Need a vets advice?

Most bad behaviour in dogs happens because of a very simple reason. Your dog has a superiority complex. You can take the dog out of the wild, but you can't take the wild out of the dog. Dogs instincts are basically identical to the instincts of wild dogs and wolves. The only difference is that dogs view humans as part of their 'pack' and wolves and wild dogs do not. The 'leader of the pack' is responsible for the saftey and well-being of all the pack members. The leader of the pack has certain rights and privlages that come from being the pack leader, such as; the pack leader decides when to show affection or ask for affection, eats before all others in the pack, leads the 'hunt' or walk, and decides what is dangerous to the pack. eg. other dogs. Signs that your dog may feel that he/she is the leader are; pawing at you, staring at you, leaning against you or jumping up on you, barking at you, protective of food or toys, barking at visitors out windows or at fences and when someone comes into your home and pulling on the lead when you are walking, hyperactivity and dominace with other dogs, people and objects, eg. 'humping'

Here is an article I wrote for a client of mine, on how to establish that you and all humans are the leaders of the pack and not your dog.

You must start the steps of a bonding proccess called, 'Amichein Bonding'. These simple steps will get the message across to you dogs that they are not the leader you are, and therefore they do not have to worry about the responsibilities of being the leader. eg. barking at people when they get close to the houes or yard. when you first enter the house from being away, you must show your authority. the leader has a personal bubble of space that can only be penitrated when the leader says so. you must ignore your dogs when you come home until they have settled down. do not look at them, do not acknowledge them and do not pet them. once they have calmed down you may call one of them to you, tell him/her to sit and after they comply you may give them all the love you desire to give. If, however, they start to jump around again you must start all over. They must understand that you will give them affection but only on your terms, no one elses.

The second step is gesture eating. The leader always controls the food. The leader always eats before the rest of the pack. Once the leader has gotten his/her fill the rest of the pack is then allowed to eat. I am not a big fan of eating a whole meal infront of my dogs so there is something else you can do that will get the message across just as well. You should never free feed your dogs. This gets the message across that because they have full access to food at all times that they are the leaders. Take a cookie or a cracker and place it on your counter. Place your dogs food bowls beside your cookie and prepare the dogs meal. Before placing your dogs food down for them to eat, make sure that they are watching, and eat your cookie or cracker infront of them. You dont' want to make a big scene, but you do want them to see what you are doing. You want them to think you are eating right out of their food bowls. And when you are finished it looks as if you have taken your fill and the rest of the pack can now eat.

Third step. The leader always has a personal space in the house that no one else is allowed into unless allowed by the leader. For me it is my living room. My dogs are not allowed in my living room unless I say it is ok and not before. At first this may be hard to do. The best thing to do is go and get a few baby gates and place them in the opening of the room that is 'off limits' to your dogs. After a while your dogs will get the picture and you will be able to take the gates down. After that it is a constant reminder to your dogs that you are not welcome unless the leader says so. My male, who is a pure bred border collie stud, constantly tests me. He will put one foot into the living room and check to see if I am watching, If I don't see him right away he will put another foot in and check me again. By this time I have caught him and all I need to say is 'out', and he will retreat. However, there are some days that he will test me further and that is when I only need to stand up off the couch and he will back away with a look of, 'I'm sorry, your the leader.'

You should never give your dogs full run of the house. Not even when you are home.

Fourth step. The leader is always the one to lead the pack on the 'hunt'. The hunt being anytime you and your dogs leave the 'den' house. If your dogs pull on the lead or walk infront of you at anytime, the walk is over and you return to the 'den'. The dogs must understand that the 'hunt' only takes place under your rules. This may take quite a few times, but it is very important to follow all steps. Your dogs will be looking for any sign of weakness from you for them to try and take over again. Practicing 'heal' in a controled environment eg. in the home or in your enclosed yard, on a lead at all times, is a good way to train them for the hunt. All these steps take time and effort, but they will work. I have tested these theory's time and time and time again, not only with my dogs but with numorous clients of mine. This is a way of life with your dogs, not just a quick fix. Once you go back to your old ways your dogs will return to their old ways. With barking. Your dogs are signaling that they feel that there is a potential treat to the pack, you and your family, They abrk to signal that there may be a problem that the whole pack may need to address. After applying this method of 'Amichein Bonding' , your dogs will feel that there is less need to alert the pack, since it is no longer their job to protect the pack. This will not stop the barking at all times however. You may need a friend to help you with this. Have a friend walk past your house to start your dogs barking. When they start barking call your dogs to you. Tell them to sit and treat and praise them. During this time telling them 'quiet' and saying their name so they associate that the word has a meaning to them. If your dog continues to bark at the window or door, walk over to them and place your hand on top of their muzzles and in a deep voice, say 'quiet'. Once they have stopped barking, praise them and give a treat. Having a word to signal when to stop barking is a very helpful tool. I use it often with my dogs beacause they have a tendancy to bark in the night at noises outside. Using a word such as 'quiet' or 'enough' signals to your dog that you are aware of the problem and that as the leader you will handle the situtation and that they do not need to worry about it. Like I said before, this will take time and patience. You will notice a change almost over night, but you must continue these steps in order to obtain your goal and keep it. Your goal being that your pack sees you as their leader and give you the respect you deserve.

If you follow these steps as I have laid out for you, you will have a happy life with your happy followers.

After you have completed these steps you can re-socalize your dog with other dogs. The process of re-socalization is not an easy one if your dog is older and has been acting as the 'pack leader' for a length of time, but it can be done.

Please contact me for further information on how to re-socalize your dog after you have completed these steps.thepetproject@zoomshare.com

Prozac is an ant-anxiety drug - it won't make a dog-aggressive dog friendly. Try training!

Posturing and barking and dominance are made worse when the leash gets tight. He feels the tension thru the lead - like a guy in a bar who doesn't really want to fight, but with his friends holding him back, he's all mouth. Best way is to teach him to lie down and stay on command. When you meet someone you want to talk to who has a calm well-trained dog, make him lie down and stay. He can't be obnoxious if he's lying down. Just make sure the other person doesn't let their dog hassle yours when he's being good. Take him to dog obedience classes where the dogs are all being good. Many AKC recognized dog training clubs all over the country have advanced classes where the dogs are well behaved. The trainers generally have more knowledge and you pay less.

I'd also suggest reading some really good books on training. Try not to do it randomly - there are a lot of bad books out there also! These are some of my favorites and you can get them on Amazon.com

What All Good Dogs Should Know - Volhard

Good Owners, Great Dogs - Brian Kilcommins

Don't Shoot the Dog - Pryor

Training Your Dog: The Step by Step Method - Volhard

Dog Problems - Benjamin

Cesar's Way - Cesar Millan

Also, watch the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel. Cesar Millan is the best trainer I've ever seen on TV.

He may hurt somebody. Ask the vet if there is a chance of him hurting anyone. If not, get him to obedience training. If he hurts somebody, not only would that person be hurt but you would be sued royally because you are neglectful knowing your dog is harmful. There are dogs on xanix. Xanix is dangerous in ways. Your Prozac is not a good drug. The baby may have to try several anxiety meds before he finds the right one. People have to attempt many meds before they find the right one, why not dogs?

Some dogs hate other dogs. Try Obedience Training. Try changing her food, go to naturapet.com to find out how diet effects behavior in pets.

Your best bet is to take your dog back to the vet that prescribed the medicine and talk to them about your concerns. I doubt very seriously there is a vet hanging around this board.

Yes, I agree with the previous post about contacting your vet. Perhaps ask about an animal behavior specialist.