Dear Tabby!
My name is Charlie and I am a 15 month old yellow lab. My owner thinks I am just perfect. Lately though my father (a four year old yellow lab) and I haven’t been seeing eye to eye and we fight a lot. So far he has shown me that he is still boss of the house, but as a young man I can’t keep from trying to show I am grown up too. What can my owner do to make sure my father and I don’t fight because it has gotten very dangerous lately as we are getting scraped up pretty bad in our fights. Help me Tabby as father’s day is just around the corner.
Coop’s boy Charlie aka CHARLIE
Dear Charlie,
How sad that you and your dad fight. Fathers and sons should respect each other. But, what you are experiencing is something beyond your control (almost). It's called who's the Alpha Male. There is something your owner might try. He will need a friend to help. It's called parallel walking. Dear Tabby! got this bit of advice from an expert dog trainer.
"First a bit of basic dog pychology: friendly behaviors include moving side by side, sniffing butts, tails wagging at body level (not up high or over the back). Not-friendly behaviors include meeting face-to-face, esp. a face-to-face approach, ears forward and tail over back.
Force them into friendly behaviors as follows: walk the dogs in parallel on leash. They should be close enough to see each other but not close enough to snap at or touch each other. Be careful when you two turn that the dogs don't tangle. Make sure one doesn't get ahead of the other: keep them parallel. Keep this up until they relax. Slowly start walking closer together as behavior permits.
Hold one dog on leash in a sit. Have food treats and a water bottle handy. Walk the other dog toward it, to about six feet, then turn away (increase the distance if the sitting dog snarls). The idea is to turn away *before* the sitting dog shows any aggression. If the dog shows no agression, reward it with a food tidbit or verbal praise. Do NOT touch the dog (stand on the leash or tie it down). If it does growl, spray it with water. Switch the dogs so that each experiences sitting or walking toward. They are learning that good things happen without defensive behavior. As they improve, start walking a bit closer before turning. If the sitting dog snarls, do NOT turn the other dog away: the person with the sitting dog should correct it and when the dog subsides, THEN the moving dog should turn away.
Finally, holding the head of one dog, but allowing it to stand, have the other dog investigate its rear briefly. This is really the extreme extension of the above. "
Dear Tabby! hopes this helps and you all have a very Happy Father's Day!
Welcome to Ask Dear Tabby!
Every Saturday I will open my email & pick two letters to answer. I welcome all mail (even from dogs) just remember to be nice and mind your manners.
This feature is just for fun and I am NOT a veternarian.....so please don't ask medical advice. {^~.~^}
Hi Everyone!
Once again spring has sprung and with it a lot of plants my friends & I should not eat.......here is a list.
DearTabby!
• Azalea
• Bean plants
• Cactus
• Crocus
• Daffodil
• Dieffenbachia
• Hemlock
• Hydrangea
• Ivy
• Lily
• Marijuana
• Mistletoe
• Mushroom
• Narcissus
• Nightshade
• Oleander
• Philodendron
• Poinsettia
• Potato leaves
• Rhododendron
• Tobacco
• Tomato leaves
• Walnuts
• Yew
Here are some pics of my brothers......>>>>>>>