I really love what you have been doing with shadow and the rest of the pack....... been very busy lately but hoping to come back soon.

blasiangurl85:


LordRegalia please share how you achieved walking off leash with your dogs. It's my dream to be able to do that but realistically I don't know if it's possible. One step at a time. First let me achieve a perfect heel position

LordRegalia:



Hello younghartz.

Achieving walking my dogs off the leash was no small feat. And like I said, I was trying to solve a problem with a particular dog, so it was a necessity. I would love describe it here, but perhaps we would need to ask blasiangurl85's permission first. It is, after all her's and Shadow's thread.

Start a new thread please, then post a link here. I'll personally follow. You seem quite knowledgeable.

blasiangurl85:

LordRegalia please share how you achieved walking off leash with your dogs. It's my dream to be able to do that but realistically I don't know if it's possible. One step at a time. First let me achieve a perfect heel position

Thank you so much blasiangurl85. You are far too kind. Hopefully I would make this worth everyone's while. I realize it is quite long, but I would like everyone to get some perspective on the problem to better appreciate the solution employed. (@uchpanila, the response to your question is even longer but still underway)

Before I begin, please I would like to say again that all dogs should be on the leash at all times when out in public. No doubt some would want to try out what I am about to describe in hopes of achieving the same results, please be very careful or better yet do not attempt it. I was able to achieve it because I totally understand my dogs. They live and sleep indoors with me (though they have their daily hours outside to be dogs) and I get to spend a large amount of time with them interacting with and observing them. And as anyone who knows me would tell you, my love for my dogs is out of this world. Total dedication.

So here goes.....

Of all the boerboels I have owned, I trained only two to walk off the leash in public. The first one, a female, which was the first pup I ever imported was pretty much a breeze to train. By nature, she had that totally calm, submissive and obedient nature most people wish for in their dogs and so it was quite easy. So much so, I probably should not take full credit for teaching her. It was simply her nature and SHE inspired me to attempt walking her off the leash in the first place.

The second boerboel, also an imported female pup was a totally different ball game entirely. Very dominant, very hyper, eager to please, madly confident, utterly fearless, unflinchingly protective, highly territorial and with a tendency to become aggressive if not managed properly as a pup. She arrived at 13 weeks old and as is my custom, I started training her on everything I needed to immediately. She learned to walk with the leash quite fast and easily. But then when she was about 4 or 4 and half months old, she suddenly started attacking and harassing people whenever we were out on walks. Anybody and everybody, she did not care, she would attack. Nobody could come anywhere near me. At first it seemed like a joke and I thought the behaviour would go away soon. But no. It got worse. Plus, she was quite big for a 4 month old pup so the terror she inspired in people was quite palpable. This certainly was not what I wanted out of any of my dogs as I set out to make them very sociable companion dogs that would still guard and protect when the need arose. And I knew that if something was not done about it quickly, I would have a very big problem on my hands sooner or later. The kind of problem that the Nigerian police force would love to entertain.

So I called the breeders in SA I bought her from and told them about it (I always maintain a good relationship with them), asking if it was normal and how to curb the behaviour. You have to hand it to the South Africans, they really understand their dog. He told me it was not normal behaviour at all and that the problem could be as a result of one of two things; either I am usually scared or tensed up during our walks and she can feel the negative energy from me, or there must be something I did or encouraged in her in the recent past that started the behaviour. Well, as I told him, I am the epitome of cool, calm and collected at all times (except when angry) and so it could not be that I was scared or tensed up. Besides, they were fully aware of my bond and relationship with the first dog and so it could not be that. And so we began to look at the second probable cause. Going down memory lane, I remembered two incidents which we eventually pinpointed as the root causes of her new behaviour.

The first was one occasion when we were out walking and we came upon a stray dog. Now I hate stray dogs coming around me or my dogs because you never know what disease they may be carrying and yet are immune to. So as usual I proceeded to shoo the dog away. My girl usually does not pay them any mind and so she was not bothered. But this particular stray was really pesky and would not quit. At a point I got angry, stamped my foot on the ground and shouted at it. At that exact same moment, my girl pounced on the dog viciously (to my amazement and eventual pride) and the thing took off without looking back. All the while my girl was barking after it. When the dog was gone I PRAISED my girl. Big mistake, I learned from the breeder. And so the next time we came upon another dog on another day, this time a 2 year old rottweiler (twice her size) that was being walked by her owner, my girl attacked it with a ferocity that left both the rottweiler and her owner stunned and me shocked. I practically had to run off dragging my dog away with the leash to end the attack.

The second incident and by far the main cause happened over the a few weeks after I started taking her for walks. Usually, I do not begin taking my dogs for walks outside my compound until a week after their third vaccination shot. But from the day they are given the third shot, I take them just outside the gate on the leash in the evenings and sit on my car and let them watch and get used to pedestrians, cars, trucks and other sights and sounds of city life. Now there was this guy I disliked because he was usually very rude and disrespectful to people. His aunt owned a pizza shop right beside my house and the chap had to pass by me and the dog anytime he needed to go to and fro the shop. At some point much later after I started walking my girl with the leash, I discovered that the chap was scared of dogs. And so I made a hobby out of terrorizing him with my pup. (Very irresponsible of me, I know, but then it was a pup that was involved and I would never have guessed what it would lead to). So everyday after our walks I would just sit on my car and let my girl rest while we wait for the guy to come / go to and fro the shop. And then I would let my girl have fun harassing the guy to the extent the leash would allow her (while feigning trying to pull her back). Of course the guy was always terrified and after each encounter I would SMILE AND LAUGH it off. Second big mistake as I learnt later.

