We have a bad dog. Help!!!!?

Typical dachshund. I have two and my 8 pound 1 year old little boy rules the house when he is at my mom's house with her 25 pound cattle dog. We have to take all of the toys away or fights break out. As long as there are no toys, everything is fine and they just play. Put all of the toys away while he is there and make sure you give your dog the attention he needs. As for other dogs, not every dog likes other dogs and sometimes there just isn't anything you can do about it beside steer clear.

They really are big dogs trapped in little dog bodies.

well my chihuahua does the same thing actually, except for the submissive thing, anyways when dogs don't bother smelling her she always goes and makes sure that she smells them lol but if they try to smell her she snaps at them, we always thought that she hated other dogs until we got 2 cute corgi puppies, she first did not like them and ignored them, but after awhile she liked them and their company ,she started playing with them and being like a normal dog. first of all you should socialize your dog more, im not saying get another dog unless you want another one ,but just go and find a dog that suits her better. a type that she likes and doesn't bother her and just let her hang around that dog more and then she will start to get more socialized. but since you have to bring in another dog that she probably does not know, for 6 days you should train her that every time that dog comes by her that it is a good thing and give her treats and just train her that she needs to be friendly. hope this helps :)

I often wonder why more people do not use a dog trainer, to save them time,

and energy? Maybe it is because n animal trainer may use reinforcement or punishment to condition an animal's responses.

Also note: Some animal trainers may have a knowledge of the principles of behavior analysis and operant conditioning, but there are many ways to train animals and no legal requirements or certifications are required.

My dogs do the same thing.

I have one dog who I cannot take around other dogs, period. We can't help how well he was socialized because he was a rescue.

Our other dog simply snaps at dogs who try to, as you said, get frisky, then she'll snap. Other then that, we consider her the Bully Police of the dog park because she gets in the middle of fights and stops them. She's ended numerous fights and saved a lot of dogs from getting hurt. It's still a mystery why she does this at all.

I believe that your dog is reacting to your actions. When you see another dog you tense up, tighten the leash and your dog reads your body language and believes there's a reason for it and he better be protecting you. I'm not sure if you can re-train him yourself at this point. There are some excellent articles you can access on-line written by dog trainer, behaviourist, author and german shepherd breeder, Suzanne Clothier. Go to www.flyingdogpress.com and click on articles. You'll find lots of help there. Taking him to obedience would not help him, just the opposite, because the vast majority of instructors don't know how to work with problems, they'll end up putting a prong collar on him (or worse) and not address the underlying issues at all. One option would be to find a behaviourist to work with you and your dog. He'll teach you how to train your dog. I hope you can get help for him - he sounds like a great dog!

This questoin is very simple to answer....the problem you have is that your dog is whats called an alpha male....dogs are pack animals and the alpha male is the natural leader....

Hire a private trainer to observe the dog and work with you one on one.

Have the trainer visit while the Golden is visiting so that he/she can see the interaction.

Keep your dog crated or separated by a baby gate until progress can be made.

It doesn't really sound like she is being aggressive. She is just putting the other dogs in their place. She has a dominant streak in her. Just keep an eye on things when your parent's dog is over and don't leave them alone together unsupervised.

I think you should contact a behavioral specialist.

supervise them well but you can also keep them separate for a while to give the retriever a break by putting up a play yard (for the doxie). Sounds like your doxie is a very well spoiled baby.

crate and rotate. the old man doesn't need stress at 12yrs old. ;)

also, this is something you should call and talk to a bevahiorist about and work with them