Edited the poll option descriptions so they are completely neutral

Personally, yes, I believe you need to be alpha male, especially if you own a dominant breed or dog.

Dogs are not like children/humans - they are animals, and while we may love them like kids, we mustn't ever forget what they are.

Jmo.

as a non Alpha trainer with a dog who was a stray I NEVER get in a fight over food
All the bins and food and everything is put away from where Mia can get it until we have taught the 'leave it' command well enough to work in every situation (and its getting good, I can drop food infront of her nose and she leaves it if I tell her too, I can even tell Ben to eat it while she leaves it - safe in the knowladge that she will be well rewarded for leaving it

As is true with Kismet... We know she has resource guarding issues so we make sure that we do not come into conflict. The food is put away and the bins all have clip on lids. Also 90% of the time "Leave it" Or "Drop it" Will work and we have worked on leave it for a treat on the floor that then one of the other dogs is allowed to get while kismet gets a treat for leaving... all good stuff...

But... Let's just say one day you are a bit distracted. You are clearing lots of not food rubbish from the garage and a bag containing peelings gets accidentally mixed up in the pile of bags containing old clothes and other non dog interesting things heading up to the recycling... We're only human and accidents happen...

The situation couldn't be avoided, now your are faced with an aggressive food guarding situation... what can you do?

I'm not 'having a go' or trying to be antagonistic.. I am actually honestly keen to learn something.. Is there something else I can do - assuming I have done all I can to avoid the situation and been working on leave and all the rest (I really have and she's normally so good).

This has happed with Kismet before?

If it has and you have had to roll her I can't see how the rolling helps? She is still exibiting the behaivour and getting something she wants - attention from you!

The first thing I would have done it try to distract her with something else - or left her too it if there was nothing dangerous in the bin - I would certainly never confront a dog in that situation unless I felt there was a danger to the dog. If this happens often I would leave a trail lead on her when I was around to be able to give her a time out when she get like this - that way there is no danger of her biting you or getting the attention she is lokoing for - and you won't make her collar shy.

Something I find amusing is why the relationship we have with our dogs must be categorised, given a fancy name and rules written in order to follow that regime.
Humans have lived with dogs for many, many years and somehow muddled through, working with their particular dog, with the specific characteristics, temperament and needs of the dog (and owner) in mind - and all without having to declare that they were following a specific type of 'named' training regime, and without awarding themselves titles such as 'Alpha' or 'The Captain' or worse. It still happens too. Perhaps it is intuition, just understanding how your dog ticks - or something similar?

Sorry, it just tickles me really, but do you see what I mean?

Oh I totaly know mistakes happen, not getting at you at all, you asked what to do

In a situation like that - I have been in that situation a couple of times, I just make it really simple
I distract by chucking lots of tasty treats she can have all over the floor, play daft games and get the dogs out of the room without them realising I am getting them away from the food

and TBH with Mia I only occasionaly let her out of my sight at all, if I cant watch her like a hawk she is crated, as she is learning what is good behaviour then she is getting slowly rewarded with more freedom

Because you can write a book about it and go on the tele and establish a franchise and make lots and lots of money and not have to actually work again and if some poor sap gets themselves bit while following your advice you tell them they`re not doing it right. I Say! - I don`t think `Captain` has been done yet! Think of the marketing opportunities!

Yep!

Oh yes


Nope,

I think you've misunderstood what I wrote, or I didn't write it very well - I said "over the years" by which I mean I've encountered various problems over the years, not that they taken years to solve

In fact they did not take long to sort out once I had decided how to work on them, although of course management played a part for a while, which is normal

I used to follow pack theory and stopped many years ago. This to be clear was the what I'd call old John Fisher method (that he decided was incorrect after a few years) which was not allowing dogs on furniture for example. Not the extreme, harsh versions of it. I'd never have done that to my beautiful dogs.

When I stopped it, my relationship with my dogs was exactly the same - or, better

Yes I'd agree with that, it does have connotations of physical abuse for many, certainly, and indeed many dog trainers were happy to use it in that way: to be "dominant" meant to be physically "stronger" which usually meant unpleasant bullying and physical intimidation

I'd agree with the view that it's not being dominant nor traumatising, but I'd just train the dog with reward training - you could get a good sit with that, you know...

Gnasher, the thing is what you describe above isn't being alpha, as most people recognise the word. It's just being a good leader. I do what you describe above, pretty much, although I also use reward based actual training using food, toys, and so on - but, I'm not alpha.

I'm just a guardian, parent, leader perhaps - alpha does have certain connotations (good word there! ) which really does mean, either you are a breeder in a wolf family group if one follows the up to date science, or else you are an alpha according to the older Schenkel model which has been disproved over the years (and which many people are hanging onto like grim death)

Wys
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