Having identified these incidents as the causes of my girls behaviour, the breeder made me understand that in a bid to always make me happy, my girl was now always trying to replicate those incidents with everyone in order to keep on gaining my approval. (People of nairaland, do not underestimate the power of a dog's reasoning. These things are smarter than we usually give them credit for). So guess the solution the breeder proffered? You would not believe it as neither did I. He said I ought walk the dog off the leash in public and verbally make her understand acceptable and unacceptable social behaviour. He also said because I had her on the leash, she only expected to be restrained by my pulling her back on the leash.

Naturally I though the breeder was joking. I mean here was a dog that was attacking anyone and everyone indiscriminately during walks when on the leash and you are telling me I need to walk her off leash publicly to solve the problem. Absurd. Alas, he was not joking and maintained that that was the only way. Well, obviously I had a big problem with my dog that was getting worse everyday, I had to do something about it and so I had to try his advice. So here's how I went about it:

Sometimes you have to think outside the box and creatively find a solution to problems with your dog. What would seem very easy with one dog could be near impossible and even dangerous with another dog, as can be seen between the two dogs of mine described here. Thus, with this second dog, I resolved to start our leashless walks late at night with little or no one on the streets and gradually work our way towards walking earlier with more and more people on the streets. So for every night for the first week, at exactly midnight when there would be no one and no cars on the roads, we would set off on our walk and walk round the entire estate, no leash. (I live in a gated estate so I was not really bothered about personal security being out at that time, and besides I was out with a dog that was looking for who to attack so it was more of a risk to any would-be mugger). Each nightly session was for 2 hours (12 midnight to 2am). My emphasis for the first hour was on ensuring she was right by my left side at all times during the walk. Absolutely no straying, no lagging behind, no going ahead, no sniffing or inspecting stuff. Nothing. Just remain beside me, no matter what I do. The emphasis for the second hour was on working on the recall (getting her to come to me at once when I call no matter what is happening around or what she is doing). It was all challenging at first but gradually we began to get the hang of it. It is instructive to note that at that time of night, we had to be quiet so as not to raise unnecessary attention or alarm, but fortunately, for every verbal command I teach my dogs, I also teach a corresponding sign or sound for the same command so either of the 3 could be used alone and interchangeably any time, and so I used the signs and sounds. We did the first week, midnights, no incident, then we graduated to 11pm everyday for the second week. Same 2 hours, same emphasis for both hours.

There was an incident during the second week. One night we were out, we suddenly came face to face at a junction with one of the estate security guards making his rounds. In the blink of an eye, my girl moved on him at full charge snarling with full intent to maul the guy. It happened so fast that I did not even remember anything about my recall commands, be it verbal, sign or sound. Fortunately I moved equally quickly and put myself between dog and the guard before she got to him and quickly got her under control. The guy was totally freaked out, screaming and yelling so frantically that the entire thing woke quite a few residents up. So because of that incident, I resolved to do the 11pm walks for 2 weeks to try to get better all round control over her with the commands in situations like that. No incident after that for the 11pm week.

Then we moved to 10pm; same distance, same length of time, same emphasis and all. This time we began to come across trickles and small groups of people, but by then I had gotten more confident and had a lot more control over the dog. In fact by this time I had begun to recognize the tell-tale signs of when she was getting ready to make a move and so I was now able to distract and recall her even before she got so focused as to make a move on someone.

Then came the 9pm week, more people same everything else, no incident. Then the 8pm week, even more people but by then I was becoming a pro. 7pm week, so many people, no incident. 6pm week, crowds, but by now we had gotten so good together and confident that we were now walking silently through unsuspecting groups / crowds who would only notice and scream in shock AFTER we had passed between them. I really enjoyed the success of the 6pm week that I decided we do a 5pm week. (Normally, the earliest time I walk my dogs is 6pm). So by the 5pm week, I was show boating. After that we decided to do Saturday and some Sunday mornings.

By the end of the 5pm week, we had completed 8 weeks of daily walks off the leash. Then I decided to up the ante by simulating high energy, eventful and distracting situations. So we started again from 12 midnight but for 2 or 3 days each and this time for an hour each night. This time around I would let her wander, we would play, jog, walk, run, play fetch and do some other exciting things, but by now we were perfecting the recall and so at any point in time I would suddenly recall her to me and she would obey and remain beside me. We did this over a few days from midnight down to 5pm again and perfected every area we worked on and then I knew that the indiscriminate attacks problem was solved. Hurray!!!

Soon we began to go on leashless walks outside the estate, on busy roads with so many cars, people and events without any incident occuring. In fact I began to enjoy walking her off the leash much more than with the leash because truthfully, it was easier and more fun. Whereas with the leash, communication between us is done via the link with little verbal commands, off the leash there is no such liberty and so she is forced to pay attention to me at all times. I enjoyed it so much that I started walking her offleash full time. Even when out with more than one dog, she alone would be offleash. I walked her offleash everyday until shortly after she clocked 2 years old and then stopped because by then she had grown so big that everyone was now so uncomfortable and running away whenever they saw us coming.

Though she is still very hyper and protective and all that, I can fully control her without stressing myself. She always listens and obeys me.

