Question:

Hi everyone,     l desperately need some advise and l was hoping that you may be able to help me.  l have rescued an akita from the RSPCA (Rescue).  He was the only dog that was not barking, he seemed tame and took direction well, but he was also very underweight.  After getting him through dietary diarrhoea and alot of dietary changes he is now filling out and has become alot stronger and his coat is looking alot better. A beautiful dog who has had some training, he sits, stays, shakes and gets out when is told to.     He sometimes becomes distressed in the car and he will try to bite through his lead or harness, otherwise he will either try to bite the front seat or lick my arm for attention.  He is afraid of water, even a handful, l gave him a bone and he liked it but he did not chew it. The problem is that he mouths alot and plays hard, he runs around in a circle and is totally alert, he goes balistic.   Then he will stand to face you totally alert and will not move until you do but sometimes its like a hunter.     l do have some understanding of working dogs and l have had some experience with big and aggressive dogs, but l was suprised by the temprement of this dog.  l think he may of been beaten by a previous owner. He tends to be intimidated by men and when knows he has done something wrong, he crawls on the ground, head and ears dropped and wets himself, totally submissive.     l am concerned because, he has snapped at me a couple of times (during his playful moods) and l did not do anything to provoke such a response, actually l was just standing there.  Sometimes he nibbles me like dogs do at flees.  Most of the time when l try to pat him, he mouths me and when l ignore him, he mouths me even more.  l tell him NO and STOP very loudly but he is becoming very assertive and l need some idea on how to handle this dog.  So far, l have not found anything that can help me. Lately, he has begun to bite me, even when he wags his tail?? l tell him NO, No Biting, but he only stops temporarily. He only bites me in the back yard when l go out there.  When he is out on a lead, he is a different dog. l am really at a loss, l am looking for signs of danger, now that l see his aggressive tendancies but l do not know what to look for in THIS BREED. If l take him back to the RSPCA (Rescue), they will destroy him. What do you think?  Any suggestions, l really would like to save this dog if Thanks Cam,

Response:

Hello Cam,

> Hi everyone,

Got to be careful around here. Our "experts" like to attempt to dominate dogs like this, and usually end up getting bit and kill them. >     l desperately need some advise

That’s what they’ll play on to convince you to HURT your dog MOORE than you’d LIKE, to save him from the needle, of course. > and l was hoping that you may be able to help me.

Our Gang Of Thugs will tell you to confront, punsh, and follow the "N.I.L.I.F program." Sometimes it works. That’s their intermittent reward, that keeps our Thugs confronting and hurting dogs to enforce their "authority" over them.  When you hear "trainers" talking about alpha and dominance, RUN LIKE HELL. > l have rescued an akita from the RSPCA (Rescue).

Nice dogs. > He was the only dog that was not barking, he seemed > tame and took direction well, but he was also very > underweight.  After getting him through dietary diarrhoea > and alot of dietary changes he is now filling out and has > become alot stronger and his coat is looking alot better. > A beautiful dog who has had some training, he sits, stays, > shakes and gets out when is told to. He sometimes > becomes distressed in the car and he will try to bite > through his lead or harness, otherwise he will either try to > bite the front seat or lick my arm for attention.

O.K. Sounds like he’s objecting to being tied in the car. You’ll need to get him used to being tied.There’s lots of things you can do to calm him down in the car, and interrupt his anixety behavior and extinguish it. > He is afraid of water, even a handful, l gave him a bone > and he liked it but he did not chew it. > The problem is that he mouths alot and plays hard,

Don’t engage him in excitable play. Keep everything low key and pleasant. No corrections. No confrontation. No scolding. No NO. And don’t believe anyone who tells you you’re gonna back him down or use a firm hand. That will provoke him. > he runs around in a circle and is totally alert, he goes > balistic.

Let him enjoy that by himself outside if that’s acceptable to you. Break him of doing that inside using varialble sound distracton and praise techniques. > Then he will stand to face you totally alert and will not > move until you do but sometimes its like a hunter.

He’s playing. There’s a fine line between play and aggression. Don’t engage him in any excitable or excessively rough play activity. >     l do have some understanding of working dogs and l > have had some experience with big and aggressive dogs, > but l was suprised by the temprement of this dog.

