Got dog troubles! Don't know what to do....

[Rotax]

Thanks for the replies and ideas. The dog is a large munsterlander, we got him as a puppy. For those who asked he does cower when I am around, and also does when the wife is there. I am not afraid of him around my son, the dog is in no way aggressive to him or us.

 

[k0ua]

Not really. I highlighted this part of your sentence: Pine Bluff ,Ark. a pack of bull dogs by holding down the left mouse button and dragging across that text.

Then I right-clicked on the highlighted text which brings up a small menu box.

Using Chrome, one of the menu choices that comes up is to do a Google search on the highlighted text.

Presto. It really is like magic for us older folks that grew up with printed encyclopedias. It makes me giddy some days. :laughing:

It is powerful isn't it!:thumbsup: Our encyclopedia's were always at least 10 years old when I was growing up, because all we could afford was a set from the second hand shop. Now we have the worlds largest encyclopedia right at our fingertips, always up to date, and NO annoying door to door salesman!

 

[randy41]

Thanks for the replies and ideas. The dog is a large munsterlander, we got him as a puppy. For those who asked he does cower when I am around, and also does when the wife is there. I am not afraid of him around my son, the dog is in no way aggressive to him or us.

i think if you showed extreme displeasure in the dog's face when he does something wrong and you are a little patient to allow for a couple of miscues he will learn what is acceptable and what isn't. destroying his crate is unacceptable. bad dog. yelling should be enough to make him want to avoid that scene again. it took 2 times to get my dog to not chase the chickens.

 

[dave1949]

Thanks for the replies and ideas. The dog is a large munsterlander, we got him as a puppy. For those who asked he does cower when I am around, and also does when the wife is there. I am not afraid of him around my son, the dog is in no way aggressive to him or us.

Most hunting breeds tend to be balls of energy, that sort of goes with the territory.

It sounds like he just needs to learn some boundaries when it comes to your 2-year-old. It's difficult to impossible get a toddler to react to a dog doing something it shouldn't in the best way. Kids typically turn away, raise their hands, etc. when a dog tries to take something from them. I think the dog interprets that as wanting to play. That makes it a challenge.

Does your dog know commands like "Leave It" for something you don't want him touching? "Aus" for something in their mouth you want them to drop? That training of the dog to commands (and the child to use them) can help.

In general the more fun and rewarded obedience training you give your dog, the closer they bond to you and wish to please.

 

[Depmandog]

Plus one on the obedience training. Ask around and find a good one.

I always thought I was "dog intelligent". Took our first house dog (Corgi) to training and I realized how little I really knew. A good trainer can see the cues, or watch your interactions with the dog and tell you what you need to do OR more likely STOP doing. Made the world of difference. I know I had many duh moments after she simply explained why the dog was doing what she was doing.

And, by the way, she said the very first thing you must do is to assert your role as the Alpha dog, as explained above. I flipped the corgi on her back and held her there until she would look away, then would remove my hand (all while I am down in her face). After a bit I would give her a release command. I did this numerous times per day for several weeks.

If you get Animal Planet (?), the Dog Whisperer Caesar Milan is amazing and I have learned a lot watching his show.

 

[k0ua]

Caesar Milan is amazing and I have learned a lot watching his show.

He has a way with the pooches doesn't he?

 

[drssg]

IMO, this requires more individual feedback than is feasible on an internet forum. I suggest working with a local trainer, who can directly assess what is needed.

 

[tcartwri]

The Alpha dog thing only works with the dominant human in the house. The dog will still see the other members of the household as subordinate.

We had a GSD with extreme separation issues. It was so bad that he would have instant diarrhea if he was left in the house alone. And I mean instant!

We finally got him a partner and built them a large dog run outside with a shelter. He finally calmed down after that, but we could not leave him in the house until he was at least six or so. His deal was that he needed to be able to see everything that was going on around the house.

 

[Cat_Driver]

You don't even say that there was a behavior problem with the dog (thus probably not, or you would have stated it) you just made it go away. Wow what a gem!

TRAIN YOUR DOGS

Some dogs are more of a challenge than others but they can/will almost all respond to training. Without training they will revert to natural pack behavior and can easily be unmanageable.
If you are not willing to devote the time to care and train a dog then you should not have a dog. Some people are just not suited for dog ownership.

As to the OP your dog definitely appears to have separation anxiety from your description of behavior. There are some good training techniques that can be used to resolve the behavior. Find a good dog trainer for some techniques. You don't need to medicate the dog like the docs are doing with kids today. May take some work and effort but meds are not the solution to everything out there. Behavior modification works on humans and animals. Meds have their place but they are not the first choice or at least should not be.

Wow what a gem! - SERIOUSLY, you want me to "gamble" with my child's life? SERIOUSLY I'm a gem because I won't keep a designated Most Dangerous Dog listed below. SERIOUSLY I'm a gem because I should have waited till he mauled my daughter THEN and only THEN get rid of him.

Nope, not one problem with the dog - BUT the Rottweiler has been known as a vicious dog to kids because it does not understand the small size of a child compared to an adult. The Rottweiler is listed as a Dangerous Dog Breeds. We had the dog for years before we had a child. We didn't expect to have a child or we would not have purchased the dog.

Bottom line it was a judgement call, and as much as we loved the dog, it's a no brainer when it comes to the safety of your child. Just like I wouldn't leave her near a swimming pool alone, ride in the back of a pick up truck alone etc etc. I just felt it was prudent to eliminate any danger in her life that I could.

An animal is an animal and ALL animals do what they do. Ask Siegfried and Roy how safe their "tamed" Tiger was or all the grizzly bear trainers that were killed by "trained" bears.

It just wasn't worth it TO BE - to others it may be a different story, but FOR ME, keeping the that dog around my child was not a gamble I was willing to make.

As a side not - I trained a police dog for the Tucson Police department. I trailed dogs to walk on their hind legs, only eat on my command, crawl towards me on all fours, only react to hand commands, no voice commands, etc.etc. So training was not an issue for me.

I've been around dogs and training them for decades, and no one can stop a dog from doing whatever he wants to do when he wants to. My brother proved that by "teasing" a highly trained dog to push it's limits. He found those limits when the dog went for his throat. No amount of yelling commands would stop the attack, until I was forced to choke the dog out.

Most Dangerous Dogs - Pit bulls, Rottweilers and Fighting Breeds - DogsBite.org

 

[k0ua]

I've been around dogs and training them for decades, and no one can stop a dog from doing whatever he wants to do when he wants to. My brother proved that by "teasing" a highly trained dog to push it's limits. He found those limits when the dog went for his throat. No amount of yelling commands would stop the attack, until I was forced to choke the dog out.

Most Dangerous Dogs - Pit bulls, Rottweilers and Fighting Breeds - DogsBite.org

I had no idea that many people had been killed by Pit Bulls and Rottweilers last year.