Dominance? Discipline? Balance?

[Sophie & Molly:)]

We have a problem with our three and a half month old puppy, Molly. When she gets riled up (which is all the time)she tends to bark at our faces as if to scare us. Problem is, most of us end up flinching, which encourages her. My dad is not afraid to grab her face-to-face, and growl NO!, but most of us can't even catch her in time to have her realize this is bad. When we do get a hold of her, she's already forgotten what she's done. Molly mainly just reacts as if dad is Alpha, but we want her to recognize all of us as Alpha too. If anybody has any solutions, they would be greatly appreciated!-Thanks:)

[Adina P]

My thoughts on the whole "alpha" "dominance" thing is that it's overblown.
YES a dog should recognize you as the leader but, in my opinion, either you "have" that type of personality naturally or you can get it via training. I think training fixes innumerable problems in dog-human relationships. It is my understanding that most of the time the "alpha" dog in a wild pack or wolf pack doesn't have to do too much to prove himself. It's the lower ranking "wanna-be's" that are always going around starting fights and trying to prove themselves up the ladder of leadership.

But most of the time, to me, whatever dogs in the wild do is pretty much irrelevant. I'm a human and so the tool most important to me is training.

My guess (merely a guess) is that since she's still a young pup, her behavior is far less an issue of dominance and mostly just bratty pup...just a pup testing out her boundaries, just a pup getting riled up and wanting to have some fun and not quite sure what is appropriate or not but being a pup she does what comes naturally to her. I doubt she's trying to scare you...

So it's not a matter of showing how "big, bad and powerful" the human is but simply being consistent in a calm and CONFIDENT response. Sorta like if your child was throwing a tantrum or acting up...no need to get riled up yourself.

Sorry I didn't give you a specific solution... =) just thinking out loud about what I see as guiding principles/thoughts.

[Sophie & Molly:)]

Yes, your point makes sense. Thanks for your opinion, and I'll keep that in mind next time she does that. (Which will be during her "crazy hour":)

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Yup I agree - she's just being a puppy. Just don't give her any attention or reponse when she does that. If you want walk away. Iniate play with her, yourself. And when she does iniate play herself in an acceptable way like bringing a toy or doing the "play bow" to you be sure you play then. This last is all my idea and many trainers will tell you that you should always initiate the play as you are the alpha. I think that's nuts for a pet. What fun is it if you can't respond to a puppy who invites you nicely to play?

[Richard Crowe]

I agree with Maryann. One of the neatest things about Holly's behavior is that she loves to play with us, with toys and with her Maltese friends. I love it when she comes up to me and wants to play or just wants to be petted. I also love it when she sees me in my bathing suit and automatically follows me to the pool so we can swim together.

Another thing that some trainers espouse is that you should eat first and then feed your dog. The trainers believe that this shows the dog who is alpha. I will be darned if I want to eat when I have a hungry puppy next to me. I am personally more comfortable feeding Holly first and then eating.

However, I don't feed Holly every time I eat. I don't want her to get as fat as I am!

[Tamara & Giada]

I think at this age you should consider umblical cord training............where you have a leash on the pup at ALL times, this was you have more control and can catch her for discipline. Then I would hold her muzzel and say a firm "NO". This has always worked for us. Then as she matures and learns, you can wean her of of this training:) GL:)

[1knme66wzgv4k]

I agree with Tamara. We still use a long lead on Puddles whenever he is in the house and he's 7 months old. It has been invaluable in "catching" him when he gets beasty and runs wild or does something that needs a time out. Good luck!

[Sophie & Molly:)]

Thanks all for your suggestions. I'll definitely try them out!