Are you the pack leader?

[yakkwak]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

I'm glad to hear he no longer recommends using that technique though you can't help but notice when you catch his show sometimes that he long ago stopped using it on the shows.

Do you know if he recanted using the alpha roll via email or on a TV show or on his website?

J - It has been almost 2 years since I was deeply into this but will try to look back for his statement & post if I find it.

[yakkwak]

I know that only original sources should ever be used but this one's pretty close. nationalgeographic.com: an interview with C. Milan was edited, as follows: [In his 2006 book Cesar's Way, Millan cautions the reader that only a professional should ever forcibly put a dog on its side. With a dominant or aggressive dog, he says, an inexperienced person could be bitten, mauled, or attacked.]

This one was not a real recant, only a disclaimer, but his statements have evolved over time. Anyway, i do admire his innate ability to be accepted by dogs that are not familiar with him. They seem to respect his calm confidence.

[lovespandp]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

My impression from working with a lot of dogs is the pack leader is the one person that acts with the most authority and confidence in any situation. With a couple, it is usually but not always, the male who is largely the family protector and the one with the lowest, calmest voice and who acts with the most authority. But even packs of wolves or dogs can have two alpha leaders, most often the oldest breeding pair in the wild. So with a couple having dogs, both usually share the pack leader role. We just want to be sure that in each family, for the dog's own sake, he is not the one calling the shots!

Ahh ok, that makes sense! DH and I will both take a roll as the pack leader-

[lovespandp]

Originally Posted by Buster Brown

He has to sit and wait for a release command when I put his food down. I would put down the food and he would look to Jack for the release command and not to me that has changed. He would look to Jack for other commands as well now he focuses on me.

Ahh I see- I will start doing this as well!! This morning I made him lay down before I took him out of his crate!! It took a couple commands as he was confused why I was asking him this LOL I ‘m pretty sure if he could talk he would tell me “ Open the dang door Mom!!” Hehe

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by yakkwak

J - It has been almost 2 years since I was deeply into this but will try to look back for his statement & post if I find it.

Oh, thank you. I couldn't find a link to it. I would love to see how he recanted it, the source document, and the context, etc.

[lovespandp]

Originally Posted by SWHouston

Ha, I take "small" morsels of food out of my mouth, and feed it to my guys. Most of you will think that's more gross than spitting on their food !

However, I think that scent/action is a VERY powerful Leader "tool" for me. I always feed My Male Sneakers first, then My Female Becca, then My Male Puppy Ichabod, and all three of them sit patiently (now) during that sequence. When each of them were Puppies, they "jumped the gun" trying to be first to receive the morsel, but have learned the "Pecking Order".

I operate/run/control my Pack quite differently than that which Cesar and some "Experts" suggest. I always demand to be Leader, BUT, am very supportive of My Male Sneakers being the Alpha. He's First Dog, Biggest Dog, and MY choice to "lead" his subordinates. I'm not sure if all will understand the leader/alpha difference there. I differ in handling my dogs in several other ways as well. Allowing Sneakers to take "point" ahead of me during a hunt, is another of them.

LOL I don’t think its gross, I didn't think spitting in their food was- I just didn't understand why it was done. Heck I let Peanut lick my Popsicle, then I lick it after him!
What does Sneakers hunt with you? Sounds interesting!!

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by yakkwak

I know that only original sources should ever be used but this one's pretty close. nationalgeographic.com: an interview with C. Milan was edited, as follows: [In his 2006 book Cesar's Way, Millan cautions the reader that only a professional should ever forcibly put a dog on its side. With a dominant or aggressive dog, he says, an inexperienced person could be bitten, mauled, or attacked.]

This one was not a real recant, only a disclaimer, but his statements have evolved over time. Anyway, i do admire his innate ability to be accepted by dogs that are not familiar with him. They seem to respect his calm confidence.

