Heard of it?? It's a show on Animal Planet where pet trainer, Victoria Stilwell, presents advice to stressed-out couples whose dog has taken over their household. I came across it while flipping through channels today and got really into it; even my mother took a breather from preparing dinner to sit and watch it with me. We could not believe the way these people handled their dog!

On that note I'd like to say my mother and I discussed how the show played out much like the Nanny reality shows we loath so damn much. In walks some stranger with the same commonsensical bull on how to raise and or train your child/dog...

I LOVE ANIMALS, especially dogs. But the trouble with these owners is that they love their dog too much. And that's okay, but you can't spoil a dog and then question his behavior.

These people admit they spoil their dog and treat them like children...But that doesn't make you a good owner.

Dogs are pack animals. Animals who live in social groups, including wolves and domestic dogs, establish a social structure called a dominance hierarchy within their group. This hierarchy serves to maintain order, reduce conflict, and promote cooperation among group members. A position within the dominance hierarchy is established by each member of the group, based on the outcomes of interactions between themselves and the other pack members. The more dominant animals can control access to valued items such as food, den sites, and mates. For domestic dogs, valued items might be food, toys, sleeping or resting places, and attention from their owner.

For your home to be a safe and happy place for pets and people, it's best that the humans in the household assume the highest positions in the dominance hierarchy, particularly with dominant dogs.

Now sometimes it's hard to recognize dominance because it's not always aggressive behavior:

1. Resists obeying well-known commands.

And a command means, "Sit, Spot." not "Sit, Spot. Sit. Sit. No, Spot, Sit."

2. Won't move out of your way when required.

And yes, it's the same thing if you have to NUDGE him/her out of the way.

3. Defends food, toys, or other objects from you.

Don't defend this behavior, if your dog knows his/her place he/she will not respond in this manner.

4. Resists handling by you, the veterinarian, or the groomer.

5. Gets up on furniture without permission and won't get down.

YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE TO TURN THE PILLOWS AND CUSHIONS UP FROM UNDER HIM/HER TO GET HIM/HER DOWN.

Again, this behavior isn't necessarily a bad thing if EVERYONE'S happy. But don't complain and blame the dog for the behavior because you're fed up with it. It's your own fault.

What I saw most of the time was the owner let the dog get away with climbing on the furniture, eating human food, getting into the trash, etc. without ANY DISCIPLINARY ACTION. Think about it, would a criminal stop murdering or stealing if all the police did was shake their finger and shout, "No-no!" Yeah right.

And I hate this line the most, "You NEVER hit a dog! It's abusive and wrong!" Yeah, but it's perfectly fine to swat a kid for acting up in the store, isn't it?? We don't expect you to BEAT THE DOG WITH A BAT, a swat here and there is not abusive. Again, I love dogs and I know it's hard to enforce discipline but it's necessary when the situation calls for it.

Hell, these people wouldn't even so much as rub the dog's nose in the puddles they left behind on the KITCHEN TABLES AND COUNTERS.

It's not my job to raise your kid and it's certainly not my job to train your dog. But if an obnoxious kid is so terrible, what makes your spoiled-ass dog any better??

I saw dogs just waiting for their owners to leave so that they could get into the trash or piss all over the kitchen table and counter tops.

Now I'm no expert, trust me, my family's as disfuctional as they come. BUT at least we know how to keep a dog in its place while at the same time maintaining that human-dog bond you see in those cheesy dog food ads (LOL)

And I don't have to watch Animal Planet to see this crap going on. I won't point any fingers or say any names, but I know two families personally that have similar problems.

First, and probably the worse, is a family with a cockerspaniel. She's so obese you'd think she was a Saint Benard!! She does her business on the back deck because she's too big to get down the stairs and out into the yard and hasn't been down there since she was a small puppy. She smells horrible because she's too big to be lifted into the bathtube. They feed her and feed her and she's loved to death...LITERALLY. The poor dog developed so many problems, all linked to her weight, til they had no other choice but to put her down. And even then her weight got in the way. They had to COAX the dog out of the house with a DONUT. And it worked until time to get her into the truck, where it took two men to hoist her up!