He’s unsure of himself. He’s trying to figure out HOWE he’s supposed to act. >  l think he may of been beaten by a previous owner.

That’s probably got a lot to do with the problems you’re having with him now. > He tends to be intimidated by men and when knows he > has done something wrong,

Don’t tell him he’s done anything wrong, that’s going to confuse and challenge him someMOORE. You’ll provoke him. > he crawls on the ground, head and ears dropped and wets > himself, totally submissive.

That makes some of our dog trainers very satisfied. They "know" they’ve done a good job subordinating and dominating the cunning puppy dog. >     l am concerned because, he has snapped at me a > couple of times (during his playful moods)

Right. That’s play. But there’s a fine line there. Don’t engage him in that activity. Interrupt those moments with sound distraction and praise techniques. An instant come command will break him out of that, if distraction doesn’t work. But you’ve got to follow the techniques, and it all starts with the Family Leadership Exercise, or you’ll not extinguish the behavior. That’s the one exercise that makes everything else fall into place. It’s all in the Wits’ End Dog Training Method manual available for FREE at http://www.doggydoright.com > and l did not do anything to provoke such a response, > actually l was just standing there.

Don’t stand there. When you think he’s getting ready to start playing like that, distract and praise and follow the method to extinguish the behavior. > Sometimes he nibbles me like dogs do at flees.

That’s affection. If you don’t like it, be careful you’re not rejecting him as you change that behavior, or you’ll provoke him. Our "experts" might even consider flea biting behavoir to be dominance. Everything is dominance with them. They’re frightened of dogs, and that’s the only way they can defend retaliating on a physical level, out of fear. > Most of the time when l try to pat him, he mouths me

Mouthing is BONDING behavior. > and  when l ignore him,

You reject him. > he mouths me even more.

He WANTS you to BOND with him. > l tell him NO and STOP very loudly

Yes. No wonder he’s going to go out of control. He’s barkng up the wrong tree every time he tries to make friends with you. > but he is becoming very assertive

The way I like to look at things and relationships in life is, if your not on my side, you’re against me. Don’t have to entertain someone who’s not a supporter, so he could care less about your feelings. He wants to play, PERIOD. > and l need some idea on how to handle this dog.

You’ll be told you need professional instruction because we can’t SEE the behavior here (belly laugh). You’ll given some domnance techniques and be told it’s gonna take months of daily training and and months of weekly obedience classes where you’ll be told to enforce discipline with a pronged choke collar, and to assault and punish your dog for any percieved challenges to your "authority." And if that don’t work, they’ll pass around the crying towel and tell you that you dun good, and you dun everything you could, and the dog must have come from bad breeding… and you should be glad you killed him, because he was "never quite right." > So far, l have not found anything that can help me. > Lately, he has begun to bite me, even when he wags his > tail??

That’s more play. Don’t get involved with his inappropriate play activity. Don’t challenge him. Don’t respond with an "eek" or a NO. That’ll involve you either as a peer, competitior, or PREY. > l tell him NO,

Stop that. > No Biting,

Stop threatening. > but he only stops temporarily.

Right. Because you didn’t praise him when you interrupted him, he goes back to the behavior. You’re training him incorrectly, according to the advice you’ve been given by the "experts" who’ll tell you to challenge and try to dominate him. > He only bites me in the back yard when l go out there.

Right. That’s more neutral territory than inside. He’s used to playing and roughousing there. > When he is out on a lead, he is a different dog.

Right. He’s been intimidated to conrol himself. That may be why he goes so out of control on you. It’s stressful for him to contain himself, and the pipe’s got to burst at some point. > l am really at a loss, l am looking for signs of danger, now > that l see his aggressive tendancies but l do not know > what to look for in THIS BREED.

A dog is a dog. Most of what you’ve been taught about dog behavior is quite mistaken, and compels this kind of behavior by challenging, confronting, punishing, and repressing the dog’s natural, instinctive, reflexive behaviors, instead of USING them to our advantage as Nature intended. > If l take him back to the RSPCA (Rescue), they will > destroy him.

Yes. They’re probably only slightly better than our facilities. Here, we’ve got punks like janet boss and john richardson and lying"I LOVE KOEHLER,"lynn, and cindymooron who’ll jerk the dogs around for a while to determine if they’re safe enough to adopt, or just KILL THEM TO BE FAIR. > What do you think?