I could easily teach my boy (and the other females) how to walk off leash because he is a fast learner, very good and well behaved with the leash, but I will not do that as I cannot always vouch for his reaction whenever he sees another dog or some other animal. Plus the fact that he is also in the young adolescent phase of development, the risks are higher. I remember the first time we came upon another dog. I was walking 3 dogs at the time and a lady appeared walking her GSD across the road. My boy took off immediately, singlehandedly dragged me and the other two dogs halfway across the road in an attempt to meet the other dog before I could regain control. He was 8 months old at the time, yet imagine his strength then let alone now that he is 20 months old. Even though I am currently working on his reaction to other animals and he is getting much better in that regard, still I will not go offleash with him. Big, black, dominant with new animals and terrifying to pedestrians; I would rather be safe than sorry.

oga lordregalia,u to dey copy long note.

My oh my!
@LordRegalia...you should own a blog or something! I'm serious. That was a more detailed run down than any I have ever seen on this site - though blasiangurl85 would give you a little trouble clinching that trophy!

I think its imperative that we understand the temperaments of our dogs - if we ever want to attain the status of 'perfect k9 owner'. And we can only do this(understand their temperaments) by devoting time, staying patient, and remaining determined. That's why I totally support Shadow's 'mommy'@blasiangurl85, and why I would give LordRegalia a huge thumbs up.

But abeg o, before you EVEN START to consider working your dog off leash (heck even walking him/her at all publicly), kindly ENSURE you KNOW YOUR DOG'S TEMPERAMENT (cos there's this principle of law called 'Strict Liability'. You might not know it now but you would - when your k9 causes damage to a 3rd party!).

Thumbs up @LordRegalia for this post.

LordRegalia, can you post this on its own thread, so more people can get to read it?

Jeez!
I must say your dog is an obedient and a balance dog
I love that.
In order term, most dogs I see are obedient bt not balance vice versa.
I just learnt a lot from this.
I normally use terror to threaten people but ryt now he's living up to his name.
Too bad of me.

Seun:
LordRegalia, can you post this on its own thread, so more people can get to read it?

Hehehehhe
Am alrdy smelling front page material

@LordRegalia, please do justice to this topic by opening a seperate thread with the appropriate caption. This knowledge is hiding and wasting here. Highly thought provoking and I know is workable. You are gradually tilting towards being a whisperer...no doubt i enjoy reading your messages.

LordRegalia:



Thank you so much blasiangurl85. You are far too kind. Hopefully I would make this worth everyone's while. I realize it is quite long, but I would like everyone to get some perspective on the problem to better appreciate the solution employed. (@uchpanila, the response to your question is even longer but still underway)

Before I begin, please I would like to say again that all dogs should be on the leash at all times when out in public. No doubt some would want to try out what I am about to describe in hopes of achieving the same results, please be very careful or better yet do not attempt it. I was able to achieve it because I totally understand my dogs. They live and sleep indoors with me (though they have their daily hours outside to be dogs) and I get to spend a large amount of time with them interacting with and observing them. And as anyone who knows me would tell you, my love for my dogs is out of this world. Total dedication.

So here goes.....

Of all the boerboels I have owned, I trained only two to walk off the leash in public. The first one, a female, which was the first pup I ever imported was pretty much a breeze to train. By nature, she had that totally calm, submissive and obedient nature most people wish for in their dogs and so it was quite easy. So much so, I probably should not take full credit for teaching her. It was simply her nature and SHE inspired me to attempt walking her off the leash in the first place.

The second boerboel, also an imported female pup was a totally different ball game entirely. Very dominant, very hyper, eager to please, madly confident, utterly fearless, unflinchingly protective, highly territorial and with a tendency to become aggressive if not managed properly as a pup. She arrived at 13 weeks old and as is my custom, I started training her on everything I needed to immediately. She learned to walk with the leash quite fast and easily. But then when she was about 4 or 4 and half months old, she suddenly started attacking and harassing people whenever we were out on walks. Anybody and everybody, she did not care, she would attack. Nobody could come anywhere near me. At first it seemed like a joke and I thought the behaviour would go away soon. But no. It got worse. Plus, she was quite big for a 4 month old pup so the terror she inspired in people was quite palpable. This certainly was not what I wanted out of any of my dogs as I set out to make them very sociable companion dogs that would still guard and protect when the need arose. And I knew that if something was not done about it quickly, I would have a very big problem on my hands sooner or later. The kind of problem that the Nigerian police force would love to entertain.

So I called the breeders in SA I bought her from and told them about it (I always maintain a good relationship with them), asking if it was normal and how to curb the behaviour. You have to hand it to the South Africans, they really understand their dog. He told me it was not normal behaviour at all and that the problem could be as a result of one of two things; either I am usually scared or tensed up during our walks and she can feel the negative energy from me, or there must be something I did or encouraged in her in the recent past that started the behaviour. Well, as I told him, I am the epitome of cool, calm and collected at all times (except when angry) and so it could not be that I was scared or tensed up. Besides, they were fully aware of my bond and relationship with the first dog and so it could not be that. And so we began to look at the second probable cause. Going down memory lane, I remembered two incidents which we eventually pinpointed as the root causes of her new behaviour.

