Training my sons dog...pointers

NILF
Nothing in Life is Free.
Google it. great start on training with positive reinforcement.

Oxford University

roger...thanks.. [link to www.terrificpets.com]

oxford...yea...dog might get it but i am just a country boy...lol

Here is a better breakdown:

Military School is designed as a problem-solving tool. Some of the items will be used for the rest of the dog's life--paritcularly suggest the feeding regimen, possession, the song, and the roadwork. Other items will be done only until the dog understands his position in society.
When he graduates, release him from the items one at a time over a period of several weeks, watching for him to go back to his old ways. Many people send the dog to Military School one month in six as a preventative measure. If there is any part of Military School that is liable to get you bitten while you're doing it, DONT DO IT and GET HELP from a competent trainer.

1) Umbilical Cord: As much as possible when you are at home, keep the dog on leash and with you. Put a 6'leash on the dog, and attach the other end of the leash to a sturdy belt around your waist. Ignore the dog and go about your business. Having to constantly watch what you do and where you go will not only bond the dog to you, but will help make you important in his eyes.

2) Eye contact x 2: for up to 3 minutes twice a day, sit down with the dog sitting between your knees, and use a command such as Watch Me to get eye contact. If necessary, you might actually hold the dogs's face to get eye contact.

3) Obedience x 2: Twice a day, run quickly through an obedience session using whatever the dog knows how to do--sit, down, come, stay, heel: repeat as needed. Train for 5 minutes each session. Do NOT touch the dog to praicse him--DO use voice praise only.

4) Feed x 2: When food is left down for the dog to eat ad lib, the dog owns the food. Ownership is what dominance is all about, so we must take possession of the food. Feed the dog twice a day, in a confined area such as a crate or the bathroom.
Use a feeding ritual: ask him if he's hungry, ask him to help find his dish, to help find the food, ask him again if he's hungry, tell him to go to his area or get in his crate, give him the food. As soon as he's finished, or as soon as he turns away from his food, or if he doesnt begin eating immediately, take the dish away, throw away the food, and clean the dish. If the dog is not successful at eating (doesnt't eat his whole meal), give him half the regular amount at his next meal, until he is cleaning the bottom of the dish. A successful meal means he gets more at his next meal, until he is eating the amount that will keep him in optimum condition. The food must be high quality and low bulk. Water should be freely available all day. Give no treats in the food or by hand.
Dogs love rituals and you are teaching his body to get ready to eat when he hears the beginnning of the ritual.

5) Possession is 9/10 of the law: At least once a day, roll the dog over on the floor or on your lap, and handle him. Repeat the words "These are my ears", "This is my paw", "This is my muzzle", "This is my tail" as you handle him. If he struggles, express your annoyance with a growl(low intimidating voice)and a little (but firm) shake, and start again. Its important that the dog doesnt get away: then he has informed you that he owns his muzzle, and that cant be true. When he is compleately relaxed and accepts your ownership, say OK and release him.

6) Long Down-Stay: Do one 3 minute Down-Stay every day. You can watch TV but the dog must be in plain sight and you must be aware of him. He can roll over, go to sleep, and look annoyed or bored, but he cannot get up or walk away.

7) I'm-The-Mommy Down: At least once a day, just because you felt like it, tell the dog to lie down. When he does, use your voice ONLY to tell him he did a good job, say Okay, and walk away.

8) Music Soothes: Make up a little song which includes the dogs name, make eye contact and sing it to him at least once a day. It doesnt have to rhyme, but it should make you both laugh. This reminds both you and the dog that life isnt always going to be this hard, and you do want to be friends when your're done. Here'my song for my Giant Schnauzer Spider:
Itsy bitsy Spider ate the water spout, ate the kitchen chair and some sauerkraut, chased a cat and chewed her ball, went to bed and said "that's all"!

