help!! Carly got postal on me today with my sons corgi....
I really am puzzled over this ...Today was very stressful!!. two dogs and three fights later im asking for advice. Carly is my 1yr old extremly energetic, very loyal, sometimes to way to intense, strong willed temperament type corgi, our sons corgi is 3yrold male, hes very mellow , sweet and friendly to everyone..very obedient dog. Today just like every other time he comes over i let him come up to me for a little loven and she goes after him , she has not done this before with him... ive seen her growl at the dog park at other dogs ive tried to pet.. They were separated , she calmed down with correction ..So Back to playing then its time to eat, i put down two bowls, he ate his, she was doing fine and he walks over and she attacks again, always before she has not minded him eating what she didnt want. I put her on a leash and im watching her and cowboy goes and sit like a good boy with my son... a minute later he walks over to her while im holding her leashed and she wans to fight again , i believe she getting possessive over me!
This is not good, especially since we've put a deposit on a puppy coming in 5weeks...what am i going to do ..please tell me she is not going to hurt the puppy!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by The Geek's Wife & her Corgi Ein on
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I'm sorry to hear that. I am just beginning the training process with my 4 month old pup, so I'm not the best one for advice. I would seek the help of a trainer that has experience dealing with aggressive/territorial dogs and have them work with you and Carly in your home. You could also try watching episodes of The Dog Whisperer and It's Me or the Dog. I love those shows and have learned a lot. Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Donald Till on
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Your Corgi seems pretty normal to me. We've brought pups into our family with dogs that sound lots "worse" than what you are describing. But as the pack leader it's up to you to keep things orderly and safe for your new pup. We've added 5 puppies into our Corgi household over the years.
We never get harsh or punish our dogs. They seem to want more than anything else to make us happy so through praise and reward we are most successful when dealing with the kind of issues you are encountering. And BTW those are the kind of issues that we deal with in some form or another with every Corgi we've ever owned throughout the life of the dogs.
Are you getting another Corgi?
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Permalink Reply by Priscilla, CARLY, and Frankie on
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yes thats the plan, i hardly slept last night worring about this , i literally laid awake wondering what am i going to do..
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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It is her age. She is reaching the point in development where she is determining who is in charge. It needs to be you. You should be able to decide when or if you pay attention to another dog. You can start Nothing In Life Is Free with her and/or obedience classes. She needs to be corrected when ever she demonstrates jealousy over you. As for the food, I think it is rude(as well as unhealthy) of your son's dog to think he can come over and eat some of her food and she was letting him know that it was not OK. You probably should correct his behavior. Cesar does some episodes on the jealousy behaviors that might help you also Victoria Principal on Animal Planet's It's Me Or The Dog (her stuff is a little "fluffy" for me but still good ideas). Some dogs are just more pushy than others and do take more training I also have one of those as well as two that are pretty mild mannered. Remember you are dealing with a working dog bred to have a "bossy" nature. The dogs usually get over these altercations before we do but do not let it escalate. If you do not get any of those shows there are some posted under Dog TV on this web site.
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thanks Bev ive looked at the NILIF on line, is there a book out there i can read?
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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Nothing in Life is Free
Undesirable behavior can be caused by many things, including undetected illness. No behavior modification program should begin without first taking the dog to a veterinarian for a complete physical examination. While you're there, give your vet a printed copy of this page and ask if it would be an appropriate technique for you to try. The NILIF program is an accepted standard in dog training/behavior but it is not, and is not intended to be, a substitute for an in-person, professional evaluation of your dog's behavior. This technique is intended for dogs in good health and of sound mind and stable temperament. 
The NILIF program is remarkable because it's effective for such a wide variety of problems. A shy, timid dog becomes more relaxed knowing that he has nothing to worry about, his owner is in charge of all things. A dog that's pushing too hard to become "top dog" learns that the position is not available and that his life is far more enjoyable without the title.
