Hello Samantha you have had some excellent advice here already. I too am concerned that this new behaviour only started three months ago and would wish to have it checked out properly. Any sudden change in behaviour should never be ignored and sudden aggression related to food would make me think of a hormone inbalance.

When feeding try putting the dish down with just a small amount of food and keep adding a little more at a time, or you can use two bowls a distance apart and keep adding a little to each one alternately, this should help to reinforce that the food is yours and controlled by you .

How much training has your dog had , for me training is an ongoing thing , things once taught should be continually reinforced so that the dog doesn't slip into bad habits. Things like sitting before food is given should always be maintained .
If you have a problem taking him for a walk he may not be getting enough exercise and mental stimulation.
Pushing and tapping are not good things to do, they don't teach your dog anything positive and can increase the aggression.
You say you are 'left shaken', your dog will quickly pick up on your fear and this will make the situation worse. Try to stay calm if you can .

I would first check out your dog's health then speak to a good APDT trainer, they have a list on their website .

Note fo M935 there are lots of threads on Dogsey about C. Milan, if you do a search you will find them. Better to keep this thread on topic and not to turn it into another debate about him..

Hi all, Thank u all so much for your wonderful comments, no Mo i havent had his thyroid checked but i will.

We have stuck to the same training with him through out the 5 years and noticed his change in character about 3 months ago at feeding time, he will dive straight into the bowl will its still air bourne and scatter his food everywhere, like i said b4 he has always been patient with food.

As for the kennel, he loves his kennel, he has had it for around 3 years now and always sleeps in there, another thing he does, he doesnt like anyone going near the door when he is in there, i have never poked my head in or owt but gone to the kennel and he has growled at me.

He was lead trained but walking now is so difficult, he constantly pulls and is so strong. i cant let him off lead as he is a husky, although we have big out door pens, he is fine with me when im in there with him.

i do wonder if he is trying to push his way to the top of the pack.

Thank u again for all your replies, especially mo's, i will d/l the nilif programme and read through it and give it ago.

DO you only have the one husky/dog??

No I Have 6 Huskies and 1 Akita who is 13 years old.

I was also wondering if you have more than the one dog? Whenever I have someone come into my yard for lawn maintenance or other, I always take my dog into the house... Anyway, this is where Ben is most of the time... inside..

He perfers it outside, i have crates in the house for my dogs but most of them actually like it more outside.

He uses flooding and bullying tactics which there are absolutly no need for. When he puts them on the floor and says they are submitting they are actually very very scared and shutting down, any behaviourist worth their salt (human or animal) will know that animals cannot learn in when very very scared (google Maslows hierarchy of needs).

He relys on his strenght and presence, what will happen when these challenging dogs are challenged by some weaker and smaller than them i.e. a child? WIll they do what they want or will they weigh up their strength compared to the child's and act accordingly?

He buillies, he does not teach! If his techniques are so good why do they continually flash up the warning DO NOT TRY THESE TECHNIQUES AT HOME! Did you ever see that warning on dogs with Dunbar? No, because nothing he was doing was challenging the dogs, scaring them or putting them into uncomfortable situations.

I agree with calm assertive and exercise your dogs, but that is it.

It all looks like a quick fix on the tv show, but i believe it is very cleverly edited. There are a number of law suits against him at the moment where dogs have gone to him for private training and been injured, over exercised on tread mills and over heated, passed out from exhaustion etc. If you google it you can find it.

All of it is completely uneccesary, he says that you can get them to live happily without training if you use his techniques, but as we know training increases the understanding and bond between humans and their dogs why would we want to stop training? He has his pack....woopeydoo..how many dogs live in a pack situation now adays? Just because he can walk into a pack of dogs and it all be ok does not make him a good trainer. If he was not there that pack of dogs would find their own level ground and work it out for themselves how to be a peaceful pack. I wonder how many of them would be able to fit into a family home well? Yes he gives rescue dogs a home, but so do many people who do not intimidate dogs and only use positive methods.

Personally i think he is the worst thing to happen to dogs in a very long time. Real behaviourists are already seeing a number of dogs being referred to them traumatised by stupid owners who have been suckered in by his rough methods.

It may look ok to the unexperienced eye but there is a very strong movement of well read well qualified people who have been working with very difficult dogs for years and getting amazing results with no pushing, pulling, jabbing etc etc. Working away for the good of the dogs and not the glory of being on TV.

I wish the APDT and the APBC would do a tv program in conjunction with the BBC to show people how they should learn with their dogs and counteract programes such as CM's and dog borstal.

A long rant - but it is something i feel very passionately about. Why are humans so quick to use harsh methods and feel it is justified.

http://thehappiestdog.blogspot.com/2...-is-wrong.html

are they all female/male? neutered? not neutered? this information ommited from the original post is quite important, I for some reason was under the impression it was an only dog, now that I know there are more the situation has changed, was there any dogs brought into your pack around this time? was there any changes in the dogs ie bitches got spayed, other males got neutered?have you any bitches that have urine infections( this can confuse dogs into thinking a bitch is in season) and so the dogs can get a bit upity. there could be a change in dynamics within your pack and you are being challenged along with others at this point. more information about your situation, your pack etc is needed.

Mo

Yeah it is a rather important peice of info to leave out!!!!

Have you bred any litters, did he become a stud dog at that time??

as has been said any "sudden" change in behaviour may well be physiological... it would be wise to get a full health check including blood tests for thyroid and liver function........ some dogs will display behavioural problems even if the thyroid levels are in the normal range BUT on the low side..if this is so your dog may still need medicating to raise the levels to higher normal ( hope that makes sense)

secondly if you think back did this really come on suddenly or were there small indicators earlier that when you look back now might have more significance..often by teh time we humans notice something it is in the "obvious" phase but has been growing little by little under our less than observant noses!!

either way your boy sounds unhappy/unsettled ...something is rattling him..outdated dominance pack leader methods will only make things worse, he needs support..don't be scared...I know it can be scarey but he is trying to communicate things are not right in the only way he knows how.... get a proper health check and if there is nothing significant get a behaviourist in to assess the whole situation... try not to second guess youi need hands on help...good luck!!