[Beckysmom]

A bunch of ideas, not all can be used at once. Maybe something will sound right, help, or spark your own ideas.

1. If a bite seems possible, keep the dog in confinement and / or control (away from your father) at all times and get a professional to help you.

2. I agree that I would at least keep Kai on leash for the duration of the visit if he keeps charging while off leash (some dogs are actually better off leash though and settle down the moment leash is off). I would use a collar that works for that dog, such as a regular choke or a prong collar if I am giving a correction or the dog is charging, and I would correct (or let the dog correct himself by hitting the end of the leash), BUT, I would also be ready to immediately reward the right behaviour whether independent of the correction, or afterward.

3. while a head halter is not okay if there is charging etc. (could hurt dog's neck) it might be that a head halter would be different and would mellow out the dog a little and get the problem more under control in general, so the dog isn't charging. Some dogs are much better behaved when a head halter is used. (mine for example!)

4. you could attach the dog to yourself on a fairly short lead

5. I would definitely try incompatible behaviours, like put him in a down stay (if he knows that). If he breaks downstay to lunge or charge, then you can correct for the break of downstay and don't need to worry about aggression with aggression issue.

6.If you can use something that keeps your father safe, but still lets Kai charge, (like baby gate), you could let Kai charge on with your father staying there until Kai stops--then leaving. Like not letting a dog out of crate until it settles, Kai would not get your father to withdraw until he settles.

7. You could try "open bar" when your father is around. That is, Kai gets good stuff when your father is around and when he is being well behaved. When your father leaves, or when Kai does what you don't want, the good stuff ends. Since your father is also having a problem with the dog, I suggest that your father get goodies when he has to deal with the dog.

8. You could see (depending on how bad situation is, and also depending on what relationship you want dog and dad to have) whether your father can establish his own authority with dog. EG, instead of YOU doing NILIF, your DAD does. Dad gives Kai his dinner, only after he sits, when dad says to sit (you may need to be holding Kai's leash just in case Kai lunges at Dad and dinner--and don't do this if it might lead to a bite for dad). Kai gets 3 chances to sit for Dad to get dinner. If no sit, no dinner.

9. A reemphasis on two points: REWARD THE BEHAVIOUR YOU WANT. Correct the behaviour you don't want.

Also, make sure your father is comfortable with the behaviour you want. If you want the dog to go cozy up to your dad, but he wants the dog to lie down on dog bed at least ten feet away, the dog is necessarily going to get mixed messages. This may have happened when kai initially greeted your father. He may have been corrected by the way your father reacted to being licked for behaviour that, at least to you, was okay. Now he is being rewarded, as you realize, by your father withdrawing, for behaviour that you do not find okay. Maybe a discussion with your father and other family members about what is acceptable to all, and how the right thing will be rewarded and the wrong thing at least not rewarded, and ideally corrected, even if this is with words, if you are uncomfortable with a physical correction, and have everyone agree to be consistent.

Just a comment on the corrections issue with an aggressive behaviour from recent personal experience. I had a huge problem with my dog and my cats when I first got my dog (already large rescue). My first attempt with a trainer was with an all-positive all the time type. Her suggestions of no corrections to dog, only trying to desensitize and reward, resulted in great emotional trauma to the cat.

When I switched to leash correction, the dog caught on right away to what was wanted. It did not increase his aggression. The main (house) cat died not long after he started to get over his trauma enough to go near the no longer cat aggressive dog, but the other cat and the dog are now very very good friends. I would not assume that no corrections is a good thing. (That is different than alpha rolls, hitting, shaking etc., which I would NOT recommend.) If you do not let the dog know clearly what you want / don't want he has no way to know. The corrections in that case were ultimately kinder to the dog as well as the cats.

But don't forget, as soon as the correction is done successfully, and dog is then doing the desired thing: PRAISE! the dog!!! let him know what a genius he is when he lies at your feet calmly while your father gets out of chair moves about etc. And don't forget to notice and praise like crazy if the dog ever offers the right behaviour without a correction. Right now he is getting a lot of attention for misbehaviour. Could be that when he is "good" he is ignored with the visitors and all.