Oh, yes, I read his Nat Geo interview back then. He still seemed to think it was okay then for experienced dog trainers and defended it saying mother dogs did it. When I think of those who considered themselves to be "professional" or an "experienced dog trainer" alpha-rolling all over the world and the fear and confusion it must have caused dogs!

[gracielove]

Originally Posted by lovespandp

Yes that is what I am going to start- walking him everyday, Since he is a male all he wants to do is smell and lift his leg- he will lift his leg to the point of no pee coming out, but he will still do it. After doing it, he will scratch his back legs and ruffle the grass or dirt-

When I walk him he pretty much does what he wants- I read when you walk them to have them be behind you..? also to not let them mark. Let them pee once and then not again. I am going to try to walk him next to me, I will let him pee once, but I will not let him mark everywhere.. I’m going to start doing that daily as well as a couple other things… Not letting him go on the coffee table after we eat- he likes to lick the table for crumbs, also he will sit/ lay in his bed while we eat dinner. I’m not sure about a couple of the things on that list.. sounds like you have to treat your animal like you are in the Army or something- I think a couple things we have let Peanut do has made him think he is in control- so just fixing those things should help a lot!

Like Yorkietalkjilly says it is more about being an authority figure. The dog will respect the person or persons that show him that they are making the rules. I have found that just teaching simple commands like sit, stay, and come will help establish the relationship. These things can be taught while the pup is still young and it is actually a good idea to teach them young in order to avoid any confusion of roles. Maybe you could find some new things to teach him so you can work on the authority thing.
You could try teaching him to "heel." That is a dog obedience command that teaches the dog to sit when you stand still and to walk as you start out on your first step. The dog is supposed to walk right beside you. It really is best not to let them get ahead of you or to tug on the leash. Having them wait until you go out the door first is considered good manners for a dog and shows you are the leader.
Exercise does help get the body systems working so that the dog may have to empty it's self several times. So you may have to let him pee more than once. But if you take a good 15 to 20 minute walk he should be good for several hours.
Gracie is a spayed female but she still loves to sniff everything. I think terriers love to check for the scents of other animals. I find she sniffs more during the AM walk than the PM one. Maybe because she smells the animals that have been out at night. I let her sniff but if she finds something too interesting I will cut it short and have her move on.
Our other male dogs have all been ones to lift their legs a lot when outside but I never had issues with them doing it inside. I see so much about marking males here on YT that it has made me nervous about getting a Yorkie male.
There is a website called Dog Star Daily that has some good training articles and videos that have some obedience ideas. It also deals with problems that people have with their dogs. Maybe you could find some help there as well.
Dog Star Daily

[lovespandp]

Originally Posted by gracielove

Like Yorkietalkjilly says it is more about being an authority figure. The dog will respect the person or persons that show him that they are making the rules. I have found that just teaching simple commands like sit, stay, and come will help establish the relationship. These things can be taught while the pup is still young and it is actually a good idea to teach them young in order to avoid any confusion of roles. Maybe you could find some new things to teach him so you can work on the authority thing.
You could try teaching him to "heel." That is a dog obedience command that teaches the dog to sit when you stand still and to walk as you start out on your first step. The dog is supposed to walk right beside you. It really is best not to let them get ahead of you or to tug on the leash. Having them wait until you go out the door first is considered good manners for a dog and shows you are the leader.
Exercise does help get the body systems working so that the dog may have to empty it's self several times. So you may have to let him pee more than once. But if you take a good 15 to 20 minute walk he should be good for several hours.
Gracie is a spayed female but she still loves to sniff everything. I think terriers love to check for the scents of other animals. I find she sniffs more during the AM walk than the PM one. Maybe because she smells the animals that have been out at night. I let her sniff but if she finds something too interesting I will cut it short and have her move on.
Our other male dogs have all been ones to lift their legs a lot when outside but I never had issues with them doing it inside. I see so much about marking males here on YT that it has made me nervous about getting a Yorkie male.
There is a website called Dog Star Daily that has some good training articles and videos that have some obedience ideas. It also deals with problems that people have with their dogs. Maybe you could find some help there as well.
Dog Star Daily

I have taught Peanut how to sit, stay, lay down, speak and high five and double high five- He loves when I sit down with him and go over tricks. Heel is the one I have NOT been able to teach also “play dead” I will def start working teaching him “heel”. I think you are right, that sounds like a great idea!!

