Our daughter stopped by for a visit last night. We were talking about our various animals and she was asking for advice about her Lady - a rescue - who is a mix of Basenji and Pit Bull and probably a few other breeds. Lady was living on the streets for awhile before she and her puppies were rescued.
Our daughter wanted to adopt a dog everyone else passed by. Lady's puppies were adopted but she was ignored. Lady must have done something grand in another life because she hit the jackpot when our daughter gave her a home. Now, Lady is treated more like a queen, with lots of love, great food and several beds to choose from.
There's only one problem - Lady turns into an evil queen when she leaves the safety of their home. Lady reverts back to the street mentality she must have needed to survive with all of her puppies to protect. She will lock on a target, whether it's a cat or another dog on a walk, and turn into a fierce protector. This has unnerved our peace loving, sweet, kind daughter.
I cannot say I am an expert on dog training. Our dogs have, for the most part, trained us to do their bidding. But I have consulted with several who do know their stuff, as well as taken pointers from experts like Cesar Milan and Victoria Stilwell. I remembered hearing Cesar Milan say a dog needs to know their place in the pack. If you aren't the Alpha dog, they think it's their job.
With a dog like Jack, who could do some serious damage if he thought he was in charge, it's imperative to let them know who is really in control. When he was a "teenager," about the age of two, Jack started testing me. I couldn't risk having a 180# tyrant living in the house - and around my grandchildren. It was very easy for Jack to think of Andy as Alpha, and our grandkids as babies to protect. The problem was, when Andy wasn't around, Jack tried to assume the role of Alpha. I had to take steps to show him he was not second in command.
It's a process in which you really have to get inside the mind of the dog. In a pack there would be an Alpha at the top; babies on the bottom and various other roles in between. Alphas eat first, they go through the cave opening first, they are respected. If you translate that into your living situation, then the humans must be Alphas, or Alpha and Beta. That means, you eat first, go through a door before your dog does, never let them walk ahead of you on a leash and command respect. Notice I said respect, not fear.
So, we thought about Lady and what her mind was interpreting as her role. She loves our daughter and would most likely die for her. When they go for a walk, she probably goes back to what she remembers as a scary world where she had to protect her babies. She also leads them and pulls on the leash.
Our daughter is going to try some of Cesar Milan's tips. Hopefully it will help. As with anything in life worth doing, it is worth doing well. That applies to living with and caring for animals.
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