Who has outside dogs?

[Kipcha]

Hyatt101 wrote:

Sorry to disagree with you Jordan, but having an 'alpha' is 100% needed! With no one controlling the dog, the dog in a way, BECOMES the controller, he will be very hard to train, to make him yield. That's something you quickly learn when you own dogs.

Sorry to correct you, but "alpha" theory has been debunked too many times to count.

Alpha theory was based off a study that was done on a captive pack of wolves.

Reason #1 this is just wrong, is the fact that the wolves were captive. No matter what animal it is, being captive and outside their natural environment will cause different behaviors. Even the guy behind this study has admitted that the findings were flawed. The wolves were forced to live in a smaller area then their natural territory and the pack was man selected, not done through natural means as they would in the wild.

Reason #2. DOGS. AREN'T. WOLVES. Pets are COMPLETELY different then a natural pack that is forced to struggle to survive and they should not be treated as such.

We aren't dogs, and thinking a dog thinks of us as one is foolish.

There is plenty of material out there explaining just how silly the whole "alpha" theory is, and the only reason so many people take it seriously is because of the "dog whisperer" and all his nonsense.

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/14_12/features/Alpha-Dogs_20416-1.html

http://www.thedogtrainingsecret.com/blog/alpha-pack-theories-disproven/

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2007250,00.html

There is plenty of information out there if you choose to look.

Of course, your situation here may be different since the dog is a Dingo, I'm not too sure on how that works, but Alpha theory has been proven again and again to be incorrect and outdated.

 

[1357bunnylover]

I have to disagree with you Christina. It is never the dogs fault to why they become aggressive, or have any behavioural problems. It's always down to the human. Dogs are never born with behavioural problems.

 

[1357bunnylover]

Amanda i totally agree with you.

 

[whitelop]

Okay y'all calm down! I said I was alpha, as a joke. Thats why there is a winky face. I guess I should have chosen a bigger one for everyone to see better. I meant that I'm the alpha of my house like I wear the pants! I'm the one who takes care of all the animals, the house and the kid. I'm the ruler of this roost. My husband may bring home the bacon, but he wouldn't know how to turn the stove on to fry it up. Thats what I meant. Sorry, I should have been more clear.

As for the Ceaser Millan or whatever his name is, he is a crock of crap. I hate that guy, because he's just making stuff up to be on tv. Its ridiculous.
My dog was not sleeping when my son got on him, he was just laying in the floor relaxed. He didn't give any warning to my son because my son just flopped down on him and probably scared the hell out of him and hurt him at the same time.
I'm not blaming my dog for snapping, its in his nature.
I know that I didn't start out right with my son and the dog, but we're going to fix that, starting today.
I don't want to disrupt my dogs life by having him outside all the time, but like Jordan said I can't be there all the time and I can't trust my kid to not bombard the dog. So outside and/or separated from my son is the way to go.

The dog is also pretty well trained and a great listener. He doesn't need a leash and never wears a collar. He follows us around, herds my chickens back to their coop. Chases the raccoon's away for them. He is a very smart good dog, but something happened last night that I didn't like. And I still kind of don't know how to feel.

Edited: I would also like to say that I'm not one of those people who thinks animals think like us. I am also not one of those people who value an animal the way I value my child, thats hogwash.

 

[Hyatt101]

But, if you aren't the boss of your dog, than you ultimately CANNOT train it. If you don't want an 'alpha', than the dog can do whatever he wants. Training is all under the alpha theory. And just for clarification, we're all talking about the same theory, right? The one where you need to be the leader of your dog?

Dogs are not wolves, and I know this, but they have many wolf traits. For example, if you own 3 dogs, then one of them is going to lead the 'pack'. One will be the most dominant, the leader. That's how it is with wolves too. And with humans and their dogs.

I have to say, I still think dogs can be born with behavioral issues, contrast to what people think today. If you have a skittish mother dog, you will most likely have skittish puppies, because puppies inherit most traits from there mothers. Or, they can just be born sensitive to loud noises, and that will spiral into skittishness of everything!

Sorry if I come of a little defensive, but I know my dog knowledge well

 

[Hyatt101]

Oops, sorry morgan I didn't see your post, I knew you were kidding

 

[Kipcha]

Hyatt101 wrote:

But, if you aren't the boss of your dog, than you ultimately CANNOT train it. If you don't want an 'alpha', than the dog can do whatever he wants. Training is all under the alpha theory. And just for clarification, we're all talking about the same theory, right? The one where you need to be the leader of your dog?

Dogs are not wolves, and I know this, but they have many wolf traits. For example, if you own 3 dogs, then one of them is going to lead the 'pack'. One will be the most dominant, the leader. That's how it is with wolves too. And with humans and their dogs.

I have to say, I still think dogs can be born with behavioral issues, contrast to what people think today. If you have a skittish mother dog, you will most likely have skittish puppies, because puppies inherit most traits from there mothers. Or, they can just be born sensitive to loud noises, and that will spiral into skittishness of everything!

Sorry if I come of a little defensive, but I know my dog knowledge well

Yes, I am speaking about that theory, the one that Mr. Millan so heavily pushes.

I have to say I disagree on a lot of accounts. My American Eskimo x Lhasa Apso came from a bad place and his mother was extremely aggressive, skittish and unsocial. Dodger is none of these things because he has been well socialized and worked with. Any dog, except for extreme cases, can be worked with and overcome problems, regardless of what traits they were "born" with. And dogs are not "born" with any trait or personality, it's all learned from behavior. People are the same way, you evolve according to your environment and adjust.

