Originally Posted by DJ's left nut
I'm sorry, but this is awful advice. First - this issue clearly isn't dominance within the household. Second - Ceasar Milan is a cherry picker that looks great because he can train dogs which were raised by absolute Fing reeruns.
If you take a dog with a true chemical issue or legitimately ingrained hostility and try that alpha roll bullshit, you'll end up with an extremely dangerous animal on your hands. You're likely to have a dog that now sees itself in competition with humans rather than just dogs. Or you'll end up with a standoffish dog determined not to slip any further in the pecking order. Sure, he may see you as the dude that can whup him, but maybe not that 7 year old next door. I cannot recommend strongly enough against that thing (and Milan in general).
My recommendation, though frowned on by some, has always been an adjustable shock collar. You'll need one with variable settings and never use more than is absolutely necessary to resolve a situation. You will also need to train the dog on just exactly what it means. I know a guy that got one, slapped it on his dog and proceeded to blast the hell out of the thing anytime it did something wrong. Well the poor dog didn't know what the shock was, where it was coming from or what it signified. All that did was create a nervous animal.
You need to put him in a controlled situation with a 'benign' distraction (like a child with a dog treat or something). Put a long check-cord on him and let him go towards the distraction. Tell him to come, invariably he will not and then you'll activate the shock collar while pulling on the check-cord. As soon as he breaks from the distraction and starts coming back like you said, release the charge. It won't take him long to realize that the shock means that he needs to stop what he's doing and listen for your command. In time you can dial the shock down to where it's just a chirp and no real juice.
The nice thing about the variable power, however, is that if he's in a real mess and won't listen, the option of incapacitating him is always there. I've never needed it, but it's an option worth having. Just remember, to the man with a hammer, the world looks like a nail. Don't go overboard with the juice on those things, it's not designed to hurt but to re-focus.
After a few of those situations arise, the dog will realize that it's the aggression towards other animals that's getting him the shock and if you're discreet enough with the remote, he'll never associate the pain with you, simply the commands. Anytime you're in a situation where he may see another dog, have the collar on him and ready to rock. In time you may be able to wean him off it. If you can't, c'est la vie, but it's still an effective tool for managing the situation even if it can't fully eliminate it.
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