QUESTION:
I’ve just read your “On Talking Terms with Dogs” and learned a lot, and have since seen how it works on my three male dogs. However, there’s one problem I can’t seem to find the answer to. The youngest dog, a two-year old GSD x Labrador mix is behaving in a very dominant manner, and is disobedient both in the house and the car. He’s rather obedient outside, except when I walk all three dogs at the same time, and I am planning to start competing with him in obedience this Spring or Summer. He’s OK with being alone in the house.

The main problem is that he doesn’t listen to us when inside or in the car. We’ve tried everything, both dos and don’ts, but none of it is helping. He doesn’t do much wrong, but ignores commands inside, sometimes he growls when corrected. I think that his former owners are to blame for some of this. He was with two middleaged ladies until he was 15 months old. They had little control over him, and he was pretty much allowed to do as he pleased. When we took him over about one year ago and began making certain demands towards him, he would object. Sometimes he’s behaving dominantly towards the other dogs, but it rarely turns into trouble. Also, he has no thouble being with other dogs. He’s been through a rough adolescence, but seems to be past it now. Otherwise, he’s a good and happy dog, but does sometimes drive us a bit insane. We make sure that he gets plenty of both physical and mental exercise (obedience, tracking, problem solving, etc.), so I don’t think he is either over- or under-stimulated. I hope you have some advise for us.

ANSWER:
I think you are looking at this problem from the wrong angle. You mention disobedience and dominance, while your description of the dog actually depict an insecure and frightened dog. As he used to live with someone who had little control, as you state it, it must been quite a change for such a young dog to suddenly behave in a certain way. The change probably was too overwhelming. A dog who will growl when corrected is insecure and defensive – but why? What do you mean by correction? Angry voice, aggressive behavior, physical punishment? The fact that he is disobedient in the house is probably related to the same thing. His first meeting with too strict demands and corrections he wasn’t mature enough to handle, probably happened inside the house at first. You don’t mention what you mean by “dominance” and “dominant behavior”. These are words that are often misinterpreted. Is he picking fight with your other dogs, is that what you mean? A dominant dog wouldn’t do so. Quarrellers are either very insecure or rowdy. It’s likely that he’s simply insecure. A dominant dog is in on top of things, is calm, and will avoid conflicts. He’s self-confident and has no wish to pick fights. As you can see, insecurity and rowdyness isn’t consistent with being dominant. As long as you don’t describe what you mean by dominant, it’s hard for me to know what sort behavior you are talking about, but it certainly sounds like something quite different from dominant behavior. You also say that he drives you insane. How? I don’t know what kind of behavior it is that you need help with, so I can’t really suggest anything until I know more about it. What I do know, is that you are dealing with an insecure dog. He avoids you in the house, by being so-called disobedient, in fear of being chastised. He growls when corrected because he’s afraid and insecure. The dominant behavior towards the other dogs in your household, depending on what you mean by dominant behavior, may be related to the same feelings. I am fairly sure that demands were made too unexpectedly and too soon after his arrival. And it has made him insecure. Corrections can’t be aggressive or angry, nor physical, with this dog. He obviously can’t take it. The insecure behavior shows, make me think that he is not ready for any obedience trials just yet. What he needs, is time to mature. Also, take a look at what you require from him, as well as how you correct him. Try to observe what happens. It’s rather easy to see when a dog is insecure, and insecure dogs need help in order to get their self-confident and trust restored. Demands and corrections are not the way to go about it. There are too many blanks that needs to be filled in to get a complete picture of the dog, but it’s obvious that his problems are related with lack of trust to the world around him. This can not be solved with obedience. Perhaps the best thing would be to contact someone who can help you see things from another angle, someone who can observe the dog and look for causes for your problem.

Turid Rugaas