The first was one occasion when we were out walking and we came upon a stray dog. Now I hate stray dogs coming around me or my dogs because you never know what disease they may be carrying and yet are immune to. So as usual I proceeded to shoo the dog away. My girl usually does not pay them any mind and so she was not bothered. But this particular stray was really pesky and would not quit. At a point I got angry, stamped my foot on the ground and shouted at it. At that exact same moment, my girl pounced on the dog viciously (to my amazement and eventual pride) and the thing took off without looking back. All the while my girl was barking after it. When the dog was gone I PRAISED my girl. Big mistake, I learned from the breeder. And so the next time we came upon another dog on another day, this time a 2 year old rottweiler (twice her size) that was being walked by her owner, my girl attacked it with a ferocity that left both the rottweiler and her owner stunned and me shocked. I practically had to run off dragging my dog away with the leash to end the attack.

The second incident and by far the main cause happened over the a few weeks after I started taking her for walks. Usually, I do not begin taking my dogs for walks outside my compound until a week after their third vaccination shot. But from the day they are given the third shot, I take them just outside the gate on the leash in the evenings and sit on my car and let them watch and get used to pedestrians, cars, trucks and other sights and sounds of city life. Now there was this guy I disliked because he was usually very rude and disrespectful to people. His aunt owned a pizza shop right beside my house and the chap had to pass by me and the dog anytime he needed to go to and fro the shop. At some point much later after I started walking my girl with the leash, I discovered that the chap was scared of dogs. And so I made a hobby out of terrorizing him with my pup. (Very irresponsible of me, I know, but then it was a pup that was involved and I would never have guessed what it would lead to). So everyday after our walks I would just sit on my car and let my girl rest while we wait for the guy to come / go to and fro the shop. And then I would let my girl have fun harassing the guy to the extent the leash would allow her (while feigning trying to pull her back). Of course the guy was always terrified and after each encounter I would SMILE AND LAUGH it off. Second big mistake as I learnt later.

Having identified these incidents as the causes of my girls behaviour, the breeder made me understand that in a bid to always make me happy, my girl was now always trying to replicate those incidents with everyone in order to keep on gaining my approval. (People of nairaland, do not underestimate the power of a dog's reasoning. These things are smarter than we usually give them credit for). So guess the solution the breeder proffered? You would not believe it as neither did I. He said I ought walk the dog off the leash in public and verbally make her understand acceptable and unacceptable social behaviour. He also said because I had her on the leash, she only expected to be restrained by my pulling her back on the leash.

Naturally I though the breeder was joking. I mean here was a dog that was attacking anyone and everyone indiscriminately during walks when on the leash and you are telling me I need to walk her off leash publicly to solve the problem. Absurd. Alas, he was not joking and maintained that that was the only way. Well, obviously I had a big problem with my dog that was getting worse everyday, I had to do something about it and so I had to try his advice. So here's how I went about it:

Sometimes you have to think outside the box and creatively find a solution to problems with your dog. What would seem very easy with one dog could be near impossible and even dangerous with another dog, as can be seen between the two dogs of mine described here. Thus, with this second dog, I resolved to start our leashless walks late at night with little or no one on the streets and gradually work our way towards walking earlier with more and more people on the streets. So for every night for the first week, at exactly midnight when there would be no one and no cars on the roads, we would set off on our walk and walk round the entire estate, no leash. (I live in a gated estate so I was not really bothered about personal security being out at that time, and besides I was out with a dog that was looking for who to attack so it was more of a risk to any would-be mugger). Each nightly session was for 2 hours (12 midnight to 2am). My emphasis for the first hour was on ensuring she was right by my left side at all times during the walk. Absolutely no straying, no lagging behind, no going ahead, no sniffing or inspecting stuff. Nothing. Just remain beside me, no matter what I do. The emphasis for the second hour was on working on the recall (getting her to come to me at once when I call no matter what is happening around or what she is doing). It was all challenging at first but gradually we began to get the hang of it. It is instructive to note that at that time of night, we had to be quiet so as not to raise unnecessary attention or alarm, but fortunately, for every verbal command I teach my dogs, I also teach a corresponding sign or sound for the same command so either of the 3 could be used alone and interchangeably any time, and so I used the signs and sounds. We did the first week, midnights, no incident, then we graduated to 11pm everyday for the second week. Same 2 hours, same emphasis for both hours.

There was an incident during the second week. One night we were out, we suddenly came face to face at a junction with one of the estate security guards making his rounds. In the blink of an eye, my girl moved on him at full charge snarling with full intent to maul the guy. It happened so fast that I did not even remember anything about my recall commands, be it verbal, sign or sound. Fortunately I moved equally quickly and put myself between dog and the guard before she got to him and quickly got her under control. The guy was totally freaked out, screaming and yelling so frantically that the entire thing woke quite a few residents up. So because of that incident, I resolved to do the 11pm walks for 2 weeks to try to get better all round control over her with the commands in situations like that. No incident after that for the 11pm week.

Then we moved to 10pm; same distance, same length of time, same emphasis and all. This time we began to come across trickles and small groups of people, but by then I had gotten more confident and had a lot more control over the dog. In fact by this time I had begun to recognize the tell-tale signs of when she was getting ready to make a move and so I was now able to distract and recall her even before she got so focused as to make a move on someone.

Then came the 9pm week, more people same everything else, no incident. Then the 8pm week, even more people but by then I was becoming a pro. 7pm week, so many people, no incident. 6pm week, crowds, but by now we had gotten so good together and confident that we were now walking silently through unsuspecting groups / crowds who would only notice and scream in shock AFTER we had passed between them. I really enjoyed the success of the 6pm week that I decided we do a 5pm week. (Normally, the earliest time I walk my dogs is 6pm). So by the 5pm week, I was show boating. After that we decided to do Saturday and some Sunday mornings.

