Tomahawk the Enforcer
Over the past several weeks I have noticed a need in Tomahawk to enforce any corrections I give out to our other pets.
I tend to make a "CHHHT" sound to let our animals know when they are doing something wrong, but when I do, Tomahawk is right there beside me giving his most authoritative bark, or runs around our cat or pitbull and tries to nip them.
I am wondering if anyone else has a corgi who loves to enforce the house rules, and if so, should I worry about it progressing to more aggressive behavior?
What can I do to make him understand that his help is not needed?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kaitlyn & Chase on
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As Bev said, definately read Nothing In Life Is Free. It is really great and has helped me a lot with Chase. Just google it.
Chase occationally gets an attitude and when he does I do flip him over a hold him for a little while. Though, a better way to go about it is to roll him over when he is NOT acting aggressive or excited. Just whenever you are hanging out with him roll him over and hold him there for a little while, not allowing him to wiggle out. This way he knows that you are dominant but you don't feel uncomfortable having him there. If you feel like he would hurt you if you rolled him over while he has an attitude then start when he isn't in trouble.
This is some advice that I got from my vet and it helps keep Chase's attitude in check. He responds well to it but every dog is different.
So every once in a while when he is having a crappy day and his attitude is just as crappy I will have to use this to show him that I am serious and he really has to check himself.
By the way, I would just like to add that I never hurt Chase in this process and he had never hurt me. It doesn't have to be rough, just firm.
Bev also has a good point when it comes to the leash. Attaching a leash to a harness can be a great way to correct these behaviors. Just be careful if you use a collar because this can injure his neck.
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Permalink Reply by Tomahawk and Fences on
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I do try to hold him down on his side every once in a while when he is relaxed and calm, but once I do he fights me like a maniac so I have to let him go because he starts flaying himself about and I'm afraid I will hurt him. He is so dominant and will not allow anyone to hold him down. Not even my boyfriend, and I don't try to mess with him either lol.
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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Bev, you will see this behavior more in herding and cattle dog breeds, livestock guarding breeds,especially the sharper ones like Kuvaz and Anatolins, Northern breeds, terriers. and breeds with high prey instinct. It occurs less in bird dogs and hounds. As with everything else, there is a range and there are exceptions, but these breeds generally don't take for granted the fact that a human is the one in charge, so the human has to earn that place of respect, or they will take charge in various ways when they see an opportunity. Indeed the behavior we are discussing ( joining in ) is an opportunistic behavior. If not stopped, it will escalate.
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Your instincts are right on target and the holding him down is counterproductive and even dangerous, especially as he gets older. Is he neutered? If not, this should not be put off. Puppy class was a good start, but he now needs adult classes from someone who knows what they are doing, uses positive methods and little or no food. At 8 months he is just approaching his "teens" and this is when they challenge you in earnest if they have a dominant nature. Keeping the cat food where either dog had the possibility of getting to it is looking for trouble that you don't need. Place it where it does not become an issue. Is there an Obedience Training Club in your area that offers classes? If the behaviorist seemed shady, look elsewhere. A good trainer can really help you out, a bad one will make things worse and then blame either you or the dog.
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I do plan on furthering his obedience training, since he is really good at it and picks it up quickly. I will be moving to Houston in a month, and figured that I can start over there. I will try some of the suggestions all of you gave me and see if any of them work on Tomahawk the Jerk. I have talked to my boyfriend about moving the cat food to a place only they can reach but he won't allow it. He says that the dogs must know what is off limits and respect that the cats have their own food. I totally agree, but it's super hard to do since both dogs go crazy for it, especially when he lets them free eat and food is always left in their bowls.
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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Now is a good time to put your foot down with the boyfriend! I have been married 36 years and sometimes they need to bend a little.
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Permalink Reply by Snickmom on
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When we had our first child, we said its a good thing we practiced on dogs first, because it is the same! My husband and I just celebrated 28 years married years after 7 years before marriage and our kids turned out great. Still working on the dogs- they are harder. LOL
I would suggest a compromise with the cat food- put it up now and try having it down again when T. is older.