I think we need to reassess our shelter and rescue folks and the information and behavior modification programs they rely on and teach us. They’re doing a miserable job, and need to be rehabilitated and retrained themselves. > Any suggestions, l really would like to save this dog if

Yes. Don’t let the Thugs convince you that you need to take a firm hand and confront this dog… Read the Wits’ End Dog Training Method manual available for FREE at http://www.doggydoright.com, and ask me if you need more help. > Thanks Cam,

Ask yourself "WHY DOESN’T JERRY HURT DOGS TO TRAIN THEM?" And then just answer "BECAUSE JERRY KNOWS HOWE TO TRAIN DOGS WITHOUT HURTING THEM." And THEN SAY OUT LOUD: "IGNORE JERRY, HE’S MEAN TO DOG ABUSERS." You can get all the information you need to PROPERLY handle and train your dog using non force, non confronatational, scientific and psychological methods, in the Wits’ End Dog Training Method manual available for free at http://www.doggydoright.com The Wits’ End Dog Training Method manual is provided compliments of  the BIOSOUND Scientific Elves as an alternative to Doggy Do Right (and Kitty Will Too). Your pal, Jerry "The Phony," Howe. j;~}

Response:

Cam- hopefully somebody on this group will have some experience with Akitas and be able to help. It might also be worth checking out these e-mail lists: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Akita-Adopters http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AGAA http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AkitaLovers http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UK_Akitas

Response:

Hello sionnach,

> Cam- hopefully somebody on this group will have some > experience with Akitas

Because nobody here except Jerry "The PHONY," Howe knows what to do abut this. > and be able to help.

I suggest they go to Japan where the dog comes from… Or read about properly handling and training their dog from the Wits’ End Dog Training Method manual available for FREE at http://www.doggydoright.com > It might also be worth checking out these e-mail lists:

I’d sooner start with a trip to Japan… or read the FREE training manual at http://www.doggydoright.com But you’d rather HURT dogs than admit that JERRY is right: > Hey, do like me, and killfile Jerry. > He has millions of people aleady reading his posts and > watching him extract his soggy  foot out of his mouth! > Out of these MILLIONS, I’ve only seen 2 naive childs > come forward and actually believe in his training manual. Rober Crim writes:

I assume that I and my wife are those two naive childs since I freely admit to having read and, I hope, understood enough of the manual and it’s counterparts by John Fisher and the posts of Marylin Rammell to believe and use it.  This naive child would like to say thank you to both Jerry and Marylin for putting up with a constant barrage of really infantile crap at the hands of supposedly adult dog lovers. The other naive child (LSW) has to put up with the nagging idea that if people like them had been posting earlier, maybe we would not have had to hold the head of a really magnificent animal in our arms while he was given the needle and having to hug him and wait until he gasped his last gasp. To my mind, "naive" is believing you can terrorize a dog into good behavior.  Naive is believing that people that hide behind fake names are more honest than people that use their real names.  Naive is thinking that dilettante dog breeders and amateur "trainers" like Joey (lyingdogDUMMY, j.h.) are the equal or better than those that have studied and lived by their craft for decades. "Stupid" is believing that people do not see kindergarten level insults for what they are.   Really stupid is believing that people like Jerry Howe and Marylin Rammell are going to just go away because you people act like fools.  Why do you act like fools?  I really have no idea, and I don’t really care. > admit to buying and having success with his little black > box.

I think I’m going to get one myself for Father’s day and take it down to the Animal Shelter for their use and testing.  You would never believe the results, so you’ll never know. > Anyone by now that doesn’t see a scam man coming by > Jerry’s posts deserves to get what is sure to be coming to > him! LOL!

I don’t see a "scam man", so I guess I and Longsuffering Wife and Rollei will just have to get what we deserve, eh? As Joey (Dogman) says, "poor Rollei."…….right. >Terri

Yes it was, and that is sad. Robert, Longsuffering Wife and Rollei (do I get to listen to the box first?) END OF POST Hello People, Robert Crim was a former Gang Of Thugs Member, and hated me a much as the rest of our Thugs do. Robert was a long time friend and prominent contributor to rpdb, till Jerry came along and smartened him up. He learned the hard way, and no longer posts to his former pals, because it is just too painful knowing his pals would rather HURT and KILL their dogs than to admit that JERRY is RIGHT.

