So, as some of you know... I just recently read about a dog training technique, "Nothing in Life is Free" (NILIF). The technique involves establishing your authorative roll over the dog (the alphadog). This dog, "Speck", is a Yorkie Beagle mix... and he behaves terribly. He marks in the basement numerous times (often daily), and he barks incessantly at every disturbance. There is also a shy attitude about him, timid if you will. He's very seldom "relaxed". According to the program, reasons for this could be because of his worry regarding his status in the "pack". He barks to warn the pack of danger, unaware that his human counterparts actually have control of the situation. By showing him that YOU are in control, and that YOU are in charge of his food, etc... you can help him understand his role... which will help him relax and understand that he needn't worry about what happens.
I've employed two tools that were never before used; a 6ft. leash, and a large metal kennel in my own bedroom.
For starting out, I started for the door. Normally, he just runs right out, ahead of everyone else. This time, I stopped at the door and made him sit. I would then tell him to "stay", and proceed to open the door. If he made for the door, I would promptly close it, and repeat the steps. He is already starting to catch on... I won't let him in/out of the house without standing in his way. He is tethered to me this entire time, so there is really no escaping it
He then began to run ahead of me. I let him go, until he went 6 ft that is
I grabbed the leash so that only a couple of feet remained between the two of us, and forced him to walk behind me. I can now walk him without having to hold the leash, he will stay behind me (for the most part, at least)
I'm going to have to see how he does in the kennel, tonight, though
I just thought I would start this thread to keep a track of Specks progression over the next couple of weeks.
