Where is your dog in your family hierarchy and why? - Page 5

Mithuna,

Dogs are a pack animal; they will accept any position in the pack. It’s very clear your dog is number two. I suspect from day one you fed the dog, walked the dog, and worked with commands etc. I’ll bet the husband and daughter didn’t really get much involved. Therefore in the dogs mind you are number one. So the dog is going to obey you, listen to you and “key off” your behavior etc.

Since she considers the hubby and daughter beneath her (pack wise) she is going to make decisions around them. That’s why she decides if she wants to play with them, how she is going to play, and when she doesn’t feel like playing with them. Hence growling, nipping etc. towards them but not you.

Now this scenario may lead to some serious problems. The dog belongs in position four in the pack. She is not going to lose any of her instincts, aggression etc. She is just not going to use them on her own volition.

The problem now is if your daughter is home alone and a friend comes over and they start to rough house the dog is going to decide whether or not your daughter ( a lower pack member) is in trouble and the dog might just take a big bite out of her friend. The dog won’t key off her actions, she (the dog) will decide on her own, how to handle the situation.

German Shepherd Dogs are so smart, sometimes just walking the dog and letting them enter the house before you will lead to them thinking they are higher in the pack.

I believe you have yourself in a situation that under the right circumstances could get very ugly. You apparently don’t want the dog to be #4 in the pact. At this point probably only a good trainer could rectify the problem. So I would be very careful.

Please keep in mind that other than around you, the dog is going to be the decision maker.

First of M Lion I am not my wife ( lol ). I am the man/husband. Second what kind of energy level for play would you expect from a dog ( in a 25 X 40 feet house ) that runs 25 plus 200 m repeats about 3 times a week; so knocking over is not an exception. When people come over the dog is in a separate room. If my daughter alone is at home the dog is with her ( Never had any problems ). And you are right she will not listen to commands from my daughter , but you ( as a stranger )  still could not come in the house if she and the dog alone is there. 

You started this thread, you are sitting on a ticking time bomb...

You obviously don't want any advice, as you have an excuse for every post addressed to your current situation.

I'm done! You can't fix stupid!

i don't look at my dogs as pets in a sense that most do , they're not house pets , and don't have any other interactions with other family members or the general public so they never accept Anyone else in the pack , they recognize and tolerate a few immediate members but honestly they can careless to interact with them, Iam all they respond to or know and trust ..i raise dogs as pups to work , it's from the kennel to work .. if they're not being worked they're kenneled with no outsude interaction.. I've realized raising a pup this way with the right pedigree and genetics tends to create a very very serious And diciplined dog.

Shawni I can agree with the very very serious part but Im not sure of the discipline. With so much lack of exposure you advocate that dog better have decent nerves or it will environmentally spooky

Don't mix not exposing the dog to being a petting whore or neighborhood mascot , tons of exposure is done to the pups , cars , buses , planes , boats , gunfire .. basically I believe the puppy should go wherever you go for the first 6 months of their life .. a balance dog doesn't mean he should accept and lick everyone as a matter of fact he should ignor them and when the boundary is crossed or his Comfort space is invaded he should show aggression and engage if pushed

Mithuna, thats roughly 5 miles. My dogs laugh at 5 miles every day, running with a quad. We run 10 every other day while conditioning and the play ball and protection on the off days.

My dogs would be chomping at the bit with so little exercise!

Dogs in my house are at the bottom of the pack. They'll listen to whomever puts the work in to have a bond.

Melissa

Melba
Do you know why Eliud Kipchoge is consistently able to run away from the pack ( usually the best 3-4 world class marathoners at that stage ) of leaders at mile 22 -23 and then go on to win many of the world's major marathons? Because his training is based on high intensity intervals. Its running close to anaerobic threshold with very short rest between intervals. Those who are best at doing this recover fastest ( return to the aerobic zone ) after stepping over into the anaerobic ( like running a 4:21 mile on mile 22 of a marathon ).
Back to the dog, we do high intensity interval work with a ball and running only in the aerobic zone cannot cannot compare to this type of training. Dave Bedford from the UK was allegedly running 200 plus miles a week aerobic and he was never a world beater.
I am comfortable with my dog's position in its family pack.

It´s not only YOU who should be "comfortable" but your family, too .
Just saying...I know you don´t care...

They are comfortable Susie...they know what the dog likes and does not like so everyone gets along fine.