The Stubborn Mastiff
To help Promise overcome her fear of cars, I tried a different technique than the one I used for Kane the Great Dane's shiny floor-phobia from Season One.
She didn't seem to have a physical fear of vehicles. When I challeged her to jump into our Dog Whisperer production RV, she not only willingly complied, she relished the challenge!
I wanted to get her into that same excited, playful mood when it came to getting into her owners' car. And once I realized the problem was all psychological I took it from there, using the environment around us to work Promise through this problem. You'll see how on tonight's episode.
Remember, you only get what you want from a dog when she is willing to do something. If at first she's not getting it, don’t punish her; calmly redirect that energy. This is why I always say the only “training tool” you need is your calm-assertive energy. You just need to keep your eyes--and your mind--open.
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19 Comments
I once did a method with my Collie, Shepard, who was afraid of getting into the car.
My parents could not figure out why he was so scared of the car, but would just pick him up and put him the car until he got too big. Then there was a problem.
When no one was around, I took Shep up to the car and just walked him around the entire car to see if he was scared of the car in general, he didn't react, but when I opened the door then he tried to tug and pull away from me and the car.
I sat down inside the car while holding onto my dogs leash to show him that I wasn't scared of the car and that there really was no threat to him or me. Then called for him to jump inside, at first he was hesitant, but I took a treat out of my pocket and showed it to him and called him and pulled lightly on him until he finally came into the car and I gave him the treat. I did this about several times until he jumped into the car before me. Collies are very intelligent animals and now he jumps in with no hesitation and doesn't require a treat either.
I don't know how I did it, but part of it is i think he trusts ne most.
Hi, is Promise a Cane Corso?
I have an Australian Shepard/Lab mix and 2 other Labs in the same household. The mix developed dog aggressive tendencies shortly after adoption of the third dog (he was the 2nd). Many of the qualities I saw in the "Baseball Dog" episode, I have seen in my dog. He was trained on a treadmill and now spends about 40 min a day on one. (I am physically unable to walk him any distance). His temperment has improved, but he is still kept physically seperated from one of the dogs at all times for safety.
I also have a problem getting my mastiff, Sam, into the car since his tail was caught in the door sadly. He didnt lose any of it but has been scarred mentally. He is getting better with coaxing and treats. But how do you teach an almost 2 year old mastiff that before coming to me was kept outside alone in a kennel and never had indoor training, to stop chewing on the couch, shoes and other things he takes out of rooms and off tables? And geeze why do they make leather couches and shoes out of the same stuff as they make rawhides? No wonder the dogs are confused!
If Cesar or someone has any ideas on how to stop the Chewing habit, ( yes Ive tried the yucky sprays that prevent it), Im open to ideas!!
Lisa G--One thing that has worked for me with chewing on furniture & personal items is "owning" them. I did mental exercises with my dog where he was not allowed on the couch. Every time he tried to get up I stood up, asserted myself, and made him back away from the couch without saying anything. I did the same thing with other items he was prone to chewing on. It took awhile, but he got it eventually!
Sadly, my wife and I missed the episode that focused on helping your dog overcome his fear of riding in the car. The treat idea works great, but only for dogs that are big enough to jump into the car.
My problem is that I drive a Jeep Wrangler and my bulldog, Maddie, isn't big enough to physically jump up and into the vehicle. I'll use treats and lure her near the car, I'll pick her up and place her into the back of the car, but, once we start rolling, she urinates. What should I do? Start with super-short trips? I'm totally stumped. Even trips around the block make her pee in the Jeep!
Help, please...
My 10 year old toy poodle in the past had a problem with the car. She will jump into the car without a problem but then stands and shakes the entire trip. We found that if we stopped and let her walk around then get back in the car that she would then settle down for the rest of the trip. We recently bought an RV so that we could take the dogs with us. She is fine with the whole experience until we start rolling. The stop routine didn't work in the RV. On a recent trip she stood and shook the entire trip. On her blanket on the floor, on my lap, on the couch or next to our other dog (who settles in and goes to sleep), she's still trembling. Don't know what else to do.
I have five dogs in the house. They all want to be leaders. The male Great Dane and the male Fox terrier always fights i have tryed everything to keep them from fighting. The Great dane fights the fox terrier but he always gets hurt somehow. I also have another dog who is afraid of everything. Every little noise that is made makes him so scard. When someone comes in the house he gets scared and he goes and poops on the floor, or he goes and hides and will not come out. All of the dogs bark at every noise they hear. If someone comes in the house that they know they still bark. I dont know how to stop these things.
Hello Alpha, and pak!
My sister and I watch you religiously, every chance we get. We are out here on the prairie, Middle of Wyoming..we wondered how you would go about potty training a house dog. Your pack seems to live out of your house...your den. 35 is too much for indoor living with humans..we have used some of the methods seen on your show for correction and balance..and managed to even impress our friends when their dogs responded. When we watched an episode a while back, it was about at least one dog that wouldnt "walk" on a leash, the dog walked the human, or dragged them..you spoke of the energy comming thru the leash to the dog.
