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Canine Behavior/Sampson ( Weinmaraner)

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Expert: Lee Charles Kelley - 1/23/2008


Question
My 29 year old son lives alone with his dog Sampson who is will be 3 years old in April. There are several problems such as hyperness that seems to follow this breed but the most serious is that the dog is assuming the Alpha male role. My son is a kind and gentle type person which is compounding the problem. My son admitted that he has started to growl at him when he trys to assume control. My son loves this dog so much that he feels he can not be harsh with him. If Sampson has something in his mouth my son can not get him to drop it or pull it from him. He runs all over the house and runs up the stairs ahead of you almost knocking you down. He hits the doorknob with his nose when he wants to leave and hip checks you at times and being 90 lbs. could be a real problem. He bumps you when you are eating and stomps his feet sometimes with aggression. My son takes him hiking at least 3 times a week and hikes for 6-8 miles and puts back packs on Sampson. He gets plenty of exercise but never seems enough. Sometimes my son asks if he can drop him off by me so he can have a break. He can exhaust anyone. Sampson is just impossible. My son also takes him everywhere he goes because he feels guilty leaving him home. Any suggestions, is it too late for formal training? Help!

Answer
Hi, Nancy,

Thanks for the question.

As a rule I don't answer questions that come to me from a third party, meaning I'd need to speak or write to your son directly about the problem, not have it filtered through someone else.

However, it's important for both of you to know that there's no such thing as an alpha dog or wolf. That's a myth that was created in Nazi Germany and unfortunately still persists today. I suggest you read my article, "Is Your Dog Dominant, or Just Feeling Anxious?" It not explains why there's no such thing as an alpha wolf or dominant behavior, it also explains what's really going on with dogs like Sampson, which is to say that it sounds to me like he's experiencing a lot of tension and stress, probably because he's not getting enough of an acceptable outlet for his prey drive.

Here's a link to my article: http://tinyurl.com/2q2esp

Meanwhile, if your son wants to ask me for specifics on how to reduce Sampson's stress in ways that will totally change him from a "dominant" (which is to say, anxious) "problem child" and turn him into a happy and obedient doggie, I'll be happy to oblige.

Sorry I can't be of more help. I hope you understand the need to deal directly with the dog's owner.

Thanks again,

LCK

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Lee Charles Kelley

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I've been training dogs in New York City for nearly 20 years. My training approach and philosophy are based on the way police dogs, search-and-rescue dogs, and detection dogs are trained--through the prey drive, inherited from the wolf. It's true that there's been a shift away from using the "wolf model" in dog training recently, and to some extent, there's a good reason. That's because trainers have been using the wrong model, the one that says you have to be the "alpha" or the pack leader in order to control your dog's behavior. This simply isn't true. In wild wolves there is no dominance hierarchy, no "alpha" wolf, and no pack leader (not in the traditional sense). The pack instinct only exists to enable wolves to hunt large prey by working in harmony. (Wolves who live near garbage dumps, for example, and who don't hunt together, don't form packs.) So if wolves don't have an instinct to "follow the pack leader" or "obey the alpha wolf," how could dogs have inherited it from them?

Years ago, before I became a dog trainer, I noticed that the happiest, most obedient, and best-behaved dogs I met weren't the ones who'd been to a dog trainer or behaviorist; they were the dogs whose owners always had Frisbees and tennis balls on hand. And while it might seem that my approach would only be relevant to high-drive dogs who love fetch and tug-of-war, it isn't. Even something as seemingly unrelated as a housebreaking issue or greeting behavior are often the direct result of a dog's predatory energy not having an acceptable outlet.

All behavior is an expression of energy. So when a dog's energy isn't utilized in a way that feels satisfying to his or her instincts and emotions, that's when behavioral problems develop. Giving the dog an acceptable outlet for its energy will almost always bring the dog's behavior back into alignment with its instincts

Feel free to ask me questions about any training/behavioral issue.

LCK

Experience

20 years as a dog trainer. I'm also a bestselling author, writing a series of dog-related mystery novels for Avon.

Organizations
Dog Writers Association of America

Education/Credentials
Just a natural gift I have for understanding and training dogs

Past/Present Clients
Too numerous to mention.

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