Response:

Hi Cam, I rescued a seven month old akita from the Humane Society and have experienced the biting behavior you describe.  Here are my thoughts and what we did. It seems akitas play rough.  And being dogs, they have no way to grab things with other than their mouths.  The biting/snapping/nipping/mouthing you are describing are all either play or affection.  Rough as they may seem, if he were really biting out of aggression, you’d recognize a big difference. I.  Mouthing From what I have experienced and read, I would definitely agree with Jerry Howe that the mouthing is "bonding" behavior.  My akita only does that with me and the people she is close to. Your akita is saying, "I like you a lot. I really do. Let’s be friends for life, okay? I like being with you." You are lucky he is doing that. It’s a compliment. It’s sincere affection. Give him affection back. You have to be very careful not to hurt his self-esteem by rejecting him. Here’s what we did with our Hanna: We let her do it unless it hurt.  If she misjudged the pressure and hurt us, we would let her know by saying "Ow! No biting, no biting" and then say "good girl" when she let go.  The praise really made her feel good and actually made her less likely to resume the hard mouthing.  It took a while for her to catch on to this, but now she understands the words "Ow" and "no biting." II. Nipping with the front teeth (like at fleas) I read up on this behavior and was surprised to learn that it is also pure affection.  Again, if it hurts, and it does tend to pinch the skin, we go the "Ow, no biting" route and follow with praise when she stops.  With akitas, praise goes a long ways.  Sometimes she very noticeably puts more pep into her stride when I praise her as we are walking.  "Hannah good girl. Hannah good girl. Hannah very good girl!" III.  Snapping and biting This play behavior can be very tiresome.  A couple of weeks after I got Hannah, she started wanting to play all the time.  I remember lying on the couch reading, wishing the couch had hydraulic lifts that would elevate me out of her reach.  She also tended to bite hard and cause a little pain. She would grow bored if I just let her bite at my limp hand and arm, so that is the tactic I took at first.  But my girlfriend couldn’t take the biting at all..it hurt her. So, we read up and this is what we did: I would say "No biting, no biting." Remove my body part from her mouth and offer up a large rope chew toy for her to tug on, saying "good girl!" as she shifted her attention to something she was encouraged to chew on. If this tactic failed for my girlfriend, she would stick her fingers far into the dog’s mouth causing it discomfort, or she would pinch the very front of the lower jaw just a bit.  Then, Hannah would be more interested in the rope toy being offered than her unpleasant hand and would be rewarded profusely.  The gagging and pinching method was very effective, but I felt bad for the dog, who after all was just wanting to play.  I would suggest it only in instances where the dog has ignored the verbal commands and the offer of a rope chew and is still hurting you.  If Jerry Howe or someone else has a good alternative, try it out.  If you use it, always follow up with praise when the dog starts behaving more properly.  Don’t leave him feeling bad about himself (and they do) for trying to play. Again, this took a while, but now Hannah doesn’t bite much and never hard, and she stops when told. She also will sometimes carry her rope toy over to get us to play tug-o-war instead of biting us for play. I would guess that age has a lot to do with the constant playing/play biting.  As your dog gets a bit older, he will probably want to do it less. Giving Hannah lots of exercise and interesting experiences outdoors (new walks and runs) made her happier and also less interested in constant play biting. Good luck, Jeff