My dog is a rescued shepard mix from the pound, they say he is about 8 mos now..medium dog, recently nueterd.. we live in a rural setting. He acts like hes deaf, or shell shocked.. used to being ignored maybe..have you ever heard of this kind of thing..He needs more attention, but my working schedule leaves little time or energy for the one on one he needs..
I know some is better than none, and progress is progress...but
have a hard time knowing what the appropriate action is to get and keep his attention, even if only for 10 minutes.. its about 30 to 45 seconds..rite now..He has all the room to run, another fairly trained dog for company, rabbits to chase, 1000 acres to patrol...2 miles in any direction to the nearest neighbor..but twice Ive had to go get him from animal control...this last time they went more than 5 miles... to town..wonder how to teach them to stay home in this setting. He probably needs a firmer alpha to draw the boundries? the other dog never left the farm until we brought this one home....now they go together, so its the new dog inciting it.. and how do you feel about wearing them out to prevent boredom and restlessness?
Thanks. Love your show. Keep it up, and know, you are getting through to people out here..at least...Yeehaw!
Jodie William,
it sounds like your pack is fighting to determin a leader, which may mean that they don't see you as their pack leader. This could be dangerous if you don't establish this, for both the dogs and yourself if you have big dogs. Maybe you could start with one of them and as you get one to see you as leader, the others may catch on little by little. Hope this helps.
I just adopted a mastiff/pit bull mix. This dog has an amazing personality but includes some of the obstinancy of mastiffs. He's doing well, we have established a good relationship, but the CAR. People here have posted about this, but he is just too big for me to get in there, and treats don't work. I don't know what to do. If only could get him in the car, I would take him to fun places for positive reinforcement. I have to get him fixed on the 14th of June and would like to have him NOT associate trips in the car as trips to the vet.
Lisa G,
I think that Mastiffs are one of the most misunderstood dog breeds. Mastiffs tend to need to be in constant physical contact with their people; they are NOT outside dogs.
My beloved Mastiff, Tiny, passed away two years ago. When I adopted him, he was 9 months old; 125 lbs; not-neutered; leash-trained, or housebroken. He ended up being amazingly gentle with even the most obnoxious children.
The first thing that I did was have him fixed, so he would not have the distraction of all of those hormones floating through his system; it also made him easier to housebreak.
To socialize him, for the first month I kept him physically by my side when I was at home. I dropped him off at the local boarding kennel for playtime when I was at work.
About the chewing:
Mastiffs are amazingly powerful chewers. Kong now makes a black chew toy designed for "Extreme" chewers; it is wonderful. I made sure that I had one in every room in the house. I also "claimed" all of the other stuff that he liked to chew on. When he started chewing on an inappropriate object, I made him drop the object and I replaced it with one of his Kongs. Before I got the chewing porblem under control he "ate" an entire wooden futon frame.
This really helped too:
We bought a bale of straw and left it in the backyard. He would literally carry the entire bale of straw around. Best seven dollars that I ever spent.
I also went to the local feed store and purchased two black rubber feed pans, the kind you would use to feed grain to horses. They were about ten dollars each. He loved those things. Because they were rubber, he could "shake" them back and forth. Each feed pan stood up to two years of hard chewing before it wore out. From what I've read,all of the masitff-based breeds have a very strong need to chew.
I hope that this helps!
Holly
I have acquired a 2-yr. old female Sheltie due to her original family's illness. She didn't get enough attention the family agreed and she is quite demanding of company. She is loveable, sweet, attentive and is my protector. She is spayed, totally housebroken and was taught to sleep in a crate as well as nap there when her owner leaves. In the beginning I realized having the run of house was totally a new treat. This is fine except for her love of paper napkins, paper towel, other paper products except for newspaper. She will chew it up. She has rope chew toys but chose one of my sandals and then the 2nd pair was going to be hers too but after beginning to scrape an inner sole, I realized she was sitting under me at my computer and about to devour the 2nd pair. I thought perhaps since she was on totally canned food she might need something to chew. I added crunchy food to her diet, deleting some of the canned of course. I bought her rawhide small sticks and a large bone. I have resorted to a product called Bitter Apple to stop her from chewing bath mats. I didn't want to but felt she had to be stopped from this destructive chewing habit. I am controlling the barking that is a Sheltie constant and can be annoying unless it's broken. A "clicker" works most of the time but usually it's the Dog Whisperer's "SHUSH!" Years ago I bred Shelties and placed them with physically handicapped children as companions. I am very familiar with the breed, their intelligence, disposition and yes, their determination and high energy too. PLEASE make suggestions how I can curb her chewing towel-like items and paper items. These are the most annoying and scare me as she will swallow whatever after she has chewed it. She licks the cabinet doors and my legs too if she can. Thank you. Rachelle
I have two Toy Fox Terriers,Popsicle and Dotti,that I bought from a friend.(Popsicle's 2 yrs and Dotti 4 months.)They seem to have a huge leash and collar problem.
