Aggressive cavalier king charles

Question
HI, My girlfriend and I have a cavalier king charles named Oliver. He is 10 months old. We bought him for what we believe was a puppy mill, but are not 100% sure. Oliver is one of the best dogs I have ever known in my life. He loves everyone and can be so loveable. We also have a 9 year old chow mix and a cat. Recently, Oliver has started to growl, and sometimes everyone attacked the other dog and cat mostly when they just walk by him. Now he has started to get aggressive while eating. We have tried pickin him up by his neck like his mother would, but that hasn't worked. We also have tried putting him on his back after it, and that also hasn't worked. We take him over to my parents house at least 3 times a week to play with my parents cavaliers, and he does not show any aggression towards them. Although, he does bark a lot when he wants attention from them, such as: when they are chewing bones, or just trying to rest. It seems like he always wants what the other dog has. Please help. We love Oliver so much and do not want it to get worsre!!!! Thank you

Answer
Oliver has learned he can be the leader and tell others what to do. You need to be the leader and tell him what to do. That begins with obedience training, "nothing in life is free" [see my many other posts on this]. First he likely trained you, now he is training the other dog and cat, and then the other dogs.  Your methods are not working. Picking up the dog just gives it the attention it is looking for. Putting on its back may work if you are safely and not mean while waiting for the sign of submission [sigh].  But that only addresses the aggression towards that one person. Go watch a few episodes of Dogs 101 on satellite/cable. They have episodes on many different breeds. Don't bother with the dog whisperer, his advice/method is frequently wrong. Find a local group or individual trainer, not a retail store $99 walkabout. King Chrles are smart dogs and learn quickly. Obedience training should start by 6 months, otherwise as you have found, they just do what they want to do and get away with.

Regards,
Henry Ruhwiedel
westwind kennels LLC
www.dogkennel.org