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi everyone, >     l desperately need some advise and l was hoping that you may be able to > help me.  l have rescued an akita from the RSPCA (Rescue).  He was the only > dog that was not barking, he seemed tame and took direction well, but he was > also very underweight.  After getting him through dietary diarrhoea and alot > of dietary changes he is now filling out and has become alot stronger and > his coat is looking alot better. > A beautiful dog who has had some training, he sits, stays, shakes and gets > out when is told to. >     He sometimes becomes distressed in the car and he will try to bite > through his lead or harness, otherwise he will either try to bite the front > seat or lick my arm for attention.  He is afraid of water, even a handful, l > gave him a bone and he liked it but he did not chew it. > The problem is that he mouths alot and plays hard, he runs around in a > circle and is totally alert, he goes balistic.   Then he will stand to face > you totally alert and will not move until you do but sometimes its like a > hunter. >     l do have some understanding of working dogs and l have had some > experience with big and aggressive dogs, but l was suprised by the > temprement of this dog.  l think he may of been beaten by a previous owner. > He tends to be intimidated by men and when knows he has done something > wrong, he crawls on the ground, head and ears dropped and wets himself, > totally submissive. >     l am concerned because, he has snapped at me a couple of times (during > his playful moods) and l did not do anything to provoke such a response, > actually l was just standing there.  Sometimes he nibbles me like dogs do at > flees.  Most of the time when l try to pat him, he mouths me and when l > ignore him, he mouths me even more.  l tell him NO and STOP very loudly but > he is becoming very assertive and l need some idea on how to handle this > dog.  So far, l have not found anything that can help me. > Lately, he has begun to bite me, even when he wags his tail?? > l tell him NO, No Biting, but he only stops temporarily. > He only bites me in the back yard when l go out there.  When he is out on a > lead, he is a different dog. > l am really at a loss, l am looking for signs of danger, now that l see his > aggressive tendancies but l do not know what to look for in THIS BREED. > If l take him back to the RSPCA (Rescue), they will destroy him. > What do you think?  Any suggestions, l really would like to save this dog if > Thanks Cam,

Response:

Cam, If you feel you have a dominance/aggression problem, which it does NOT sound like to me, you may want to try the following (from http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/dominance.htm): Dominance aggression problems are unlikely to go away without your taking steps to resolve them. Treatment of dominance aggression problems should always be supervised by an animal behavior specialist, since dominant aggressive dogs can be potentially dangerous. The following techniques (which don’t require a physical confrontation with your dog) can help you gain some control: Spay or neuter your dog to reduce hormonal contributions to aggression. NOTE: After a mature animal has been spayed or neutered, it may take time for those hormones to clear from the system. Also, long-standing behavior patterns may continue even after the hormones or other causes no longer exist. "Nothing in Life is Free" is a safe, non-confrontational way to establish your leadership and requires your dog to work for everything he gets from you (see our handout: "Nothing in Life is Free"). Have your dog obey at least one command (such as "sit") before you pet him, give him dinner, put on his leash or throw a toy for him. If your dog doesn’t know any commands or doesn’t perform them reliably, you’ll first have to teach him, using positive reinforcement, and practice with him daily. You may need to seek professional help if your dog is not obeying each time you ask after two to three weeks of working on a command. Don’t feed your dog people food from the table and don’t allow begging. Don’t play "tug of war," wrestle or play roughly with your dog. Ignore barking and jumping up. Don’t allow your dog on the furniture or your bed, as this is a privilege reserved for leaders. If your dog growls or snaps when you try to remove him from the furniture, use a treat to lure him off. Otherwise, try to limit his access to your bed and/or furniture by using baby gates, a crate, or by closing doors. Always remember to reward good behavior. Consult your veterinarian about acupuncture, massage therapy or drug therapy. Obedience classes may be helpful in establishing a relationship between you and your dog in which you give commands and he obeys them (be sure to choose a trainer who uses positive reinforcement methods). Obedience classes alone, however, won’t necessarily prevent or reduce dominance aggression. http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/pupnip.htm