It is equally successful with dogs that fall anywhere between those two extremes. The program is not difficult to put into effect and it's not time consuming if the dog already knows a few basic obedience commands. I've never seen this technique fail to bring about a positive change in behavior, however, the change can be more profound in some dogs than others. Most owners use this program in conjunction with other behavior modification techniques such as coping with fear or treatment for aggression. It is a perfectly suitable technique for the dog with no major behavior problems that just needs some fine tuning.
ATTENTION ON DEMAND
The program begins by eliminating attention on demand. When your dog comes to you and nudges your hand, saying "pet me! pet me!" ignore him. Don't tell him "no", don't push him away. Simply pretend you don't notice him. This has worked for him before, so don't be surprised if he tries harder to get your attention. When he figures out that this no longer works, he'll stop. In a pack situation, the top ranking dogs can demand attention from the lower ranking ones, not the other way around. When you give your dog attention on demand you're telling him that he has more status in the pack than you do. Timid dogs become stressed by having this power and may become clingy. They're never sure when you'll be in charge so they can't relax. What if something scary happens, like a stranger coming in the house? Who will handle that? The timid dog that is demanding of attention can be on edge a lot of the time because he has more responsibility than he can handle.
Some dogs see their ability to demand attention as confirmation that they are the "alpha", then become difficult to handle when told to "sit" or "down" or some other demand is placed on them. It is not their leadership status that stresses them out, it's the lack of consistency. They may or may not actually be alpha material, but having no one in the pack that is clearly the leader is a bigger problem than having the dog assume that role full time. Dogs are happiest when the pack order is stable. Tension is created by a constant fluctuation of pack leadership.
EXTINCTION BURSTS
Your dog already knows that he can demand your attention and he knows what works to get that to happen. As of today, it no longer works, but he doesn't know that yet. We all try harder at something we know works when it stops working. If I gave you a twenty dollar bill every time you clapped your hands together, you'd clap a lot. But, if I suddenly stopped handing you money, even though you were still clapping, you'd clap more and clap louder. You might even get closer to me to make sure I was noticing that you were clapping. You might even shout at me "Hey! I'm clapping like crazy over here, where's the money?". If I didn't respond at all, in any way, you'd stop. It wasn't working anymore. That last try -- that loud, frequent clapping is an extinction burst. If, however, during that extinction burst, I gave you another twenty dollar bill you'd be right back in it. It would take a lot longer to get you to stop clapping because you just learned that if you try hard enough, it will work.
When your dog learns that the behaviors that used to get him your attention don't work any more he's going to try harder and he's going to have an extinction burst. If you give him attention during that time you will have to work that much harder to get him turned around again. Telling him "no" or pushing him away is not the kind of attention he's after, but it's still attention. Completely ignoring him will work faster and better.
YOU HAVE THE POWER
As the human and as his owner you have control of all things that are wonderful in his life. This is the backbone of the NILIF program. You control all of the resources. Playing, attention, food, walks, going in and out of the door, going for a ride in the car, going to the dog park. Anything and everything that your dog wants comes from you. If he's been getting most of these things for free there is no real reason for him to respect your leadership or your ownership of these things. Again, a timid dog is going to be stressed by this situation, a pushy dog is going to be difficult to handle. Both of them would prefer to have you in charge.
To implement the NILIF program you simply have to have your dog earn his use of your resources. He's hungry? No problem, he simply has to sit before his bowl is put down. He wants to play fetch? Great! He has to "down" before you throw the ball. Want to go for a walk or a ride? He has to sit to get his lead snapped on and has to sit while the front door is opened. He has to sit and wait while the car door is opened and listen for the word (I use "OK") that means "get into the car". When you return he has to wait for the word that means "get out of the car" even if the door is wide open. Don't be too hard on him. He's already learned that he can make all of these decisions on his own. He has a strong history of being in control of when he gets these resources. Enforce the new rules, but keep in mind that he's only doing what he's been taught to do and he's going to need some time to get the hang of it all.