When Tomahawk gets older and you have been through some more training classes, if you still feel you need professional help I had a good experience with http://www.animalbehavior.net DMV Roland Tripp was a friend of our vet, who recommended him when Jack developed behavior changes due to getting older. Everything was done by phone or email and was reasonably priced.
He's just a pup, don't get discouraged, a 4 year old is MUCH worse.
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I would love to comp
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Sonya, about the dogs and the cat food, you and your boyfriend will be in for a rough ride if you ever have toddler kids.... :-D There is much that applies to dealing with toddlers that makes for good management of dogs and being able to adjust your previously held beliefs to the actual situation is a valuable learned skill. As for classes, good to wait until you can find what you need, have time for daily practice and can commit to attending regularly. Bare in mind that animals can also react to the stress of a move. Good luck with it all.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Anna, what you say is interesting because it does match what Sonya is asking but not what I've seen. Jack gets upset if I raise my voice to man or beast and will come over to me when I do so. When he enforces house rules, he does so when I am NOT enforcing them. My backup, if you will. I still don't allow it, though I do allow him to tattle.
But I grew up with many various hunting dogs in multi-dog homes and never saw this behavior. I never had a dog who tattled on other dogs or tried to take it upon him/herself to enforce any rules, nor who got upset when another animal broke a rule.
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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
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I think you see the behavior Anna is describing very commonly in a dog park situation where there are multiple dogs who still don't have a clear pack order. You will see any time there is a fight between two dogs EVERY dog joins in and they generally will pick on the more submissive dog. In a situation where the dogs are used to playing together and a sort of pack has been established you won't see them picking on the underdog but you will see them defend the member of their "pack".
I think when you have a multi-dog household with a clearly established pack you won't see this behavior as often. I grew up in a multi-dog/animal household, commonly with 1 if not 2 german shepherds or shepherd mixes, and this was never an issue. There was a clear pack order where the female dog was always dominant (even when the female of the house was a 15 pound poodle mix/mutt) and the younger dogs in the house accepted that and never joined in when/if somebody got in trouble. I had one dominant female shepherd who would enforce order among the younger dogs if me or the other members if my family weren't paying attention. She would correct the youngsters if they were playing to rough with the cat, or trying to chase the ducks, etc. but she clearly knew her place in the pack in relation to the humans. I think herding instict does play a large part in this behavior because in my experience my non-herding dogs have never shown this behavior (i.e. the labs, goldens, etc). Since it is sort of a herding dogs job to keep order in the herd, I think they may perceive the other animals as part of their herd they are tending and not necessarily as part of the pack. Franklin absolutely does not treat the cats in the same manner he treats other dogs, he knows they are a different species and treats them more like sheep that need to be kept in line. He would NEVER bite a cat for acting out of line, but he will bite Kirby if Kirby's behavior becomes too obnoxious.
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Something weird happened to my reply so I deleted it and am retyping. I agree that herding dogs are more inclined to do this sort of thing than most. They have been selected for a strong desire to keep control and limited tolerance to chaos. Maddie is about as submissive as a dog can be while still being confident and friendly, and yet she will bark or stare to try to make other animals move where she wants them to. She has no tolerance for running in the house and it took me ages to get her to stop trying to nip or hump Jack when he runs or plays inside (outside is fine). I finally got her to redirect that energy to a chew toy, but I can tell by how aggressively she chews when Jack runs inside that she is frustrated. Point being, even in a submissive Corgi the desire to control is there to a degree. She is not a rule-enforcer, but she has only a vague concept of "rule" and thinks of it more as "don't let the humans catch me doing something I don't like." Jack knows the rules, accepts them and enforces them. Maddie thinks of rules as things she must do when someone is watching. :) Luckily she's a naturally very well-behaved dog.
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