Ok on the walk thing- should I let him pee/ mark ( I say mark because outside he will always lift his leg, he doesn’t lift his leg on his pee pad) He will also lift outside in this dog run. That is confusing to me… if I let him lift outside where he wants or not let him mark where ever he wants..

Lots of little things we are going to work on that will help! I’m excited for us! My goal is to have a well balanced Yorkie!

I will also look up that website!! Thank you so much!

[lovespandp]

Couple stories for you ladies to enjoy on my little trouble maker Peanut!!

A couple nights ago he peed in the kitchen, I got mad at him and threw him outside.. then later we were going to bed- well Peanut will always beat us to the room and be on the bed waiting to snuggle… well that night he was in the closet in his man cave already.. I went to walk to my side and I found pee!! He has never peed there!! I feel he was getting back at me for yelling at him!

Last night once again he peed in the kitchen, this time I flicked his little butt- ( it totally didn't hurt him) and DH put him outside and shut the door on him… I told DH not to leave him out there bc it is cold, so I went to let him in…. this little turkey! I opened the door and called him, he just sat there and glared at me.. I said a couple more times for him to come in- he just sat there and gave me the death stare!! He didn't even blink! Then DH said just walk away he will come in.. so I did- LOL He waited to come in for like 5 mins!!! Then he came to me and wanted up on the couch and I felt bad so I gave him kisses!! HA HA! I know, I know totally not the right way of doing things, but I’m learning!!

[dawn27]

Originally Posted by Rachael1983

It's only 2 of us in the house. My daughter and I. Troy makes us a Trio. I think because I'm firm with my daughter and firm with him, he knows I'm the alpha. If I say something to him and my daughter says the exact same thing, he'll listen to me over her.

^ This is so in our home too, I AM the Pack Leader and that goes for the humans in the house also ! It did take some time for our newest Ruby to figure it out. She challenged me and the other three dogs every chance she got. But I think we have that under controle.

When it comes to potty accidents , Troy has them and goes in the same spot. In my daughter's room, under the bed. He does it when he can't get out to potty and doesn't want anyone to know. So it was up to both me and my daughter to be on our game and ensure we had him on a schedule and take advantage of crate training.

I cage trained all four of mine and until I knew that they were accident free they were not left alone in the house. If we left they were caged, if we got busy doing other things where our attention was not focused on them they went to their cage. The less change they are left unsupervised the less change they have to potty in your home.

From what I read of your previous post your dog runs your home and that is the worse thing that you can do. You must be the pack leader in your home. I think you need to have more discipline with him if you ever expect him to stop the potty issues. It all ties in together... be the pack leader and take control and you will see a change in him. It may get worse before it gets better but its worth it in the long run.

You may benefit from leash training also. It worth a try ... You can find tips on cage and leash training on my site below:

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by lovespandp

Couple stories for you ladies to enjoy on my little trouble maker Peanut!!

A couple nights ago he peed in the kitchen, I got mad at him and threw him outside.. then later we were going to bed- well Peanut will always beat us to the room and be on the bed waiting to snuggle… well that night he was in the closet in his man cave already.. I went to walk to my side and I found pee!! He has never peed there!! I feel he was getting back at me for yelling at him!

Last night once again he peed in the kitchen, this time I flicked his little butt- ( it totally didn't hurt him) and DH put him outside and shut the door on him… I told DH not to leave him out there bc it is cold, so I went to let him in…. this little turkey! I opened the door and called him, he just sat there and glared at me.. I said a couple more times for him to come in- he just sat there and gave me the death stare!! He didn't even blink! Then DH said just walk away he will come in.. so I did- LOL He waited to come in for like 5 mins!!! Then he came to me and wanted up on the couch and I felt bad so I gave him kisses!! HA HA! I know, I know totally not the right way of doing things, but I’m learning!!