Collar:
Everytime I pull out a collar to try and walk Popsicle, she throws herself on the floor and gets depressive(before I even put it on her.) I tried leaving a collar on her (and when she was a baby) for about a month and she wouldn't snap out of her "depression." She doesn't walk right-- she drags herself as if she's crawling and she won't look at you.
Dotti acts similar. She'll pee everywhere ,but after a day she'll get kinda use to it (like walking around without dragging and sleeping)with the exception of that she won't play, eat, or be social in any way.
I asked my friend who sold them to me and she said all of their Toy Fox Terriers have acted like that. Also, a neighbor of mine has a Rat Terrier and she says she can't get hers to wear a collar or use a leash as well.
Leash:
It's TERRIBLE putting a leash on them.
Popsicle will walk between my legs,wrap herself around me to where the leash is all the way up my leg. She'll throw herself on the floor ,and if I tug a little bit she pulls back like crazy(Like MAD.She shakes her head like it's gonna break off her body.) while screaming like it's hurting her. I put the collar a bit loose, and I've tried using a longer leash.
Dotti use to scream like crazy and shake her head (it's occasional) ,but now more oftenly she'll sit down. I'll give a little tug and try to show her that it's made for walking ,but she won't budge.(She'll pull back while sitting.)
Why do my dogs act this way? I never tried to hurt them with it or anything. They're extremely smart and catch on fast, but with collars and leashs it seems like impossible to try and walk them.
I tried to hire a professional,but it never fixed the problem. They acted the same way no matter what.
Please help. -Christy
My girlfriend and I have recently rescued a Blue Heeler cross breed named Stevie. As far as we know she has never been in captivity or had any previous training (nor have we had any training in this situation).
Since the rescue we have had to bring her around in the car weather it be to get her shots at the vet. or to go on a two hour ride to the lake for a playful weekend getaway. We have noticed that she does not have any fear of ridding in the car but she has a major fear of getting in the car... getting out of the car is no problem at all for her.
I just saw the episode with Promise and thought I would give it a try.
As Cesar did the first couple of times, I jumped in the car first (with no hesitation) to see if Stevie would follow but she didn't. So I had to give her a couple of strong tugs at the leash to get her to actualy jump in and once she got in I praised has greatly.
The next couple of times I tried to let her do it on her own and still, she wouldn't jump. So I simply walked to the end of the driveway and back with strong forward motion to the car and BAM!!! just like that she jumped in with no hesitation like she had been doing it for years... a pro!!! Thank you so much Cesar you really are a pleasure to learn from!!!
i have 2 dogs, both females. 1 is a mastiff{daphne}, and the other a rhodesian ridgeback{diamond}. i found the best way is to take them on small trips, and make them as fun for the dogs as you can, this helps take some of the fear out. treats work well at first, but try encourgement and praise for most of the training. some times just see if you can get them to get in by leaving the doors open while in the yard, but not going anywhere to peek their senses and see if they will get in alone. my mastiff is very afraid of my truck, but not afraid to get in the car. it may also be too high for the mastiff to jump, if it has bad hips and knees, and cause pain. hope this helps.
i have just bought a mastiff less than a week ago and already i feel he is very attatched to myself and my boyfriend.the first night he marked my leather sofa,ok so we thought that was the norm,but he has since done it three times the same place.he is only a year old and hasnt been spayed and it happens
when one of us leaves the house.,is there any way i can stop this happening?
Hi,
I have a 1 year old female yellow Lab/Sheppard mix. We adopted her a few days ago and she is such a wonderful dog. There are a few things I need to work with her on though. We were told she is an alpha dog and its obvious when we walk her. I am for the most part able to keep control of his strong dog and I'm a small person but she freezes when we come across a squirl or bird and gets into this hunter mode. I have such a hard time pulling her back on our path to continue our walk. We also have a hard time getting her to come in the house after her walks. She was in a high kill shelter in Georgia then transfered here a month ago to another shelter where she had trouble going back into her kennel. I try treats and she is still difficult to get into the house because all she wants to do all day is walk. She is now laying on the ground to tell me she will not go in and I don't want to pull her by the collar because I think that is cruel. We have her on a 4 walk a day (about 20-30 min each time) schedule so far and it does not seem to be enough. Maybe it's to soon to be asking this question and it will just take time for her to get used to the walking schedule. I don't think she was a house dog before but she is luckily somehow trained. No accidents so far,thank god. I wondered if maybe that was a factor as to why she does not want to come back in. Once she is in, she is happy being with us. Thanks.
We have a Toy Fox Terrier (3/4) and Chihuahua mix. He's playful great pet, cuddly too. The latest problem is that he has stopped playing with us adults so much, especially with the husband. He hides under the table after one chase after a toy. He's more playful with me and very playful with our young grown sons and plays and plays! How do you get him to be more playful again. Thanks
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