Quote:
Originally posted by Colin
Who cares if your dog eats off your plate?
I let mine sit on the couch too.
Am I evil?
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Seriously, when it comes to dogs you have to show you are the master. Dogs are subserviant creatures that have been bred for centuries to require a master figure. Treat them well, but you must assert your superiority over them. The minute you treat them like your equal, they lose respect for you and can no longer be fully trusted. That doesn't mean to beat the dog senseless for every mistake it makes, but you must show it boundaries, and you must be aggressive about enforcing those boundaries.
My rottie is 125lbs. He could easily tear my hand off. If I didn't enforce strict boundaries for him, and make him respect me as his master, I'd never be able to trust him around my wife, the cats, the other dogs, or myself for that matter. Even if he wasn't such a big dog, I'd still train him the same way.
I don't believe in "positive reinforcement" theory for dogs. For one reason... it takes too long for them to catch on. If you don't show them what they are doing is forbidden with absolute certainty the first time around, they're bound to do it again and again until you have a lawsuit on your hands because they bit the mailman on the leg.... or in my dog's case, ripped his arm off.