Awww, cute Peanut!!! He sounds so typical dog! haha. I can just see him. A lot of times they pee where your scent is, especially when housebreaking isn't fully ingrained in their brains and they are stressed. They find where your scent is and some think it is comforting or stress-relieving for to them to release themselves over it or near it as possible. If they can't pee where the scent is, they will often pee near it. Some dogs pee where you last were - such as those that pee on the rug by the front door you walked out to go to work.

Same reason they chew your shoes when you go away. They are bored, find something that smells like you, get all excited, and, being a dog, they start to lick and chew on it, something their actual person won't let them do - chew on them.

Just give him a housebreaking schedule, stick to it no matter what, taking him out very frequently at first for a good 2 or 3 weeks, watch him like a hawk or confine him when you can't and let him out after all intense situations and he'll one day get it, if you are consistent and patient. Repetition and positive rewards are thought by most so-called training experts to be how dogs learn fastest and with less stress.

[lovespandp]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

Awww, cute Peanut!!! He sounds so typical dog! haha. I can just see him. A lot of times they pee where your scent is, especially when housebreaking isn't fully ingrained in their brains and they are stressed. They find where your scent is and some think it is comforting or stress-relieving for to them to release themselves over it or near it as possible. If they can't pee where the scent is, they will often pee near it. Some dogs pee where you last were - such as those that pee on the rug by the front door you walked out to go to work.

Same reason they chew your shoes when you go away. They are bored, find something that smells like you, get all excited, and, being a dog, they start to lick and chew on it, something their actual person won't let them do - chew on them.

Just give him a housebreaking schedule, stick to it no matter what, taking him out very frequently at first for a good 2 or 3 weeks, watch him like a hawk or confine him when you can't and let him out after all intense situations and he'll one day get it, if you are consistent and patient. Repetition and positive rewards are thought by most so-called training experts to be how dogs learn fastest and with less stress.

LOL He is a little ham, but I love him soo much!! Yes we are going to really start working with him!! Thank you for all your help on this. Thankfully he doesn't chew on anything- so we are good there!!

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by lovespandp

LOL He is a little ham, but I love him soo much!! Yes we are going to really start working with him!! Thank you for all your help on this. Thankfully he doesn't chew on anything- so we are good there!!

I know you'll do well and if you'll stick to the schedule no matter what or how inconvenient, he will come to learn he can't wait until his scheduled time out as it will be coming up soon(you know how efficient their internal clocks are) and in time, he'll learn to hold it. Another big plus is he'll learn that marking outside is the happening place to pee - it's where all the big dogs come and sniff your manhood and broadcasts your macho to the whole world!!! My Tibbe will hold himself all day if I have to be away so he can share his pee scent with all the dogs in the neighborhood. And then he just backwards kicks those little feet to scatter that little tad of scent!!! And just struts away, head up, chest out, as if he just said, "There....DEAL with it!!!" It is so cute it leaves me in tears sometimes!

[lovespandp]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

I know you'll do well and if you'll stick to the schedule no matter what or how inconvenient, he will come to learn he can't wait until his scheduled time out as it will be coming up soon(you know how efficient their internal clocks are) and in time, he'll learn to hold it. Another big plus is he'll learn that marking outside is the happening place to pee - it's where all the big dogs come and sniff your manhood and broadcasts your macho to the whole world!!! My Tibbe will hold himself all day if I have to be away so he can share his pee scent with all the dogs in the neighborhood. And then he just backwards kicks those little feet to scatter that little tad of scent!!! And just struts away, head up, chest out, as if he just said, "There....DEAL with it!!!" It is so cute it leaves me in tears sometimes!

LOL I can picture Tibbe doing that!! Our 4 pound males think they are soooo hard core!! LOL Watching them walk outside is somewhat comical! LOL