By the end of the 5pm week, we had completed 8 weeks of daily walks off the leash. Then I decided to up the ante by simulating high energy, eventful and distracting situations. So we started again from 12 midnight but for 2 or 3 days each and this time for an hour each night. This time around I would let her wander, we would play, jog, walk, run, play fetch and do some other exciting things, but by now we were perfecting the recall and so at any point in time I would suddenly recall her to me and she would obey and remain beside me. We did this over a few days from midnight down to 5pm again and perfected every area we worked on and then I knew that the indiscriminate attacks problem was solved. Hurray!!!

Soon we began to go on leashless walks outside the estate, on busy roads with so many cars, people and events without any incident occuring. In fact I began to enjoy walking her off the leash much more than with the leash because truthfully, it was easier and more fun. Whereas with the leash, communication between us is done via the link with little verbal commands, off the leash there is no such liberty and so she is forced to pay attention to me at all times. I enjoyed it so much that I started walking her offleash full time. Even when out with more than one dog, she alone would be offleash. I walked her offleash everyday until shortly after she clocked 2 years old and then stopped because by then she had grown so big that everyone was now so uncomfortable and running away whenever they saw us coming.

Though she is still very hyper and protective and all that, I can fully control her without stressing myself. She always listens and obeys me.

I could easily teach my boy (and the other females) how to walk off leash because he is a fast learner, very good and well behaved with the leash, but I will not do that as I cannot always vouch for his reaction whenever he sees another dog or some other animal. Plus the fact that he is also in the young adolescent phase of development, the risks are higher. I remember the first time we came upon another dog. I was walking 3 dogs at the time and a lady appeared walking her GSD across the road. My boy took off immediately, singlehandedly dragged me and the other two dogs halfway across the road in an attempt to meet the other dog before I could regain control. He was 8 months old at the time, yet imagine his strength then let alone now that he is 20 months old. Even though I am currently working on his reaction to other animals and he is getting much better in that regard, still I will not go offleash with him. Big, black, dominant with new animals and terrifying to pedestrians; I would rather be safe than sorry.

Fantastic well written,following

YhungCE0:
My oh my!
@LordRegalia...you should own a blog or something! I'm serious. That was a more detailed run down than any I have ever seen on this site - though blasiangurl85 would give you a little trouble clinching that trophy!
I think its imperative that we understand the temperaments of our dogs - if we ever want to attain the status of 'perfect k9 owner'. And we can only do this(understand their temperaments) by devoting time, staying patient, and remaining determined. That's why I totally support Shadow's 'mommy'@blasiangurl85, and why I would give LordRegalia a huge thumbs up.
But abeg o, before you EVEN START to consider working your dog off leash (heck even walking him/her at all publicly), kindly ENSURE you KNOW YOUR DOG'S TEMPERAMENT (cos there's this principle of law called 'Strict Liability'. You might not know it now but you would - when your k9 causes damage to a 3rd party!).
Thumbs up @LordRegalia for this post.

Hello YhungCE0.

Thank you for your comments and praise. I really appreciate it. It is really a rewarding feeling to bond with your dogs and to see positive results in them from all the effort you put into raising and taking care of them. Only the true dog lover can ever understand this feeling.

Believe me, I have actually thought about starting up my own blog and maybe even writing a book sharing tips and my experiences with my dogs. But time always seems to elude me. Work and all that. It takes dedication to successfully start and keep a blog afloat and a great portion of that dedication borders on time. As much as would really love to do it, I fear I may not be so regular in writing posts and I really hate to start something and not follow through. But who knows? Tomorrow I just might be able shelve off some of the things that keep me busy and take up most of my time and get a blog up and running. At least the desire and passion are there and as they say, where there"s a will, there's a way.

And Blasiangurl85 definitely takes the trophy. At 6 pages and going on strong, she's already running a miniblog with Shadow's diary with a huge, cult-like following.

Two thumbs up to you blasiangirl85. I love and admire your dedication to raising Shadow right and sharing your experiences with him.

younghartz:
Jeez!
I must say your dog is an obedient and a balance dog
I love that.
In order term, most dogs I see are obedient bt not balance vice versa.
I just learnt a lot from this.
I normally use terror to threaten people but ryt now he's living up to his name.
Too bad of me.

Hello younghartz.

Thank you for your comments.

I quite agree with you. I believe raising a healthy, obedient, physically fit and mentally stable dog should be every dog owner's ultimate goal. All other things are secondary.

lacicrips:

Start a new thread please, then post a link here. I'll personally follow. You seem quite knowledgeable.

Seun:
LordRegalia, can you post this on its own thread, so more people can get to read it?

Hello lacicrips and Seun

As requested, I will start a separate thread on the topic so more people could get to read it.

And @blasiangurl85, they are dragging me away from commenting on Shadow's diary.

pmadise:
@LordRegalia, please do justice to this topic by opening a seperate thread with the appropriate caption. This knowledge is hiding and wasting here. Highly thought provoking and I know is workable. You are gradually tilting towards being a whisperer...no doubt i enjoy reading your messages.

Hello pmadise.