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi everyone, >     l desperately need some advise and l was hoping that you may be able to > help me.  l have rescued an akita from the RSPCA (Rescue).  He was the only > dog that was not barking, he seemed tame and took direction well, but he was > also very underweight.  After getting him through dietary diarrhoea and alot > of dietary changes he is now filling out and has become alot stronger and > his coat is looking alot better. > A beautiful dog who has had some training, he sits, stays, shakes and gets > out when is told to. >     He sometimes becomes distressed in the car and he will try to bite > through his lead or harness, otherwise he will either try to bite the front > seat or lick my arm for attention.  He is afraid of water, even a handful, l > gave him a bone and he liked it but he did not chew it. > The problem is that he mouths alot and plays hard, he runs around in a > circle and is totally alert, he goes balistic.   Then he will stand to face > you totally alert and will not move until you do but sometimes its like a > hunter. >     l do have some understanding of working dogs and l have had some > experience with big and aggressive dogs, but l was suprised by the > temprement of this dog.  l think he may of been beaten by a previous owner. > He tends to be intimidated by men and when knows he has done something > wrong, he crawls on the ground, head and ears dropped and wets himself, > totally submissive. >     l am concerned because, he has snapped at me a couple of times (during > his playful moods) and l did not do anything to provoke such a response, > actually l was just standing there.  Sometimes he nibbles me like dogs do at > flees.  Most of the time when l try to pat him, he mouths me and when l > ignore him, he mouths me even more.  l tell him NO and STOP very loudly but > he is becoming very assertive and l need some idea on how to handle this > dog.  So far, l have not found anything that can help me. > Lately, he has begun to bite me, even when he wags his tail?? > l tell him NO, No Biting, but he only stops temporarily. > He only bites me in the back yard when l go out there.  When he is out on a > lead, he is a different dog. > l am really at a loss, l am looking for signs of danger, now that l see his > aggressive tendancies but l do not know what to look for in THIS BREED. > If l take him back to the RSPCA (Rescue), they will destroy him. > What do you think?  Any suggestions, l really would like to save this dog if > Thanks Cam,

Response:

>> It might also be worth checking out these e-mail lists: >I’d sooner start with a trip to Japan… or read the FREE training manual at >http://www.doggydoright.com

Showing again just HOWE stupid you really are.

Response:

