Highly recommend this.....

[Pawsitive Thinking]

To anyone experiencing a problem with their pooch - read The Dog Listener by Jan Fennell. I read it from cover to cover in two evenings and realised that I had been getting things wrong from the start.

I started Jan's method (Amichien) with Tobey and Archie the very next day and am amazed at the change in them!!! The responsiblity of pack leader has been taken from them (although I hadn't realised I had given it to them until I read the book) and I can honestly say that for the first time since we got them I actually feel like I am the one in charge.

[borzoimom]

I havent read that one but will look for it- thank you for the tip!

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Here's the link

http://www.janfennellthedoglistener.com/

[Canis-Lupess]

I have a book by her and, even though I agreed with most of what she says, there were a couple of things I certainly could not agree with and my own dogs I owned at the time were the ones to prove her advice wrong.

For example, when trying to sort out a couple of jack russells who were trying to kill each other, she advised to not feed one before the other as they can look like favouritism but then dogs being pack animals that function as a strict heirachy with no equality, I think this sort of goes against what dogs are.

She said in the book that the two jack russells stopped fighting after treatment but they could never be left alone with each other. To me, this isn't really the full cure I'd be after.

I had the same problem with my two BC bitches at one point and I started doing everything with one of them first, making it clear to the other that the first was higher ranking and that she had my favour as higher ranking but with me being higher ranking than them both otherwise I wouldn't have been able to have the desired effect.
I made a point of feeding the first bitch first, putting her lead on first and letting her off it first, fussing her first, everything. Whilst I did this, everything was perfectly fine and they were even totally safe to be left alone together but if I was to slip up, especially in the early days of treatment, the lower bitch would attack the higher one and they'd start fighting. Even doing something at the same time would make them fight because they'd get confused as to who held what position. It was feeding Mist first for example, that told Jess she was considered lower ranking and that Mist was higher ranking and being as the fighting was purely over rank, doing this solved the problem a treat.

Abviously, as time went by and they settled into their positions, the odd little mistake by me when I was on another planet for whatever reason wouldn't matter anymore. Point is, I did the total opposite to her and got better results. My dogs spent their whole lives together since then and spent plenty of time alone together without problems.

In a wolf pack, the higher ranks eat first, no question. There is no making sure they get their food given to them at the exact same time to avoid favouritism.

Two behaviourists that I have more respect for and have learnt most of what I know from are John Fisher and Peter Neville. Both british behaviourists. I have books by them too and they made much more sense to me.
I always recommend their books to people. If you can find anything by either of these guys, I'd recommend you picking one up.

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Thanks for that - always interested to read other people's ideas. Will keep an eye out for these authors

[borzoimom]

Canis Lupess- your points in feeding is absolutely correct! We feed by rank here- cookies by rank- put the leashes on - by rank, brush them- by rank.. I even call them by rank- read my posts- I usually type " Hottie, Femka, Zubin and Galina.." lol.. I learned that when I had shepherds- and never changed it..