dominant behavior in 7 yr old english bull

Question
my girlfriend took in a 7 yr old (give or take) english bull dog from a divorcing couple.  he is generally a good dog, even sitting and dropping to only the appropriate hand commands.  this, though, only when he is not excited, distracted or"doing his own thing".  it's obviously easiest when he sees the treat in my hand.  

after reading a bunch of articles online, i seems that the dog has spent a good portion of his life being allowed to do things that express dominant behavior.  (not having to give up toys or tug-a-war toys, walking out in front, walking through doorways, disregarding commands when he chooses, attempting to take treats out of the hand before being permitted, attempting to mount his owner (female) and pillows. re:  mounting-  i've seen repeatedly that allowing the behavior is unacceptable.  i didn't really see anything on how to correct the behavior, though.  

can any of these things be broken in a dog of his age.  i wouldn't put him at aggressive; just dominant, and when i've witness the more dominant behavior (mounting, not dropping the tug-a-war toy) i've manually put him into a submissive position and spoken with a stern tone.

re:  the tug-a-war.  it is really an event to get him to drop the toy.  what can be done about that?  althugh i don't think he's ever growled manacingly at me when i've tried to get him to drop it, he has gotten more excited.  he usually does during tug-o-war.  i'm really the only one big enough to really give him a game.  should i stop this?

thank you for your time.

jon

Answer
Hello, Jon, and bless you for taking this boy in. He probably wouldn't have been able to find a home if he'd been placed in a shelter, due to his age.

If he is not neutered, that would be the first thing I'd have done. At his age, it's more for health reasons than anything else, but it *could* curb some of the dominant behaviors as well.

Are you familiar with the "Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF)" program? If not, you should get more than enough information by doing a Yahoo or Google search for it. Basically it allows you to attain and maintain the alpha status over your dog in a non-physical, non-confrontational manner. I recommend it to everyone, and practice it daily with my own dogs. To begin with, I would take away all his privileges, including being allowed up on the furniture (if he is), having toys to play with, and even some of his house freedom. I wouldn't allow him to sleep in the bedroom at all for now. Eventually, you should be able to give him back that privilege, but I would not let him sleep on your bed with you at all because of his dominant personality.

As for toys, keep them all put away in a closet or somewhere that he does not have access to, and only bring them out when YOU want to play. If he declines to play with you when you attempt to initiate play with him, put the toys away and go about your business. Additionally, if HE comes to YOU and tries to initiate play (or petting), ignore him. If he puts his head under your hand, take your hand away without saying a word. Do not let him dictate when he gets attention. If he jumps up on the couch or bed, tell him "No. Off." and physically make him get down. You may have to let him drag a leash when he's in the house if you're afraid he might get growly or snappy at you if you try to just push him or pull him off the furniture by his collar. The leash will put some distance between you but still allow you to move him.

When you play tug of war with him, you must always be the one to 'win' the toy. You can try getting him to let go of the toy by offering him a tasty (smelly) treat and when he lets go of the toy to get the treat, say a command such as "Out" or "Give" or "Drop it" and praise him as you hide the toy behind your back. This doesn't work with all dogs, but it's worth a try. Do this several times a play session, and as soon as he eats the treat, bring the toy back out and play again for a few minutes so that he doesn't learn that when you give the command and/or offer a treat, he loses the toy for good. When you're tired of playing, make him give you the toy again as before (give him several treats this time), and then simply get up and walk away and put the toy up. Do not make a big production over it by holding the toy up in the air so that he jumps up after it, or taunting him with it. If you have to, put it under your shirt so that it's out of sight.

Another method to teach the dog to let go of something he doesn't want to, if the food method doesn't work, is to go straight to corrections, which will also be used after the food method, when the dog will let go of the toy upon hearing the command, but before being offered the treat. You will need a training collar for this, and I prefer the prong/pinch collar because it's easier and safer to use. For an English Bulldog, I would recommend a size medium. Prong collars are sold by 'weight' or size, rather than by length. You adjust the length by removing or adding links to the collar. The collar is designed to fit snug, so you will want to measure the circumference of the dog's neck right behind his ears and adjust the collar so that it is that long when unhooked. The following page has some pictures and instructions on how to properly fit the collar:

http://www.leerburg.com/fit-prong.htm

With an English bulldog, because of the excess skin around the neck, it may not stay exactly in place, but as long as it is snug and doesn't hang down, it should be fine. The prongs are rounded and blunt, but if you're worried, you can buy vinyl tips to go over each prong to protect the dog's fur. Despite the way it looks, this collar does not stab into the dog's neck as many people believe; rather, when the leash is tightened, it creates a pinching sensation (hence the name pinch collar) all the way around the dog's neck to simulate the way the mother dog corrects her puppies. It requires very little force and is very effective when used correctly.


Ok, when you play tug, the dog should be wearing his training collar and leash. The leash attachment should be under the dog's chin for this, rather than on top or on the side of the dog's neck. You will also still have to have treats within reach, to reward him with when he lets go of the toy. If you cannot make him let go of the toy by waving a treat in front of his nose, then you will need to make him let go another way. Here's what you'll do:

You will have ahold of the toy (obviously LoL). Try using the treat first, but if he will not let go, say your command word and immediately following the command word, give a quick jerk on the leash straight out from his head towards you. If he lets go, praise him warmly with your voice, and give him a couple of treats as you hide the toy behind your back. If he does not let go, repeat the command and give a slightly harder jerk on the leash. Make sure you're jerking in a straight line parallel to the floor, and not jerking in an upwards motion. As soon as he has eaten the treats, bring the toy back out and play with him again for a minute. Move around the room so you are not always in the same spot when you give the out command and remember to praise him when he lets go and not just give him treats. Eventually you will phase out the treats, so the praise needs to mean something to him.

If you can't do this, then don't play tug with him because it will only end up in a fight. Alphas do not fight over things with subordinates.



When you are giving him treats, make him follow a command first, and then offer him the treats. If he takes them too roughly, close your fist around them and say "Easy" or "Gently." Wait for him to stop trying to get at the treat and look at you like, "Well, can I have it already?!" Then open your hand and try again. If he is too rough again, repeat. If he is rough again a third time, walk away and do not give him the treats at all. He will learn.

You might want to have your girlfriend enroll him in an obedience class (not one offered in a pet store, though) to teach him some basic manners and to teach her how to earn his respect. She should also be able to learn how to teach him to stop pulling out in front on walks.


Mounting behavior should be stopped immediately. If he is mounting your girlfriend, she should stand up, tell him "NO" in a very stern voice, and 'kick' him away. I don't mean punt his butt across the room when I say 'kick.' I simply mean use enough force to get him off of her and make him realize that it maybe wasn't such a good idea after all. If she isn't comfortable using her foot to get him off, then she can use the leash and training collar (with the leash attachment on top of the neck) to correct him just as I explained above with teaching the out.