How do you know if your dog runs the house? (help..)

[CountryWolf07]

I'm having a really hard time with Hank. He will be a year old at the end of August. For the past week, my family went to Florida, and I stayed at home to watch the dog & had a couple paid photography gigs to do. I have noticed a huge change in him - he's been very territorial (which I had a incident over the past weekend that showed me that he is NOT good with other dogs) & it seems like he runs the house, does what he wants, unless I put him in the cage. He's okay with it. All you can say is "Go in your cage!" and he goes right in. He just does not show this type of behavior when the entire family is here.

Mike stayed with me every night, and it seems like, he responds better to the male figure rather than myself. He won't take me seriously but he will take Mike seriously. I think, I am ready for my mom & brother to come home tomorrow because I am going out of my mind with Hank. He is really my dad's dog than anyone else's. Don't get me wrong, but I love him but dang.. from what he's done in a week just in the house alone, he is wearing me out. I have a job interview this morning and before Mike left for work, he woke me up so I can get ready, he stopped me from going downstairs and said, "Hank was very very bad." and I thought he was over exaggerating and showed me my pants ALL RIPPED UP and a huge hole in the middle, and caught him chewing on it while he let him out of his cage to let him go out to do his business - AND he peed in the living room, THREE TIMES, and Mike said he was outside when he let him out, and he was there, and he went. He must've done all this when Mike was getting dressed to go to work & I was sleeping. All I can say is, I don't trust Hank anymore and he was a good dog, he still is, but just sometimes, I wish he'd "get it". Mike kept telling me, "Your dog runs the house, seriously."

So my question is, Does he actually run the house?

[Daisy and Delilah]

I am so sorry to hear this, Rachel. It sounds like he may be going through some seperation anxiety from your Dad. He is showing out to prove how upset he is. Responding to Mike's voice makes me think he listens to your Dad and with that, he makes the male voice an association. I know nothing about these things but I can certainly see your frustration.

As far as running the house goes......it sorta sounds like he might have taken over in their absence. Best of luck with this.

[lvpets2002]

Well I would say Hank is going thru his terrible twos a year early.. Sounds like he is having some terrible one issues.. Maybe get him in a obedience school..

[CountryWolf07]

He definitely dominates the house when no one else is around and it's tough to be the "leader" around him and he cannot take me seriously. So glad my mom & brother are coming home today, maybe it'll be back to normal. I am thinking he feels out of place and feels like he has to be in charge. I have never had a dog like him, personality-wise. I never had this issue with Anna or Rosie. Could it because of gender?

[k9krazee]

I think it's just his personality and he sounds a little like Jack. The type of dog that needs steady discipline and boundries, and when they're lacking he will take over. Jack gets away with everything when I'm not home, and is quite unruly. But if I'm there he doesn't act the same way.

For him to take you seriously, you need to enforce the rules and let him know that he has to listen to you too. I'd feed his entire meals by making him work for you - doing a sit, down or anything else he knows.

The chewing could probably be because he was bored. I'm not sure how much time your dad spends with Hank versus how much time you spent with him. A tired dog is a happy dog. The more exercise he gets, whether it's a walk, playing "chase me" in the backyard..the happier he'll be.

Some dogs are just harder work than others. We were blessed with our first dog, Shadow. She was the easiest dog in the entire world. Then we got Jack Russells and had a crash course in dog training and found out what it's like to have dogs with issues.

Good luck, I hope everything is more normal once the family returns.

[Giselle]

Honestly, the word "dominance" has been misconstrued and misunderstood. Having had the fortune of observing actual groups of feral dogs, I can tell you that our conventional perceptions of a "dog pack" are not accurate at all.

Hank's behavior does not sound dominating to me. He sounds like a normal puppy-adolescent. He needs obedience, rules, and boundaries. All adolescent dogs do The chewing is extremely normal. The fact that he chose to chew your pants just means that you should not have left them within his reach. His peeing in the house probably means that he could benefit from a refresher course in housebreaking. He does not run the house. You do! Dogs really don't have a desire to "run the house". They (generally) have been domesticated for far too long to want these primal desires ;]

In the meantime, I would do three basic things to provide more structure:
- A lot of exercise
- NILIF
- Brush up on basic obedience in all situations at all times

[CountryWolf07]

In the meantime, I would do three basic things to provide more structure:
- A lot of exercise
- NILIF
- Brush up on basic obedience in all situations at all times

What is exactly NILIF? I make him work for his treats or his food, I usually have him sit, lay down, paw, roll over, whatever tricks he knows best, and he deserves that meal. He is a really smart dog, I got to admit. He is a good dog, you're right, he's just still a puppy. We have started to walk him A LOT every day, in the morning, mid-afternoon, and evening right before the sun goes down - he loves it, and it makes him happy. So we do that and we are still trying to train him on how to walk on a leash, too.

Also, when my dad was home, he spent ALL of his time with Hank. He is truly my dad's dog. He is his baby. He is still adjusting to having to see that there won't be always be people around in the house. (come & go, errands, etc.) and we also trained him to "Go in cage" so he will go in there and stay there until we are back home from whatever we are done with, and he is allowed to come out. He is still learning.

Thanks everyone!

[Giselle]

Yep, you got it basically NILIF = Nothing in Life is Free. As my mentor calls it, it's a "learn to earn" program. If Doggy wants something (anything), Doggy must earn it. If Doggy wants dinner, Doggy must wait for the verbal release. If Doggy wants to go for a walk, Doggy must wait at the threshold and walk on a loose-leash. If Doggy wants attention, Doggy must wait quietly or perform an acceptable behavior. The key to NILIF, imo, is to free-shape behaviors so that the dog THINKS and offers good behaviors voluntarily. That's the real beauty of it, imo.

Stick with the rules, stay with the boundaries, keep his obedience incredibly sharp, and you shouldn't have a problem! Above all, have fun!