Huey
Inactive Member
Nicole and Amypc it sounds like we've had similar experiences! We were definitely soft on Huey and next time around we'll be stricter! ok here's the excerpt from the book. It's long. It is from 'How to speak dog' by Stanley Coren:
...more recently, some dog trainers have suggested using the "alpha roll". They observed, quite correctly, that a submissive dog will often signal its lower status and its willingness to submit to a more dominant dog by rolling on its back and exposing its underside. Therefore, they reasoned, we can use this Doggish (doggy communication) signal to assert that we are pack leaders and dominant. The idea was to forcibly roll the dog on its back, and if it tried to move, to hold it down and growl at it. While the interpretation of the Doggish signal is correct, the strategy is not. When dogs interact, you never see the dominant dog actually force the submissive dog onto its back. The submissive dog does this on his own, after he has acknowledged the dominance of the other dog. Forcing the dog onto its back is the equivalent of an abusive parent beating a child to force it to say, "I love you." Although he or she may have forced the words out of the child's mouth, they cannot force the statement to be true. The child may say the words but still hate the parent. Forcing a dog into a submissive positions ith the Doggish equivalent of this scenario. Even worse, this technique may actually anger the dog enough to provoke it to attack.
Forcing a dog into an alpha roll, or shaking the dog, both constitute actual physical aggression. Physical aggression is not communication. If there is good communication, then such confrontations need not occur.
Having your dog under full control is achieved by a combination of two factors. The dog must accept that you are the Alpha dog and the animal must want to please you. This requires a balancing act in your messages. You must communicate that you are the pack leader and dominant, but you also must assure the dog that it is accepted and has the right ot enjoy a peaceful life as a member of "your pack". Although this is not the place to discuss the full issue of canine dominance, there are simple rules which assure that the dog understands who the pack leader is. The Alpha dog controls the resources, whether these are the food or the opportunity to play or whatever. You should never give the dog anything "for free". Simply requiring the dog to do something before it gets what it wants, even if this is as simple as requiring it to sit or lie down before it gets a treat or pat on the head, communicates dominance without signaling threat or aggression. What the dog is learning in these situations is that it must respond to your messages. As the leader, you will reward him with the things he wants. If you feel that must "shout" the message that you are the leader in Doggish, then simply have the dog stand or sit next to you and rest your hand or your arm over the dog's shoulders. This is the equivalent of a dog asserting dominance by placing its head or paw over the shoulders of another. If your dog resists this signal, then it really doesn't believe that you are the leader yet.
...more recently, some dog trainers have suggested using the "alpha roll". They observed, quite correctly, that a submissive dog will often signal its lower status and its willingness to submit to a more dominant dog by rolling on its back and exposing its underside. Therefore, they reasoned, we can use this Doggish (doggy communication) signal to assert that we are pack leaders and dominant. The idea was to forcibly roll the dog on its back, and if it tried to move, to hold it down and growl at it. While the interpretation of the Doggish signal is correct, the strategy is not. When dogs interact, you never see the dominant dog actually force the submissive dog onto its back. The submissive dog does this on his own, after he has acknowledged the dominance of the other dog. Forcing the dog onto its back is the equivalent of an abusive parent beating a child to force it to say, "I love you." Although he or she may have forced the words out of the child's mouth, they cannot force the statement to be true. The child may say the words but still hate the parent. Forcing a dog into a submissive positions ith the Doggish equivalent of this scenario. Even worse, this technique may actually anger the dog enough to provoke it to attack.
Forcing a dog into an alpha roll, or shaking the dog, both constitute actual physical aggression. Physical aggression is not communication. If there is good communication, then such confrontations need not occur.
Having your dog under full control is achieved by a combination of two factors. The dog must accept that you are the Alpha dog and the animal must want to please you. This requires a balancing act in your messages. You must communicate that you are the pack leader and dominant, but you also must assure the dog that it is accepted and has the right ot enjoy a peaceful life as a member of "your pack". Although this is not the place to discuss the full issue of canine dominance, there are simple rules which assure that the dog understands who the pack leader is. The Alpha dog controls the resources, whether these are the food or the opportunity to play or whatever. You should never give the dog anything "for free". Simply requiring the dog to do something before it gets what it wants, even if this is as simple as requiring it to sit or lie down before it gets a treat or pat on the head, communicates dominance without signaling threat or aggression. What the dog is learning in these situations is that it must respond to your messages. As the leader, you will reward him with the things he wants. If you feel that must "shout" the message that you are the leader in Doggish, then simply have the dog stand or sit next to you and rest your hand or your arm over the dog's shoulders. This is the equivalent of a dog asserting dominance by placing its head or paw over the shoulders of another. If your dog resists this signal, then it really doesn't believe that you are the leader yet.
