Excellent suggestions! I believe this way would be a lot better. An aggressive dogs will only get either more aggressive or will shut down with rough so called alpha rolls and etc..
_____ From: Chihuahuas@yahoogroups.com [mailto:chihuah...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Rylee O'Neill Sent: Sunday, August 01, 2010 1:51 PM To: Chihuahuas@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: {Disarmed} Re: {Disarmed} [Chihuahuas] New member - HELP, Please! Ok- Victoria on Me or the Dog just had a similar situation. She did retraining with the male members of a family who a little poodle was terrorizing. She had them give the dogs treats when they touched the male member of the family. It went like this. The men/boys sat of the floor very still. They had high value treats in their hands. When the dog would look at the boys the dog was praised and treated. Then as it progressed when the dog ate the treats out of their hands they were given the word/command touch and treated. I've seen her do it in areas of the house that the dog is particularly guarded with (the bed, chairs, etc). The dog re-associated good things would happen when the men were present. I like the idea of having them hand feed the dog. I like that Natures Balance treat roll or hot dogs warmed up. My dog will do anything for either. The smell is more than she can resist. The other idea is to have your sister put the dog down or place it in a kennel for a brief "time out" when the dog growls at the boys. Sometimes people will try to calm the dog by petting them or talking to them. This only reinforces the dog's behavior by getting attention. Pairing extinction and positive reinforcement will likely be helpful. By the way- is the vet male? I'm wondering if nuetering was painful and caused the dog to associate pain with men? Just a thought. Anything that can recondition the pup to associate nice things with the men in your sisters home. Both chi's and JRT are smart. I'm sure the dog will get it. Rylee and Frida