I was actually getting comfortable hiding out here with Shadow the Destroyer. But it appears you, Seun and lacicrips have decided to rouse me from my comfort zone. I am glad you enjoy reading my posts and if in getting more people to read them I can get them to learn to be better dog owners, then it would be selfish of me to refuse.


Thank you.

blasiangurl85:
Shadow nearly attacked my nephew

A week ago my nephew came to stay with me for a while. He has always been around shadow from the very first day i got shadow. To my surprise as soon as I let my nephew through the gate shadow just jumped on him barking and I don't know if he would have bitten him because I immediately pulled him down and told my nephew to go inside. Shadow was still growling and barking but I managed to hold him down until my nephew was safe inside.
First of all I know I don't really have the power to hold him down. A dog is 3 times stronger than a human of the same weight. All I know is the adrenaline pumping through my blood just made me hold on to him without letting go. Infact I wasn't holding him I just wrapped myself around him. After the ordeal was over I was physically shaking because I didn't really know if he would have attacked i.e bitten my nephew or if he was bluffing. The next thing shadow did was to sit right at my front and offer me his paw to shake as if to say "hey wassup? Didn't I do good? give me a high five!". I just ignored him and walked away.
The next day shadow saw my nephew and did absolutely nothing. Its like whatever happened the night before was a fluke. Was it because it was dark and Shadow didn't recognise him? But I thought dogs recognise more with scent. Or was he just testing himself to see how my nephew would react? They are back to being friends. Its a big relief for me because I was even scared to let my nephew close to shadow but he wasn't scared. He was actually curious to know why shadow behaved that way.
This experience did show me something, even though shadow was barking and fighting to get free from me when I held him down, he never once tried to bite me. He only struggled and kept howling/growling. At least I know my dog won't turn on me. Very important when one has such a big dog. Shadow can clearly knock me down if he wants to. But he didn't, at least I may not be alpha yet but maybe there's hope

Wow! I never imagined having a pet will be this sweet. Seriously loving this.

Becoming Alpha

So far it's not really going according to plan. I know I'm no alpha but I really want to be especially because Shadow is such a dominant dog. I have seen him establish himself as alpha amongst the dogs. It's actually interesting watching him put the other dogs in place. Well since i don't have 1 inch canines like dogs, I have to find another way to let him know I'm alpha. So far after watching millions of episodes of the dog whisperer I've tried the famous "shhhh" that ceasar milan does with the poking. Doesn't work for me. I also tried being very stern with him but he always finds a way to make me laugh when he jumps up to give me a hug. I tried making my voice deeper, but that also didn't work. Maybe I should have him neutered? I've really thought about that a lot. I know that neutering may reduce his dominant behaviour but it's not certain. Plus Shadow has a long list of people who want his puppies so doing that would mean so many people asking me "WHY?!!!!" I think right now he's just a rebellious young adult who needs to be put in his place. I think i will resume his obedience training and try out a few new things. If anyone has suggestions I would really appreciate it.

ebujany:
Fantastic well written,following

Thanks

SamsonJohn743:

Wow! I never imagined having a pet will be this sweet. Seriously loving this.

Thanks

@LordRegalia thanks for sharing and I see your topic made front page. Thumbs up! I really wish I could try this for shadow but I don't think I will, partly because Shadow gets very protective once it's dark. When he was 8 months I actually wanted to start taking him out in the late evenings. The first time we went out he was so alert, ears standing and you could tell he was in protection mode. There was a guy running towards us and Shadow literally lunged towards the man. I'm guessing seeing a man running towards us he thought maybe the man was coming for us. For now i will concentrate on getting him to heel when we are out. Baby steps

blasiangurl85:
Becoming Alpha

So far it's not really going according to plan. I know I'm no alpha but I really want to be especially because Shadow is such a dominant dog. I have seen him establish himself as alpha amongst the dogs. It's actually interesting watching him put the other dogs in place. Well since i don't have 1 inch canines like dogs, I have to find another way to let him know I'm alpha. So far after watching millions of episodes of the dog whisperer I've tried the famous "shhhh" that ceasar milan does with the poking. Doesn't work for me. I also tried being very stern with him but he always finds a way to make me laugh when he jumps up to give me a hug. I tried making my voice deeper, but that also didn't work. Maybe I should have him neutered? I've really thought about that a lot. I know that neutering may reduce his dominant behaviour but it's not certain. Plus Shadow has a long list of people who want his puppies so doing that would mean so many people asking me "WHY?!!!!" I think right now he's just a rebellious young adult who needs to be put in his place. I think i will resume his obedience training and try out a few new things. If anyone has suggestions I would really appreciate it.

His gragra is just a phase and it will pass. He's an adolescent with a lot of energy. Just continue being assertive. He'll mellow with time.

Aint d 1 dat told shadow dat ur nephew took ur fone charger n refuse to return bk.

Aint u d 1 dat told shadow dat ur nephew took ur fone charger n refuse to return bk.

blasiangurl85:
@LordRegalia thanks for sharing and I see your topic made front page. Thumbs up! I really wish I could try this for shadow but I don't think I will, partly because Shadow gets very protective once it's dark. When he was 8 months I actually wanted to start taking him out in the late evenings. The first time we went out he was so alert, ears standing and you could tell he was in protection mode. There was a guy running towards us and Shadow literally lunged towards the man. I'm guessing seeing a man running towards us he thought maybe the man was coming for us. For now i will concentrate on getting him to heel when we are out. Baby steps

Hello blasiangurl85.

