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LAURA KENNELS
American Bulldogs
Natural or Learned?
As
American Bulldog pups begin to mature they challenge rules and pack order
causing some owners to question whether their dog has developed some kind of
aggression.
But the fact is, very few dogs are
born with a mean temperament.
Problem
behavior usually occurs in dogs that are confused about whether they have to
respect pack leaders and/or obey rules.
A truly
dominant dog has a type of hard-wired need to be in control.
This kind of dominance is easy to spot
even in a young pup.
And if we see that type behavior in
the whelping box, we will definitely not place that pup with a family.
On the other hand some owners/handlers
unwittingly teach
their dog bad behavior by being
inconsistent with obedience and rules.
If enforcement is not consistent, the
dog becomes imprinted with the fact that he does not have to respect the rules
and therefore neither does he have to respect the owner who made the rules.
The good
news is that you can rehabilitate a dog who is merely confused -- you just have
to start being consistent.
Dogs by
nature are social animals.
Their
instincts make them want to be part of a social group.
Each
social group is made up of members who understand their rank and order.
There are
no equals within a group of dogs.
Every
social group will have it's own pecking order.
Lower
ranking members always defer to higher ranking members.
If
the group doesn't have a clear leader one member will always try to step forward
to become the leader even if that dog is not genetically suited to leadership.
What's
interesting is that many times a dog that finds itself
at
the top of the social group doesn't feel comfortable in that position.
Dogs are most comfortable (in balance)
when there is a natural leader to take charge so that all pack members can learn
both the order and the rules.
In ALL instances, YOU are the pack leader and have responsibility to set the rules and
enforce them each and every time correction is required.
Rank is
almost always communicated through subtle behaviors that each members of the
pack understands and respects.
Within
a short time dogs with higher rank will establish their own set of rules that
all members of the pack are expected to live by.
Within
this heirarchy/pack there are well understood consequences for breaking rules.
Consider how this plays in your dog's
mind in relation to you and your children.....who is pack leader? and who sets
and enforces the rules?
Dog owners can and must
learn to become leaders even if they are not predisposed to leadership.
They
need to think about establishing their own set of rules that their dog is
expected to live by.
These
rules include things like no biting/nipping, no inappropriate aggression to
visitors, no jumping up on people, no jumping on furniture, staying away from
small
children, etc., etc.
Owners must also learn to
be 100% consistent at enforcing the rules.
When a dog believes that every single time it breaks a rule there will be some
form of consequence, that dog is less likely to break a rule.
Once
that threshold is reached (where the dog accepts and live within the framework
of the leader's rules) that dog becomes a balanced and easy to live with dog.
In order
to accomplish this balance, dog owners and their dogs must come to an
understanding that every single time the dog breaks a rule there will be some
form of consequence.
This
doesn't necessarily mean the dog gets a strong physical correction.
Some
dogs, with soft temperaments, may only need a verbal warning while other dogs
need a leash correction.
Learn
to evaluate your particular dog's temperament so you use only the amount of
correction necessary.
This part of the process constitutes
the "art" of dog training.
Most importantly,
owners must be consistent: they can't pick and chose when to apply a
consequence.
If
owners do this, they end up with a dog that will pick and choose when to obey a
rule.
Inconsistency
always leads to some level of behavioral issues, all the way up to dominance and
aggression.