You're going to have to pay attention to things that you probably haven't noticed before. If you feed your dog from your plate do you just toss him a green bean? No more. He has to earn it. You don't have to use standard obedience commands, any kind of action will do. If your dog knows "shake" or "spin around" or "speak" use those commands. Does your dog sleep on your bed? Teach him that he has to wait for you to say "OK" to get on the bed and he has to get down when you say "off". Teach him to go to his bed, or other designated spot, on command. When he goes to his spot and lays down tell him "stay" and then release him with a treat reward. Having a particular spot where he stays is very helpful for when you have guests or otherwise need him out of the way for a while. It also teaches him that free run of the house is a resource that you control. There are probably many things that your dog sees as valuable resources that I haven't mentioned here.
The NILIF program should not be a long, drawn out process. All you need to do is enforce a simple command before allowing him access to what he wants. Dinner, for example, should be a two or three second encounter that consists of nothing more than saying "sit", then "good dog!", then putting the bowl down and walking away.
ATTENTION AND PLAY
Now that your dog is no longer calling the shots you will have to make an extra effort to provide him with attention and play time. Call him to you, have him "sit" and then lavish him with as much attention as you want. Have him go get his favorite toy and play as long as you both have the energy. The difference is that now you will be the one initiating the attention and beginning the play time. He's going to depend on you now, a lot more than before, to see that he gets what he needs. What he needs most is quality time with you. This would be a good time to enroll in a group obedience class. If his basic obedience is top notch, see about joining an agility class or fly ball team.NILIF DOES *NOT* MEAN THAT YOU HAVE TO RESTRICT THE AMOUNT OF ATTENTION YOU GIVE TO YOUR DOG. The NILIF concept speaks to who initiates the attention (you!), not the amount of attention. Go ahead and call your dog to you 100 times a day for hugs and kisses!! You can demand his attention, he can no longer demand yours!
Within a day or two your dog will see you in a whole new light and will be eager to learn more. Use this time to teach new things, such as 'roll over' or learn the specific names of different toys.
If you have a shy dog, you'll see a more relaxed dog. There is no longer any reason to worry about much of anything. He now has complete faith in you as his protector and guide. If you have a pushy dog he'll be glad that the fight for leadership is over and his new role is that of devoted and adored pet.
©1999 Deb McKean
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Permalink Reply by Rebecca Marie O'Bryan on
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now i have a question, i do follow NILF and teddy is a well behaved dog but i the first paragraph says if they nudge your hand u are suppose to ignore them? he has been doing this a lot this week, also he is always bringing us his rope toy and puts it in your hands to play. most of the time i say no not right now but there are times i do play. should i stop this? he does this all day long
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Rebecca, You probably are supposed to but I fudge a little with Izzy because she is so mild mannered. With Sparty I might tell him to sit or shake or something or wait until he stops nudging to pet him. It works for me. Sparty is always trying to see if he can take over and Izzy almost never does.
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thank you everyone, i just thought i was doing something wrong. that is about the only thing i let him get away with since hes so docile(mostly the hand nudging). sometimes when he hands me the toy he either does beg or waves his paw, its so cute!, he does this on his own but i suppose i could get him to sit.
@Jane, it does drive is insane lol but no matter how many times u tell him u dont want to, and it can be days, he still wants to play tug-of-war as its his favorite game. he just waits until he "thinks" u want to and runs with a rope toy and drops into your lap all wide eyed hoping u will play lol
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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I would try ignoring the behavior totally. Even just telling him "no" is essentially still rewarding him by giving him attention. If you are consistent he will figure it out. :)
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If it's something he's doing repetitively all day long I would ignore him, but mostly because that would drive me insane lol. It's fine if he's bringing you toys occasionally IMO, but if he's doing it non-stop I think that's kind of excessive. You could also try making him sit or down before you play with him.
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I agree with Bev...if he's doing well a little letting him get by with something is ok...I would do this with Wynn and a couple but Livvy is another story!!!!
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