treat train, you can't get the dog to do anything on your terms unless you offer them food.
I think clicking and just walking calmly and assertively conveys the message to your dog.

Hi Shari,

I guess I'm doing the right thing then! When he
brings the toy on our walks, sometimes I'll let him
loose when we get to our own street (dead-end) and
then he drops the toy, so I'm constantly telling him
"go get it, and bring it to me" -- and he does! We
just did that this morning. I didn't realize that is
a "job". Good advice! Thanks!

The Power of Energy is sooooo true.

As a beginning Dog Behaviorist, I've only have 4 clients so far. (5 dogs, 4 owners) Every single owner was so amazed at how differently the dog acted around me. Each owner said that they've never seen the dog act like that when someone just comes in. I had a simple answer for them. I told them it was my energy that I brought to the house. I walked in claimed the house and used Calm/assertive energy doing it. They were amazed at how quickly their dog went from excited/dominate or excited/submissive to just calm/submissive. They couldn't believe how their dogs paid so much attention to me and listened to me.

It's really amazing when you know how to use your energy how it can really affect a dog. Some people might pretend to be a certain energy and really arent and the dog will konw that. You really have to "bring out" that calm assertive energy if you want best results.

I have two Shi Tus One I have had since he was 4 mos. old, and he does pretty much what I ask him to do. I rescued a 3 year old Shi Tu last year that had been in a family with 3 small kids, and he has some problems. He is overly protective and will bite if anyone (even me) gets close to his food or treats. He sleeps with me and loves to get close to me in bed, but if he has a treat (which he stashes and hoards) and I move my foot close to it, he snaps. Otherwise, he is friendly and very loving. I assume the kids took things away from him and teased him to cause this action. My other Shi Tu doesn't mind if I take his treat, his food, his toy or anything else.

Any ideas out there on correcting this problem?

Hi K2.... here are some jobs you might teach your dog. We have three dogs, all do different jobs in this list in addition to some heavier duty farm-type jobs: Bring a tissue from the tissue box when told 'I need a tissue', carry the mail back to the house, carry empty buckets and flower pots during gardening season, bring slippers when told "Bring me my slipper", if they bring only one they are told "get the other one too", carry in the empty recycle bin (our county has recyclable roadside pickup so we have a large plastic bin), carry notes to another family member (useful when my husband or I are outside or downstairs and we need to get a note to each other!), bring in or help stack firewood. Also our dogs love being part of whatever we're doing for our own routine chores, they think they are the 'supervisors'when we go through the process of taking down bird feeders and refilling them, watering plants in the garden or greenhouse, even when working out on our home gym one dog feels her job is to lie on the mat closeby until we're done. And of course treadmill exercise is done by two of our dogs (the 12 1/2 year old is too arthritic) and they look forward to it, plus when I'm on the treadmill one dog lies right next to it with her head resting on it and she naps while I walk, again acting as 'supervisor'. Those daily routine things they seem to look forward to as part of their schedule and purpose. It doesn't hurt to teach a 'trick' to use as a job, even something like agility obstacles or regular tricks like sit,down,paw, rollover, play dead, catch, fetch. When done with structure those can actually become a disciplined job for the dog to feel a sense of accomplishment and pride. We do those with our dogs too and always add new ones to their repertoire to keep them mentally stimulated.

Kathy-
You are welcome. I do not know if letting her run outside within a week after her spay was part of your plan or not, so forgive me if I am mistaken here, but make sure that she stays inside your house with you for at least a week or until her sutures can be removed after her spay. This is something that your vet will tell you as well because she can get an infection, and/or the spay can get torn open if it gets brushed up on twigs or brushes. Just a suggestion for her safety in which you can take it or leave it.

Does anyone know where to buy the special double collar that Cesar uses? I have a hard time keeping the collar up at the top of the neck of my two lab mixes.

Good Morning Edie!
I too was just looking at the colar last night! I wonder when it's going to be ready to sell as I REALLY want one!lol

I try to get and KEEP my dogs check chain high up like Cesar does, but it doesn't stay up, so I'm excited for his collar to become available! KathyB

Hi everybody,

Oh yeah, I can vouch for Cesar's techniques working for
humans, too. I run an office with 42 people, and if I walk slumped over vs. standing up tall I get a different attitude from them -- just like my dogs! They all could
use more exercise, too. I've always been big on that.

About the Illusion collar -- can't wait to get one!
I imagine it must be quite the task to to get
thousands of them manufactured. I have the same experience
with the choke chains slipping back down the necks. I
have to keep stopping throughout our walks and readjusting.
I thought I was doing something wrong, but then Cesar
mentioned it briefly on Friday night's show. He was using
the Illusion collar on one of the dogs, and he said this
is better than a choke collar that you have to keep
readjusting. Made me feel better! ha ha

Does anyone have experience with seat harnesses you would
use in your car to keep the dog from walking around -- can
the dog lie down with these on? Or does he have to remain
sitting the whole time?

Thanks!

HI everyone. I have a question about getting a dog to focus. I have been trying to use Cesar's walking technique, and my dog will walk beside me quietly, but she seems to want to 'test' me . Because she is only a small dog- comes up to my knee, there is a bit of length in the leash, so that she can suddenly jump a foot or so before I can react. I worry about her damaging her throat. She will suddenly go to sniff something, or if another dog is coming, or someone we know, she jumps around on the end of the leash. It is hard to be quick enough to preempt every move she makes- am I not focussed enough?. Could anyone explain to me the proper way to correct her? I have been using a quick tug on the leash, with the tension being released straight away. Sometimes she ignores this, so I stop and tell her to sit. Sometimes she ignores this, so I gently push down on her backside and make her sit. Sometimes she resists but I firmly make her sit. Then I reposition the leash and off we go. Is this the right way to do it? I don't quite understand the concept of making calm assertive corrections- leash corrections seem to be in a way aggressive, and I don't want the dog to feel threatend, and to react against what she perceives as my aggression. Thanks.