I would not even advise that you attempt offleash walk / training with Shadow at this time as he is well past the age and time frame within which you can safely and successfully institutionalize it in him. At this stage, only a professional can teach him that.


I would however advise that you try to take him out for walks on the leash in the evenings (unless you plan on walking him only in the mornings for the rest of his life). It is true that dogs come alive the most in the evenings and at night but that does not mean they cannot be controlled. It only means that their rules of engagement are slightly different and it is up to you to understand what makes them tick (on and off) in those situations and work around those. The trick would be to try to identify those events that trigger his "protection mode" and then begin to distract him when they appear or just as he is switching to that mode. Do this often and you would find that you would not need to distract him anymore as those triggers would no longer have any effect on him. You also need to ensure that you are absolutely calm all through the walk as this would greatly help set him at ease. One way to do this would be to listen to mp3s over your earphones and even sing the songs out loud (it really does work as your dog would pick up the calmness in your tone and general demeanor). Another way to distract him and at the same time exude a calm composure would be to talk to him as you walk. It may sound silly but trust me, it works. Your voice and the fact that you are talking to HIM would keep him focused on you (even possibly more than on the walk itself).


I think you should give it a try. At the very least, you could do early evening walks, say anytime between 6pm and 7.30pm. You may also want to go along with someone who is physically stronger than you are and who Shadow is also very comfortable with as added security, so if Shadow gets into a mode you feel you cannot physically control you can quickly pass the leash on to that person.

blasiangurl85:
Becoming Alpha

So far it's not really going according to plan. I know I'm no alpha but I really want to be especially because Shadow is such a dominant dog. I have seen him establish himself as alpha amongst the dogs. It's actually interesting watching him put the other dogs in place. Well since i don't have 1 inch canines like dogs, I have to find another way to let him know I'm alpha. So far after watching millions of episodes of the dog whisperer I've tried the famous "shhhh" that ceasar milan does with the poking. Doesn't work for me. I also tried being very stern with him but he always finds a way to make me laugh when he jumps up to give me a hug. I tried making my voice deeper, but that also didn't work. Maybe I should have him neutered? I've really thought about that a lot. I know that neutering may reduce his dominant behaviour but it's not certain. Plus Shadow has a long list of people who want his puppies so doing that would mean so many people asking me "WHY?!!!!" I think right now he's just a rebellious young adult who needs to be put in his place. I think i will resume his obedience training and try out a few new things. If anyone has suggestions I would really appreciate it.

Let me start by saying please do not neuter Shadow. I know he is not my dog but I hate to see dogs knowingly put through procedures that usher them a life which is less than that which nature intended. The fact that you are already thinking a lot about it, before long you would want to follow through with it. Please do not.

You have to become alpha. Absolutely and non-negotiable. You must have to be alpha, or else Shadow would assume that role as an adult. That scenario is not funny at all.

Here's one way to become alpha you could try. First, a question; what is it that dogs crave the most from their owners? The answer is attention. Be it positive attention or negative attention, they want it. They value it even more than the food they eat. So use the attention and affection you give Shadow to your advantage to become alpha.

So here's how. Because of the adolescent phase he is currently in, from now on (until the phase is over) make Shadow earn every single bit off attention / affection you show him. Make him do something for you, before you pet him or play with him. You could give him a command (like "sit" and then pet him only after he obeys. Of course there will be times when he acts like he has more important things to do, but you have to be firm. Also be very conservative with the way you smile and laugh at / with him because every interaction now is a battle of wits and will. Each time he makes you laugh when you are trying to be stern with him, you have lost that particular battle (he knows this but you do not) and so he will be emboldened to be disobedient or naughty next time. When he tries to jump on you or hug you, rebuke him. In fact, he should only be allowed to do that when you expressly permit him to. Rather than laugh and give in to his antics when you are trying to get him to behave, turn around and walk away immediately without another word. Deny him that attention. Do these often and you should see a change in his behaviour. Denying dogs attention makes them miserable and they would do anything you want to get that attention.

Other things you should do: during meal time, if he has been trained to eat on commands, make him wait longer before giving the command. Do not allow him go through doors and openings before you. Do not allow him initiate play or petting. Ignore any and everything you did not initiate. Everything now should be on you, when you want it, how you want it and why you want it and he must comply at all times. In all of it, think of your role as that of a strict school principal trying to keep recalcitrant kids in line. You are not being wicked, rather you are using discipline to instill discipline.


There is something I do with my dogs when they are being particularly naughty and a nuisance. I just stare at them straight in the eyes. No words, no movement, nothing. I just stand (or sit or whatever position I am in) and look down at them very sternly. They either back off to some quiet spot to chill and cool off or they quietly sit or lie down on the spot in submission. Anything I ask them to do after that, they obey one time without question. That is absolute alpha.

LordRegalia:



Let me start by saying please do not neuter Shadow. I know he is not my dog but I hate to see dogs knowingly put through procedures that usher them a life which is less than that which nature intended. The fact that you are already thinking a lot about it, before long you would want to follow through with it. Please do not.

You have to become alpha. Absolutely and non-negotiable. You must have to be alpha, or else Shadow would assume that role as an adult. That scenario is not funny at all.

Here's one way to become alpha you could try. First, a question; what is it that dogs crave the most from their owners? The answer is attention. Be it positive attention or negative attention, they want it. They value it even more than the food they eat. So use the attention and affection you give Shadow to your advantage to become alpha.

