What if your dog is possessive of her crate? I know when My dog Darla occasionally gets possessive with a bone, I don't take the bone from her, I make her back away from the bone using my calm assertive body language. But with the crate there is only one opening and I can't make her leave with just standing in front or behind it, all she does is snarl and growl and move deeper and deeper into her crate. This is especially bad if there is a bone or treat or even something she is not supposed to have inside her crate. I can't just reach in and get it with out getting snapped at. what do I do?

to Laura...
It is possible that you are feeling nervous and uncertain when it is happening, maybe more so than you realize. On Cesar's show, those are always the things that trigger a dog to snarl or snap or to try to bite. It is visible to the dog in your body language or your tone of voice even when it is not visible to you. And they interpret uncertainty very negatively.

Humans use spoken word, and don't always pay attention to what the other person is feeling-- we don't always catch the nuances of mood and emotion. But dogs do not use any spoken words at all, so their ability to read feelings is FAR advanced as it is how they communicate with one another-- energy and theatrics.

They read the tone of our voices, and sometimes you might not realize it but your voice might come out sounding weak to the dog... and she interprets that rather than your words.

Better to not talk to your dog and definitely don't say her name at that time when she is growling and feeling cornered in the crate. Stop confining in crate especially if this is happening frequently. Nervous dogs can bite in fear. You could use baby gates (one stacked over the other) to confine your dog instead of a crate. A bedroom or kitchen is much bigger than a crate and there will not be that feeling invoked in your nervous dog and in you when you want to get to her when she is in the crate but can't and she is feeling "cornered" by someone who is uncertain. If she gets nervous and growls and then you get nervous from the growl, it can escalate the feelings between the two of you and make it worse next time because you will remember the last time and anticipate it. Anticipation can be felt by dogs too.

They need long walks and that relieves a lot of anxiety in a nervous dog, and makes your relationship with her better. A room too has more space, she can move around if she likes and not have as much pent up energy. If you just close her in a room though, expect to find your door scratched up when you get back! Gates are much better.

If you have an anxious dog too, don't pet when you observe anxiety, but you can squeeze the ears. This supposedly is a pressure point that relaxes anxiety. This is, if your dog is not escalated to an anxiety level too high to touch without risk of a bite. Petting a dog when she/he is feeling afraid intensifies the emotion. Cesar says any emotion the dog is feeling is intensified when you pet the dog, so pet a docile dog to encourage docility.

Watch the Dog Whisperer a whole bunch, because he has so many good techniques for approaching nervous growling and threatening to bite dogs, and handling them without invoking more anxiety. He can walk in and calm a dog just by his body language... there is a lot to be learned from watching his techniques.

Good luck.

My son has a dog that hates my husband (Rick) we have no idea why. Rick will give the dog treats and he`ll take it but than back up and bark like crazy.If I go to let the dog out and Rick is in the car in the yard the dog will bark like crazy and not go out to pee lolol .This has been going on now for 4 years. What can we do. AND Rick has NEVER hurt the dog at all.
Please can you help?

Hello everyone,

My name is Kristen and I have two Jack russell terriors. Recently my dogs have started fighting with each other whenever anyone is around with food and also just when my younger dog is around me. I fear that this behavior will escalate because my older Jack "Maxwell," is very docile and has never been a pack leader. He was raised with a Lab and a Shepard, and he was always the non dominent dog in the group. Now that he has a younger jack "brother" he and Roscoe are fighting over possesivness and attention. Help me Please!!!! I have been putting them into their cages when they do this but I fear this behavior is not being corrected but tolerated.

Hello Rachel, Sue, Karri, Kristen, and Laura:

My question to each of your would be, "Who's in charge, you or your dog?"

I run a dog boarding, grooming and daycare center in Atlanta, GA called Kelsey's Dog House. We are a cage-free facility, meaning groups of dogs spend the day socializing in groups, or more correctly, packs. When I introduce a new employee to the dogs for the first time, I ask, "Who is the Alpha dog? Who is in charge?" Usually, the employee looks around the room and points out the biggest, most assertive dog. "That one!" The real answer is, I am the Alpha dog, the leader. Day in and day out, the pack size and composition changes, but I am the constant. As long as I am there, asserting myself as the calm and in control leader, dogs big and small, of every type and temperament stay calm and play peacefully.

Bear in mind I am not talking about caring for a wolf pack. The majority of dogs in my care are Yorkies, Shih Tzus, Pomeranians, and other small dogs. As I leader, I assume an attitude of calm assertiveness. I don't plead with the dogs to do something. I direct them. I don't give on some issues and take on others. I am always in a leadership role, regardless of the circumstances. This does not mean I am a cold fish. I give plenty of affection an attention to our dogs, when they are calm and behaving well.

Dogs are very black and white in the social order. In their world, there is one leader and the rest follow. The line does not shift and it does not vary from day to day or situation to situation. The reason dogs respond so well to clear leadership is that it gives them a sense of safety. Here is a person that will take charge and provide for my comfort and safety in all situations. When a dog acts out, it is because that dog feels he is unprotected by a calm and assertive leader and therefore must protect himself. You can read more about this at my blog at http://kelseysdoghouse.com/Blog