Hi Sophie-It takes time and most dogs do what I call "The spaz out" when you correct them the first few times. I have 2 german shepherds but I used to train dogs and the I worked with alot of little breeds. You need to shorten the length of your leash-this way the day can't pull around and kind of dangle itself like I've seen some smaller dogs try to do.

The correction is very simpleit's a quick snap of the leash using your wrist-just enough to refocus your dog's attention. You only do it when you see their attention start to go where you don't want it-the dog should refocus and look straight ahead. Don't be put off by the pulling and refusing to walk-even the smallest dogs are opposed to submitting.
Believe me it takes a couple of times for you and the dog to get the routine down.

This is for Sophie
Take up the slack of the leash. This is allowing your dog to jump and when you feel her to pull on the leash or do what ever she wants give a quick jerk pop of the leash and she will go back in the mode.

I see some postings regarding neighborhood dogs running loose, and confrontations but I'm completely scared out of my wits by the dogs in the hood,I can't bring myself to walk my dogs (American Bulldogs, but I really think they are a boxer mix)when at each corner of my street I have 2 Rottweilers who are the same height as their fence, I mean it's a joke these dogs a mammoth and the other corner a Pitmix and a Siberian Husky. I try and gage times of day the dogs are in the house. We do walk down the block twice on one side and twice on the other. I love walking my dogs but these dogs in my neighborhood are very intimidating, I forgot we also have two little squirt dogs running freely everyday. My dogs are super good, well behaved dogs, very affectionate,playful, they don't show any aggression to other dogs even from behind our fence. I do take them to our old neighborhood where people are more responsible about having dogs, such as very rarely do you see dogs with no leashes.I want them to have other dog friends...and to be able to go on long walks but... those other dogs are really scary ,but all in all we do have fun walking back and forth, I just wish we could go further closer to our house.

Phyllis,

FIRST GET THAT SHIH TZU OUT OF YOUR BED! You didn't say if both your dogs sleep with you or just the rescued one.
You are making his issues worse and they will continue and probably accelerate unless you show him some leadership. You may not realize this but you are nuturing his bad behavior. You are putting him in the position of pack leader by letting him sleep with you. The behaviors he is displaying should be a red flag to you and you need to let him know they are Not acceptable. He is NOT "friendly and loving" if he has food aggression and possession issues. He is in a pack that has no consistent leader, you need to simply project you will not tolerate these behaviors. Don't overthink it, show him by body language and stern eye contact to "knock it off". Make sure you are treating BOTH your dogs equally, just because he was a rescue does not mean letting him do what he wants, does not mean you should feel sorry for him, does not mean he needs extra loving; HE NEEDS EXTRA ASSERTIVENESS FROM YOU. I do not want you to feel bad, however sometimes we unconsiously show favoritism when living in a multiple dog home. If you have had this dog over a year and reinforced his aggression by letting him still "get way with it", YOU HAVE NOT "RESCUED" HIM AT ALL! He remains in an unbalanced state of mind, therefore your pack is unbalanced and I have to believe this has had negative effects on your other dog. By hesitating when he "snaps", he wins. By doing nothing you could quite possibly end up with a truly "red zone" dog who could decide he doesn't want to tolerate sharing YOU and could attack your other Shih Tzu. If you feed him nervous, frightened energy he will respond in kind.

Guess what? He does not want to be Pack Leader, he needs to have YOU step up and be the Pack Leader so he can give up all these unbalanced behaviors. If you are calm and firmly let him know through your body language, voice and facial expression his behavior is not acceptable----he will "let them go"...........Only when you have his trust AND respect will he give them up to you. You won't get this by letting him sleep with you, by only loving him and not "showing" him the rules of the house/pack.

Let us know......I'm sure we are all rooting for you and know you CAN do it!

What a wonderful show I must say. It's difficult to see it here in Canada, but I can assure you I will look to see how I can.

I need to see an episode that deals with dogh whining and crying while on walks. Our dog is so loud that people have actually checked to see if we abuse her. WE HAVE NEVER ABUSED HER!!!

She's a dog with an incredible amount of "beans" while we walk. Crying and whining all while her tail wags. It;s embarassing to say the least.

Any ideas?

Dear Karen,

She's probably getting to much water if you keep it in the cage. Are you a stay a home mom? How long a time is she caged during the day? You said you take her out every half hour on the hour. Start lengthening the times between which you take her out (like every 2 hours, then every 3 hours.) Or better still leave her outside for awhile by herself. You could put her in a baby expandable arena along with some of her toys. That would confine her and keep her safe. Or better still go to your nearest Thrift store and pick up a used Playpen to put her in. Just put a water bowl out there with her (not alot of water). Look out the window to check on her every once in awhile.

Sound nuts. Give it a try.

my husband and i own a grosser schweizer. Our dog has a short attention span especially when we command him to come towards us...this mostly happens when we are out walking.He just runs off and doesn´t pay any attention to us,this ends up with me running after him inorder to bring him back home.What can we do to make him come when we give him the command...thanks.

I am having a possession aggression problem with a 9 month old neutered male Whippet in our home. He is one of three family dogs. Obviously he has not accepted me as pack leader - although the other two dogs do. I have been practicing all of Cesar's pack leader tools that I know. Lots of walking and basic obedience too. Still Whippet Boy is very very menacing and when the situation escalates, I back off - afraid of a major attack. Any advice?