9) Bosshood is in the Eye of the Beholder: Consider life from the dog's point of view. He sleeps where he wants, he eats when he wants, he leads you around. Any wonder he gets the impression that he's the Boss?
Dont allow him to go through doors ahead of you. Dont allow him to go up or down stairs ahead of you. Dont allow him to lead you down hallways. Always position him so you are leading and he is following. If he's lying down, dont walk around him. Put your feet on the floor and shuffle right through him (you dont kick the dog, merely push him gently out of the way): make him think about where you are and what you're doing. When he orders you to let him out, take charge of going outside. Build a ritual around the door. Focus his attention on you: Do you want to go out? Go to the door? Want to go out? Sit. Down. Sit. Stay. Then open the door and order him out: Okay, go outside! You change the situaltion so you are in charge of it.
Keep the dog on the floor. Not on the couch, not on the chair, not halfway up the stairs surveying his domain, not in your lap, not on the car seat. On the floor. Dont leave the dog loose in the house or yard when you're not home. Free run of the house when the Boss isnt home allows the dog to fell powerful and in charge. Dont allow the dog to sleep on your bed, or on a child's bed. Dogs recognize the bed as a throne for the Boss.
If he sleeps away from you, however, he will think that you own the bedroom, but he owns the rest of the house. The dog should sleep in your bedroom. If you cant have him sleeping in your bedroom (allergies, for instance), confine him to his crate.

10) Work off Energy: Roadwork the dog 4 days a week. Start small, but work up to a mile for small dogs, 2 miles for medium dogs and 3 miles for large dogs. Many problems will disappear with no more effort than roadworking. You can jog with the dog, or ride a bike, or longe him with a flexilead, or use a motorised trike, or lend him to a jogger who's afraid of being mugged.
Note: try and do roadwork on soft ground (not concrete or pavement) and dont force exercise a Dane younger than 20 months.

11) Busy Hands Are Hppy Hands: If you want to pet the dog, he must first do pushups: sit, down, sit, down, sit, down, sit, down: then you can pet him for a count of 5 only. He never gets petted because he wants to be or because he demands it, only because you want to and he earns it. Then you pet him for only a moment, and turn away with him wanting more.

12) My Game, My Rules: Give the dog only one toy. If he wants to chase the toy, bring it to you and let you have it, throw it again. If he wont chase it, or wont give it to you, turn your back and walk away. He has two choices, he can play with you and the toy, or he can play with the toy alone. Do not , under any circumstances, play tug-of-war. When you can get the toy without chasing him or playing tug, pick it up and put it away.

13) Elimante Hormones: Have problem dogs neutered. Many problems will solve themselves with no more effort than this. Not only will the dog be healthier and easier to live with, but your life will be made simpler, and you eliminate the possibility of your problem dog producing more problem dogs.

A friend showed me this recently: Tie a cord to the door with a bell on the end. When you take the dog out the door ring the bell and VERY soon, when he needs to go out, he'll ring the bell to tell you.

Good input..thanks

I will do this NOW...thanks again.

Ok...dog is on the leash and sleeping under my sons bed as we warch tv and eat.

Thanks.

I will train him to hunt soon...trained a Airadale when I was a kid to hunt..good hunting dog.

foxtrot tango charlie...lol...fu the ..cu#$

Define "rough"...

How old is your son? Is there any particular you'd like the dog to learn?

good luck :) dogs are easy, they are literally born to please. if something is not going right, it is usually best to look at the people. as long as people can communicate effectively to their dog what the expectations are, the dog will almost always comply (age counts for something too. a puppy is a puppy and they do puppy things.) oh, and if he is not neutered yet, please do so asap. this will help a lot. if you are one who doesnt relish the thought of cutting off the jewels, you can get chemical sterilization done.

son is two...so he is a pup,,,pulls dogs skin, ears etc general discomp for dog...the pup knows he must undergo this duress

seems to like it...the pup

i am teaching my boy to be kind to pup at the same time so that is that...
and the pup has becomne very very prtective of my son...ie a dog growled at my son in the park and the pup wanted to attack the multese toy dog... also his sisters friend startled my son and pup got in between asap growling...\\

dog sleeps beside either me or son or daughter...under the bed although he is now too big to sleep under my bed so I made a bed for him at the foot of the bed

so far so good and I am open to all input...ie group intel

be careful with the guarding of your son. it should not be allowed. it can become an obsession and dangerous.

