Introduction and some questions

[Sam]

Hi, i am so glad to have found this web site. Thumbs up.
Attached is a picture of Sam. Sam is an Anatolian Shepherd/Great Pyrenees mix. We got Sam when he was about six months old. He is 10 Months old now and he is doing really good. We all enjoy Sam every day. Sam is a good listener. Especially one on one. Sam likes to be with us and is very protective, which is in his nature. Allthough training Sam is going well, there are some things that i can use some advice on. For one, Sam likes to eat everything he find that is dead, like birds, frogs and yes, even poop, especially cat poop....  Furthermore, Sam likes to Jump, which is especially bothering our child. One more thing, Sam is doing extremely well while walking him on his leach. And when the walk is almost over and we enter our property again, We like to unleash Sam so he can run. But, As soon as off the leah, Sam will wonder off and when we call Sam, he will not attend or listen. I have to bribe him with a treat to make him come to us again. Any suggestions ?

[BabsT]

First off...with your dog being a LGD in their native country most of these dogs had to fend for themselves in regards to food...The didnt see their shepherd for days so they had to hunt and scavenge for their own food.  My dog has killed and eaten  birds already and he is just 9 months...LOL  More or less it is normal behavior...You can leash him and when he is going to eat poop, give him a correction (not harsh) and then BIG praise when he listens...they are quick to catch on which I am sure you know

In regards to off leash...LGD are notorious for no recall...they are independent thinkers and if there is no danger coming towards you, they are off exploring and marking territory etc...Most males LGD's tend to be dog dominant too once mature

Pawing is something known to LGD but with jumping, ignore it and the dog...no attention what so ever, not a nudge a no NOTHING until he settles down on his own and then call him for attention

With your son, leash the dog and 'set him up'  when he jumps give a correction (not huge) and put him in a sit.  When he does that BIG praise

Good Luck

[Sam]

Thank you BabsT, for your friendly advice and suggestions. It all sounds very logica. I cannot wait until tommorrow so we can try it out 

Thank you again and have a great night.

[BabsT]

Anytime...just remember that LGD's are in a way very different than other breeds...they were bred to live independently with a few dogs and make decesions on their own

The are very loyal but not a velcro dog...and aloof to non familar people

What is his temp like now?

[Sam]

His temp is good i think. He is harmless towards us, although he did growled at my son a while ago when he wanted to make Sam stop eating our cat food, which scared me a bit, ans still does. So i told our son to leave Sam alone when he is eating. Furthermore, Sam likes attention and playing. Not for a long while. He also like to lay down next to me and relax, but only when i am one on one with him. 

[BabsT]

No, you cant have your dog resource guarding in your house...You need to nip that in the bud....your dog thinks that he is higher up on the ranks than you son and he needs to know that he isnt

Are you allowed to take food or anything for that matter away from your dog?

I understand that your got a dog when it was a bit older (6 months) but your dog should not be telling you what to do

My son (7) can go into Zeros crate while zero is eating and put his face right in the bowl and zero will leave the crate and wait for noah to finish LOL  I do that everyday not making my son, but me...no matter what it is

Maybe you should have your son do the 'feedings of the dog'  supervised of course...but have your son put the dog in a sit and once the dog sat have your son give the dog the whole bowl or just a small portion fed from the hand (is he gentle when taking a treat)  have the dog work for every little morsel of anything

Kind of like a NILIF program (google it)

[DixieSugarBear]

At the age of 3-5 months Dixie will hide small dead birds under her bed.  I guess after I took three away from her she started to bury them in th yard.  We have a small lake on our property and I can not count the number of dead fish I have taken away from Dixie and Sugar Bear.  While we were in our Petsmart class last week one of the dogs started throwing up a white foam.  The teacher said that it was from eating frogs.  Sugar Bear and Dixie just like to play with frogs.    I am currently trying to stop them from eating rabbit droppings.  We have several wild rabbits on the property so it is like a treasure hunt for Sugar Bear and Dixie.  I buy the best food I can find and they want rabbit poop 

[Rocky's 'Rents]

From everything I have read and experienced, it is very important that Sam is taught his place in the family. You need to establish that you are the Alpha ones in the pack. He sees your son as a peer and that why he growled when he took the food. We take bones and food off of Rocky all the time so that he will learn not to be aggressive (we give them back and say "good boy" if he doesn't growl). We made the mistake of allowing our small dog on the bed, the couch, we sneak him treats and he thinks that he is king of the pack. We knew that we couldn't have a 120+lb dog thinking he is leader of the pack!!

[Sam]

I know, so true, well, i have to say that the cat food was outside, on our front porch. We have outside cats. So maybe it is not a good idea to have cat food out, when Sam is on the front porch.

Yes, Sam lets me take his food away, if i would want to do so. Right from the beginning, when we first got Sam, i would fill his food bowl, put it on the floor and i would first, (pretending) eat it. Than, i would let Sam eat. So he lets me, i test it every once in a while, sticking my hand in the bowl while he is eating. No problem.

I also do know that Sam think he is above our son, we are working hard on changing that. Your suggestion, let our son feed the dog, supervised, is a good idea. Thank you. I also do know that it is partly oour fault, since our son is a scary cat, but on the otherhand, Sam is so big and impressive for our 10 year old. If Sam stands up on his backlegs, he is as tall as our Son is

 

[BabsT]

I know how you feel...my guy at 9 months if 105-110 and 28-29" and my guy is 7

Your sons fear could also be leading the dog into thinking he is higher than him in rank.  Maybe enrolling in an OB (even though the dog knows it) with your son to have your son learn how to work with Sam and build your sons confidence.  Sam cant act scared though, the dog will know this and will be counterproduct ive

Some size comparison with Noah and Zero LOL

[Sam]

Hi Rocky's Rents, thanks for your input.

The funny part is that we play alot with sam. My son or me will play soccer for instance and Sam would be in the middle trying to get the ball. We also throw things, like balls and small branches and stuff for Sam to fetch. And my son will take the ball, or small branch away from Sam, without any problems. It is only with food, that Sam beomes some how aggressive towards my son. 

[BabsT]

Food is more important to the dog than a stick or a toy

My dog will share anything with me BUT with other dogs, forget it... doesnt matter if i put 10 bones out in a yard with two dogs...zero will want them all

I throw a ball zero says  eh...LOL

[Sam]

Nice Pictures BabsT. And no kidding, but your son is like the spitting image of our son. Anyway, recently, i try to involve our son as much as possible in training Sam. Something i did not from the start, and this might be why this is happening. But we are on the right track now.

[Sam]

Hi Dixie,
We live out in the country, so lots of animals over here too. And droppings of course...hahah ahaha........i know what you are saying with it is like a treasure hunt. LOL. Besides that, we have like 7 outside cats.
So lots of goodies for Sammie i guess 

[PupDaddy]

This document, Aplha Boot Camp, http://www.geocities.com/tinytimfund/AlphaBootCamp.html
 is a great guide on getting a handle on your dogs alpha behavior. There are lots of subtle signs that you give your dog that he is boss.

I don't think it is in there, but somewhere I read that a dog does not care where he in the pack order, but it more important to him to KNOW where he is in the order. You, and your son just have to establish your ranking. Make it a game for you son, enjoy changing Sam's behavior. You don't have to bully him, you just take over.

My Kendra was not a jumper, so I never tried this: In Kendra's puppy class, we stood on the dog leash, so it could stand up, but the leash was to short for it to jump, Then with a treat, you encourage them to jump. Supposedly, the dog will quit trying to jump because it "jumper is broken". LOL, hope that works