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Old 04-27-2003, 03:04 AM
spidey spidey is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Snyder, NY (via Toronto)
Quote:
Am I the only one who thinks that's shakey advice?
No sir! There are far better ways to discipline a dog than ridiculous and dangerous things like biting it (frankly, I can't think of anything sillier or more hazardous than biting a dog). Alpha rolling is also dangerous. This kind of dog training theory is extremely out of date, and I do not know of any good trainers who still recommend it (the new Monks of New Skete book explicitly advises owners NOT to use the alpha roll, which they recommended in their older books, they now feel that it's far too dangerous and that there are far more effective, less dangerous training methods - they have almost an entire page telling owners not to use the alpha roll and warning of the dangers of it).

You are not a dog, you are not capable of the range of communication a dog is, so don't act like a dog, or your dog may think that all he has to do to move up in the world is dominate you like a dog. IMO this kind of dominance just encourages the dog to be physical right back at you. We have big brains, we should be using them to train dogs, not our teeth. In a physical contest, the dog will win, so don't get into one.

Put a leash on the puppy at all times when your child is around, give the puppy a gentle leash correction (a tug) and an "AAH!" when he bothers your child, do not EVER leave the kid and the puppy alone, do not allow the child to run and make lots of noise around the puppy, crate train the puppy so that your kid can have playtime without worrying about the puppy, and work on the "OW!" and ignore method with the puppy yourself. Do a search here, there are many good threads on this topic.

IMO, you've really got your hands full here, while it may seem like a nice idea to let a young child and a dog grow up together, what it often means is that you've got TWO time-intensive babies to bring up, love, spend time with and train at the same time, instead of just one, and that can mean that one of them may not get as much time as it needs (the puppy), if you don't keep in mind that the puppy needs time, too. If you haven't enrolled in puppy classes yet, I suggest you do so right away. The puppy needs one on one time with you every single day for training and bonding. It will be a lot of work, but I'm sure you can manage it. Good luck to you. :)

Last edited by spidey; 04-27-2003 at 03:14 AM.
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