Wait. Did your dog growl at your son or the Maltese?

maltese

hmmm..please explain

Bulldogs tend to have a very high prey drive and want to go after small furry things like those ankle biter dogs.

I agree with the poster above saying to watch out for the dog guarding your son. Oftentimes we think it's sweet when dogs "protect" us, but in their world, the dog is claiming your son as his.

Dogs should always be at the bottom of the human pack. It should be made clear to the dog the parents are at the top, then kids, then the canine.

i want him to bond with my family and be protective yet under my thumb and my son and daughters thumband wife...

wife thinks i am mean to the dog but i love this pup...seems to be a very good smart animal
and a survivor like myself\\

so that is the thing

thanks..will do..

If your son is that young, then this is your dog, not your sons. Usually it's a bad idea to get a "power dog" as a rescue dog, you never know exactly what experiences the dog has had, and given it's power it can do ultimate damage very soon.

Nilif and heel training will have no effect at all if the dog is very dominant. None! To me it's all about controlling the food, the sleeping area, and the door at home. I see you some of that down, believe me that's key.

The other thing I would do is to socialize the dog. Use the whole neighbourhood. Try to keep the dog gentle, and always go home with a good experience. This is where you have to do the difficult work. When the dog is around 2 years you're gonna have a hell of a time teaching it to still be civil in these situations. But it has to be done. Also be prepared to show the dog that you defend the pack, don't allow it to start fight the first time if you can avoid it. We have many runaway dogs in my neighbourhood, and I don't allow my rottie to fight, the other dog will have to fight me.

Anyway, you think more than most owners, so don't start that nilif stuff imo. The dog will get the idea of how to behave from you. It's your dog, not your sons.

good luck.

yea i paid in advance for cutting his balls off...lol...i make steers all the time but i fugure the vet can make my dog a steer...hahah

hoorah...lol

good input scand.

thanks and i will do NOW...good input

ps hope scand was a comp. as i am scand/scot/irish

in other words redneck...

Really? and your experience with NILF has been what? you say "To me it's all about controlling the food, the sleeping area, and the door at home." but yet you disagree with NILF which is exactly what that promotes?

NILF has worked wonders with many animals and is utilized in many ways within a wide range of training methods.

Socialization is hugely important.

gLivestock guard dogs are often described as being independent in nature. That means that, in contrast to the herding dogs that look to the human herder for commands, the livestock guardian assumes all responsibility, expecting no help or guidance. The result can be a dog that resents intrusion into its “territory” – psychological or territorial.

When people become owners of large breeds, particularly, they are often told that they should establish "dominance” over them. It is as much a matter of establishing respect as dominance. To do so is important, and it is done on a gradual, step-by-step basis.

When the puppy is told to do something, the owner should try to be sure that it does what it was told. Simple commands such as “No,” “Come,” “Down,” and “Sit” can make life easier and even be life-saving for a young dog. If a pup is chewing on something inappropriate (say a shoe or an electrical cord) and if it does not respond to “No,” the owner will naturally try to remove the object from the pup’s mouth. If the pup growls and resents the “boss” trying to take away his “toy,” a degree of physical force must be used. At this point, the typical recommendation is to remove the object from the pup’s reach and then roll the pup over on his back, reminding him that he is not THE top dog, that you are, but that you are also fairly benevolent.

When reprimanding a dog, remember that a high pitched voice indicates play, submission, or lack of authority. Develop a deep, serious, growling word or sound for reprimand. (This works with many animals, not just dogs.)

When we hear of problem dogs that challenge their owner’s (or owner’s family’s) authority, they are almost always family companions. Many have been family members since the age of 6 or 8 weeks. They came into the family as babies" and were often treated as such for a period of time.

Rarely do owners realize they have a problem dog on their hands until the dog is six months old or even older. By that time, the dog is already quite large and difficult to physically correct or restrain. Problem behavior, especially with the livestock guarding breeds, is often seen as aggressive behavior, such as when a dog growls or barks or otherwise threatens people or other dogs. This behavior can be the result either of fear or of dominance. In some cases, the owners may discover that they are fearful of their own dogs, which have somehow been transformed from the family’s “baby” to some sort of monster.
ood read....