Hello People, We always hear "trainers" say to enforce commands. Don’t give a command unless you intend to follow through with it. "Reinforcement NEVER ends," (unless you know HOWE to TRAIN the dog). That’s kind of a dichotomy, I think. Doesn’t training SUPPOSED to END A PROBLEM, not mean that we’re supposed to CONSTANTLY WORRY about the behavior we’ve ALLEGEDLY trained??? WHAT GIVES, PEOPLE? We got trainer telling us to constantly correct dogs who’ve ALREADY been trained??? THAT’S NOT MY EXPECTATION OF TRAINING. The Nothing In Life Is Free method is touted as being the most effective way of dominating an obstreperous dog. The idea is to cause the dog to subordinate himself to the "AUTHORITY" of his trainer, and increase the dog’s respect for his handler. O.K. Respect and authority are separate issues from where I’m going with this. The entire concept of dominance is wrong, but we’ll put that off to another thread. What do we do, when we are putting this aggressive or out of control dog through the nilif program, and he chooses NOT to do what he’s TOLD to? Are we supposed to give a command we KNOW cannot be enforced, say for example with a dog who won’t allow us to handle him? Don’t you think you’re going to look rather silly to the dog, telling him that YOU are going through the door first, and he’s ALREADY pulling you outside? Or when you tell him to sit before feeding him his breakfast, and he’s already for a toothpick? Suppose Fido has an attitude, and you’re trying to shove some food in his head. You tell him to sit, and he doesn’t sit. So, he don’t get his dinner. No big deal, he’ll learn, RIGHT? That may mean he’s going to wait till the next meal time. When you tell him to sit before taking his breakfast, he’s ALREADY quite eager to eat, and here’s poor little YOU, telling him that he’s not going to eat till he sits. So, you put him back in his crate. The dog is going to figure this out REAL quick. Either sit, or don’t eat, RIGHT? So, next meal time, you take him to his food bowl, and tell him to sit, and he takes one look at his breakfast from two days ago, and says "uh, uh. I’m eatin, go pound sand." NOW WHAT? Next In Line Is a Fight. THAT’S THE N.I.L.I.F. PROGRAM. Someone’s gonna get HURT. Ask yourself "WHY DOESN’T JERRY HURT DOGS TO TRAIN THEM?" And then just answer "BECAUSE JERRY KNOWS HOWE TO TRAIN DOGS WITHOUT HURTING THEM." And THEN SAY OUT LOUD: "IGNORE JERRY, HE’S MEAN TO DOG ABUSERS." You can get all the information you need to PROPERLY handle and train your dog using non force, non confronatational, scientific and psychological methods, in the Wits’ End Dog Training Method manual available for free at http://www.doggydoright.com The Wits’ End Dog Training Method manual is provided courtesy of  the BIOSOUND Scientific Elves as an alternative to Doggy Do Right (and Kitty Will Too). Your pal, Jerry "The Phony," Howe.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Cam, > If you feel you have a dominance/aggression problem, which it does NOT sound > like to me, you may want to try the following (from > http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/dominance.htm): > Dominance aggression problems are unlikely to go away without your taking > steps to resolve them. Treatment of dominance aggression problems should > always be supervised by an animal behavior specialist, since dominant > aggressive dogs can be potentially dangerous. > The following techniques (which don’t require a physical confrontation with > your dog) can help you gain some control: > Spay or neuter your dog to reduce hormonal contributions to aggression. > NOTE: After a mature animal has been spayed or neutered, it may take time > for those hormones to clear from the system. Also, long-standing behavior > patterns may continue even after the hormones or other causes no longer > exist. > "Nothing in Life is Free" is a safe, non-confrontational way to establish > your leadership and requires your dog to work for everything he gets from > you (see our handout: "Nothing in Life is Free"). Have your dog obey at > least one command (such as "sit") before you pet him, give him dinner, put > on his leash or throw a toy for him. If your dog doesn’t know any commands > or doesn’t perform them reliably, you’ll first have to teach him, using > positive reinforcement, and practice with him daily. You may need to seek > professional help if your dog is not obeying each time you ask after two to > three weeks of working on a command. > Don’t feed your dog people food from the table and don’t allow begging. > Don’t play "tug of war," wrestle or play roughly with your dog. > Ignore barking and jumping up. > Don’t allow your dog on the furniture or your bed, as this is a privilege > reserved for leaders. If your dog growls or snaps when you try to remove him > from the furniture, use a treat to lure him off. Otherwise, try to limit his > access to your bed and/or furniture by using baby gates, a crate, or by > closing doors. > Always remember to reward good behavior. > Consult your veterinarian about acupuncture, massage therapy or drug > therapy. > Obedience classes may be helpful in establishing a relationship between you > and your dog in which you give commands and he obeys them (be sure to choose > a trainer who uses positive reinforcement methods). Obedience classes alone, > however, won’t necessarily prevent or reduce dominance aggression. > http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/pupnip.htm > Hi everyone, >     l desperately need some advise and l was hoping that you may be able > to > help me.  l have rescued an akita from the RSPCA (Rescue).  He was the > only > dog that was not barking, he seemed tame and took direction well, but he > was > also very underweight.  After getting him through dietary diarrhoea and > alot > of dietary changes he is now filling out and has become alot stronger and > his coat is looking alot better. > A beautiful dog who has had some training, he sits, stays, shakes and gets > out when is told to. >     He sometimes becomes distressed in the car and he will try to bite > through his lead or harness, otherwise he will either try to bite the > front > seat or lick my arm for attention.  He is afraid of water, even a handful, > l > gave him a bone and he liked it but he did not chew it. > The problem is that he mouths alot and plays hard, he runs around in a > circle and is totally alert, he goes balistic.   Then he will stand to > face > you totally alert and will not move until you do but sometimes its like a > hunter. >     l do have some understanding of working dogs and l have had some > experience with big and aggressive dogs, but l was suprised by the > temprement of this dog.  l think he may of been beaten by a previous > owner. > He tends to be intimidated by men and when knows he has done something > wrong, he crawls on the ground, head and ears dropped and wets himself, > totally submissive. >     l am concerned because, he has snapped at me a couple of times (during > his playful moods) and l did not do anything to provoke such a response, > actually l was just standing there.  Sometimes he nibbles me like dogs do > at > flees.  Most of the time when l try to pat him, he mouths me and when l > ignore him, he mouths me even more.  l tell him NO and STOP very loudly > but > he is becoming very assertive and l need some idea on how to handle this > dog.  So far, l have not found anything that can help me. > Lately, he has begun to bite me, even when he wags his tail?? > l tell him NO, No Biting, but he only stops temporarily. > He only bites me in the back yard when l go out there.  When he is out on > a > lead, he is a different dog. > l am really at a loss, l am looking for signs of danger, now that l see > his > aggressive tendancies but l do not know what to look for in THIS BREED. > If l take him back to the RSPCA (Rescue), they will destroy him. > What do you think?  Any suggestions, l really would like to save this dog > if > Thanks Cam,

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