There are PLENTY of people who work with dogs through positive reinforcement and work with them as equals. If you try to act alpha, there is a more likely chance that either you are going to end up with a fearful, submissive animal or one that eventually acts out because people just do NOT communicate on the same level as them and send confusing signals. It makes NO sense to try and treat a dog like you are the same as them! If you want to try to force your dog into doing things through force and fear, then feel free to use the alpha method. But I, for one, don't believe in such a method.

I don't believe that having a "pack" necessarily happens either, I know a woman that has 10+ dogs in her house and they all live happily without a "pack" order. Forming a pack in the sense you're speaking of (ie. Like wolves do) is done out of instinct for the necessary. It isn't a rule that it will happen, but a possibility based on how the dogs live.

No, it is not how humans are with their dogs. Humans and dogs CANNOT communicate on the same level because we just don't work the same way as them. A dog and a human will never have the same relationship as two wolves do.

I will stand my ground that a dog is not condemned to be "skittish" or "mean" because the parent was. It is a learned behavior and influenced by how they are treated.

 

[whitelop]

I don't know if all dogs do act like a pack or not, but with my dog that I have now, he has always been the leader of the pack.
At one point I had four dogs. The one I have now, two fosters and a dachshund that passed away. The fosters were a boxer and a golden retriever. Our dog now, wasn't the biggest but he always put the other dogs in their places. They would lay down in front of him and he would always be the aggressor when they were playing, they would lay down to play with him, and be submissive.
Where ever he would go, the rest would follow. I don't know if that is 'pack behavior' but thats how they acted when I had so many together. But when I would call they would come. They didn't ignore me, and my dog now does not ignore me. He listens better than my husband.

 

[Ape337]

I agree with pain theory, especially since the reaction was so uncharacteristic of your dog's normal personality. I would take him to your vet and have x-rays done to see if there is any dysplasia going on. He may need a stronger med like tramadol or rimadyl in that case. Or as others have suggested he may have arthritis. But I think x-rays are a good idea. Maybe if pain is the cause and he gets it managed he will be back to his old self

 

[1357bunnylover]

My uncle lives on a farm and his collies live outside in the barn happily, they just have lots of straw because its a good insulator

 

[Hyatt101]

1357bunnylover wrote:

My uncle lives on a farm and his collies live outside in the barn happily, they just have lots of straw because its a good insulator

I love collies!! :biggrin2: Hehe, sorry that is super off topic

 

[MagPie]

I'd also get him checked out by a vet, if he's never done this before.

I'm right in reading he's a dingo...??? Where'd you get him?

Anyway, he would probably be fine outdoors as long as his hips aren't bothering him too much.

 

[missyscove]

I agree that it sounds like a physical exam is in order for the dog. If you do decide to house the dog outside, I wouldn't get a "huge" dog house. If it's too big you might loose the insulating properties you're looking for to keep him warm.

In my opinion, all humans need to learn that all animals will bite. When he was about 10, my brother lifted the ear of our sleeping golden retriever and screamed. She lifted her head and snagged the skin under his eye with her canine tooth. While he was getting stitches, the doctor asked my mom if she was going to put the dog down. She jokingly responded that we might put my brother down instead as it was definitely his fault.

 

[whitelop]

My FIL got him from the pound when he was a puppy. From what the paperwork says, he came in with his mother and his siblings. He was about 12 weeks I guess when he adopted him. They just said he was a mutt, my in-laws vet said the same thing. Then when I took him to my vet, told me he was a dingo. I don't think he a true dingo, in the sense he came from Australia, but he is a dingo in the sense that he is such a mutt he has no defining breed characteristics. He doesn't look 100% like an Australian dingo, but he's pretty darn close. He also have a very high prey drive like a true dingo, he has been known to kill wild things. He also herds our other animals, chickens and cats. Not rabbit and kid.

He'll be visiting the vet soon enough.

He spent a lot of the day outside today, but still a large part of it inside. He stayed away from my son, because he remembers my reaction the other night. My son did walk up to him to give him a goldfish and Woody just sat there and let my son pet him and he took the food from him. I told my son that was enough and to come back to me, which he did and Woody went and laid down in his corner. So he has kept his distance, and even when my son did go over to pet him when he was laying in the middle of the room, Woody just laid there. I kept a watchful eye on my son though to make sure he didn't do anything to rough. I also kept Woody out of the house for the majority of the time my husband was gone today. He only came in when I had stopped cleaning and doing things around the house and I was firmly in the living room with them both. My son is also starting to understand what I'm saying about 'stay away from the dog, or be gentle with the dog'. Even in the last two days, I can see the changes. I don't think that I'll put him out permanently, but he'll just go out for longer periods of time. As long as it isn't raining or super cold. Thankfully, with us living in the south, we don't usually get much freezing weather!

 

[fuzz16]

i agree about him being in pain...he is older too.

my dog is two. my kids can lay on him, ride him, tug his ears, ect...but if they hurt him he does cry out, doesnt snap, but i have seen move his mouth toward them like as a reaction to the pain but stops himself. with your dog getting older, he may not be able to resist the reaction to the pain anymore.

before you throw a dog outside whose been inside family dog his whole life, you should figure out why he is doing this. hes at the age, where he may get depressed and feel rejected being thrown out after so long of being inside with his family.