Second, is a mutt. He's happy and very active. He gets bathed and he's really friendly. But his problem is his discipline...He lays where he wants most of the time, you can't eat anywhere-livingroom OR kitchen table without him up in your lap-He'll even SNATCH from your hand and even your mouth if you let him. And he's a little over weight (But not by much). From what I can see, he has free range of the house and furniture because they allow him that priviledge and it's to the point where you have to force him out of a spot so that a human can sit down. He gets no discipline, these people respond to negative behavior with "No-no"s and "Stop!" but nothing further. When eating, they do nothing to keep the dog away and allow him to lay at their feet or sit and beg with his head in their lap or near the plate. If he begs long enough they give in and give him some of their food, leading him to believe that as long as he sits there and begs, they'll let him have his way. I also noticed they they have don't always throw the food to him, but make him take it from their hand and in some cases their mouth (More specifically one person in the house does this.) The way I see it, it's only teaching the dog that if he can get it from their mouth and hand, it's fair game. When getting into the trash, they just pull him down and put the can up higher. It's not the best solution, but it keeps the dog out of the trash right? And his people skills, while not too big of an issue, are inappropriate. He'll jump up on them and occasionally hump legs (This is really only dangerous to toddlers as he's a fairly big dog and he could accidently knock one into something or step on them while climbing over and on them).


Again, I know it's hard to treat your dog like a dog but trust me, they won't love you any less and they'll certainly RESPECT you a lot more if you show them your the leader. Here's how:

1. Spay or neuter your dog to reduce hormonal contributions to aggression. Understand that, after a mature animal has been spayed or neutered, it may take time for those hormones to clear from the body. In some cases, long-standing behavior patterns may continue even after the hormones or other causes no longer exist.

2. Use a training technique called "Nothing In Life Is Free" to establish your leadership in a safe, non-confrontational way. This technique requires your dog to "work" for everything he gets from you. Have your dog obey at least one command (such as "sit") --

*AGAIN you shouldn't have to repeat the command three or four times for him to respond*

-- before you pet him, give him dinner, put on his leash, or throw him a toy. If your dog doesn't know any commands or doesn't perform them reliably, you'll first have to teach him, using positive reinforcement techniques, and practice with him daily. You may need to seek professional help if, after two or three weeks of working on a command, your dog does not obey each time you ask.

3. Don't feed your dog people food from the table and don't allow begging.

4. Ignore barking, jumping up and scratching.

5. Don't allow your dog on the furniture or your bed unless invited to do so by you, because this is a privilege reserved for leaders. If your dog growls or snaps when you try to remove him from the furniture, use a treat to lure him off. Otherwise, try to limit his access to your bed and/or furniture by using baby gates or a crate, or by closing doors.

6. Always remember to reward appropriate behavior.

7. Consult your veterinarian about acupuncture, massage therapy, or drug therapy. Your veterinarian may prescribe the temporary use of medication to be used in conjunction with behavior modification.

8. Consider enrolling your dog in a training class. This may help establish a relationship between you and your dog in which you give commands and he obeys them. Be sure to choose a trainer who uses positive reinforcement methods. Understand that obedience classes alone, however, won't necessarily prevent or reduce dominance aggression.

A Note about Children and Dogs

From your dog's point of view, children, too, have a place in the dominance hierarchy. Because children are smaller and get down on the dog's level to play, dogs often consider them to be playmates rather than superiors. Small children and dogs should never be left alone together without adult supervision. Older children should be taught how to play and interact appropriately and safely with dogs. Under no circumstances, however, should a child be left alone with a dog.

And people...IT'S NOT JUST PITBULLS, THIS GOES FOR DOGS IN GENERAL.

Oh and before I "Add" I'd just like to say: DO NOT GIVE YOUR DOG CHOCOLATE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE EVER!! NOT EVEN A LITTLE EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. I know this is common sense but there are stupid people who still do it. A woman on that show flat out stated she liked to give her "babies" hot chocolate in a bowl before their bedtime. IT'S BAD FOR THEM, IT INDUCES VOMITTING AND DIARRHEA AND CAN BE LEATHAL.

THANK YOU

If you've read through to this, pat yourself on the back, I know I like to talk a lot. LOL