So here's how. Because of the adolescent phase he is currently in, from now on (until the phase is over) make Shadow earn every single bit off attention / affection you show him. Make him do something for you, before you pet him or play with him. You could give him a command (like "sit" and then pet him only after he obeys. Of course there will be times when he acts like he has more important things to do, but you have to be firm. Also be very conservative with the way you smile and laugh at / with him because every interaction now is a battle of wits and will. Each time he makes you laugh when you are trying to be stern with him, you have lost that particular battle (he knows this but you do not) and so he will be emboldened to be disobedient or naughty next time. When he tries to jump on you or hug you, rebuke him. In fact, he should only be allowed to do that when you expressly permit him to. Rather than laugh and give in to his antics when you are trying to get him to behave, turn around and walk away immediately without another word. Deny him that attention. Do these often and you should see a change in his behaviour. Denying dogs attention makes them miserable and they would do anything you want to get that attention.

Other things you should do: during meal time, if he has been trained to eat on commands, make him wait longer before giving the command. Do not allow him go through doors and openings before you. Do not allow him initiate play or petting. Ignore any and everything you did not initiate. Everything now should be on you, when you want it, how you want it and why you want it and he must comply at all times. In all of it, think of your role as that of a strict school principal trying to keep recalcitrant kids in line. You are not being wicked, rather you are using discipline to instill discipline.


There is something I do with my dogs when they are being particularly naughty and a nuisance. I just stare at them straight in the eyes. No words, no movement, nothing. I just stand (or sit or whatever position I am in) and look down at them very sternly. They either back off to some quiet spot to chill and cool off or they quietly sit or lie down on the spot in submission. Anything I ask them to do after that, they obey one time without question. That is absolute alpha.

about looking into the dog's eyes..It works for me,any time i get my dog out of its crib,she would want to bite/scrach my feet...What i will just do is to try kick her,then she would look me in the eye,when she sees im not intrested in that..She just walks to another spot and stay for sometimes..

My dog do whatever I command her to. Sometimes she will need my attention but will not have it even when I give her food I will leave her with that food and goes in and stayed for couple of minutes ( about 1-2 mins) and comes out and tell her to eat before she will start eating thou I do that not often at least ones or twice in a week. These creatures are very smart and more than we thought. Like mine whenever I returned home from work she always wants me to touch her first before anyone which I always do but immediately I discovered she had taken it as a routine I have to stop the first day I pushed her away from my path and she followed me and was jumping at me I immediately told her to stop and she did and worked away for like a week I did that to her and today if I return she will only come and fall on my feet and I will just call her name and pass. If I don't want to talk to her I can only stop her from what ever she is doing by making mtchew sound she will flee. Shadow would have been my dog's husband if both had been same breed he is a lovely do and you most be serious with him when isaueing him command make him understand who the boss is thanks.

kennyausta:
My dog do whatever I command her to. Sometimes she will need my attention but will not have it even when I give her food I will leave her with that food and goes in and stayed for couple of minutes ( about 1-2 mins) and comes out and tell her to eat before she will start eating thou I do that not often at least ones or twice in a week. These creatures are very smart and more than we thought. Like mine whenever I returned home from work she always wants me to touch her first before anyone which I always do but immediately I discovered she had taken it as a routine I have to stop the first day I pushed her away from my path and she followed me and was jumping at me I immediately told her to stop and she did and worked away for like a week I did that to her and today if I return she will only come and fall on my feet and I will just call her name and pass. If I don't want to talk to her I can only stop her from what ever she is doing by making mtchew sound she will flee. Shadow would have been my dog's husband if both had been same breed he is a lovely do and you most be serious with him when isaueing him command make him understand who the boss is thanks.

wow...
what breed's' is your dog's'
is shes a caucasian's' or mastiff's'
please share a picture's' if possible's'

kennyausta:
My dog do whatever I command her to. Sometimes she will need my attention but will not have it even when I give her food I will leave her with that food and goes in and stayed for couple of minutes ( about 1-2 mins) and comes out and tell her to eat before she will start eating thou I do that not often at least ones or twice in a week. These creatures are very smart and more than we thought. Like mine whenever I returned home from work she always wants me to touch her first before anyone which I always do but immediately I discovered she had taken it as a routine I have to stop the first day I pushed her away from my path and she followed me and was jumping at me I immediately told her to stop and she did and worked away for like a week I did that to her and today if I return she will only come and fall on my feet and I will just call her name and pass. If I don't want to talk to her I can only stop her from what ever she is doing by making mtchew sound she will flee. Shadow would have been my dog's husband if both had been same breed he is a lovely do and you most be serious with him when isaueing him command make him understand who the boss is thanks.

wow...
what breed's' is your dog's'
is shes a caucasian's' or mastiff's'
please share a picture's' if possible's'

ENIGMA24:

wow...
what breed's' is your dog's'
is shes a caucasian's' or mastiff's'
please share a picture's' if possible's'

wow...
what breed's' is your dog's'
is shes a caucasian's' or mastiff's'
please share a picture's' if possible's'

A Caucasian mixed and these are her pics she is 6 months and 1 week old today.

Blasiangurl85 your are really doing a great job on shadow and am enjoying the thread, keep it up! Mama Shadow!!

LordRegalia that's another great write up. Thumbs-up

Bit after bit! This will solve my problem!!

blasiangurl85 please let us see shawdow recent pictures