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Implementing Umbilical Training - situational questions

amcwilson

Member
I posted a thread on here a few months ago called "Mastiff Aggression - What can I do?" talking about some of the aggressive behavior I have seen in my dog.

Bernie is a mastiff mix, about 9 months old now. He is of course going through phases. Some weeks he listens really well, other weeks he doesn't want to listen and is constantly challenging our authority.

He is still very fearful out on walks on the leash - he won't let anyone pet him, and I make sure not to let them even try. We can finally walk by people without him growling and lunging – which was a big victory in my eyes! But he is VERY alert when we see people, staring intently , even looking backwards at them after we pass. I used to give a correction with the leash as soon as I saw him staring, but that never helped. I learned that ignoring them completely is what works for him to keep him from barking or growing. However all bets are still off if we walk by another dog, especially one who is barking at us. I also have to keep up the “no look, no touch, no talk†for people entering my home or he will growl. It’s like he wants to greet them on his own terms before they give any attention.

We have not given him the chance to be in an open environment like he was at my cabin when he charged the neighbors two houses down, barking ferociously.. But my parents are moving to the lake in that environment so we need to be able to eventually. The sad part is all of the neighbors are already afraid of him – and parents don’t want him near their kids. There are kids running all over all summer long. I need to trust my dog. My family is concerned.

I was given the umbilical cord training advice – but did not take it because I’m not sure how to implement in “our situation.†We also have 2 cats – recently we discovered one of them started to urinate in the room we keep Bernie’s kennel in – SO FRUSTRATING! With a lot of work and patience I have stopped this behavior. Had to change their environment and give them a safe space, with safe passage ways to multiple litter boxes. This means that there is a portion of our house that the dog is not allowed in. We have a gate up with a cat door.

I need to enter the “no dog zone†several times a day to scoop said litter boxes, refresh water, etc. This is also where my laundry is. What am I supposed to do with him during this time? I know he would be tied to me but I want my cats to feel safe knowing he will never be behind that gate. I also like to play with him in the yard. He loves being chased. I make sure he knows it’s a game, and as soon as I stop and say “give†he stops and drops whatever he has that I am chasing him with. Would I have to stop playing with him this way because he needs to be tied to me at all times? Another fear is that, he won’t let anyone he doesn’t know pet him while he is leashed, so this makes me worry he will be even harder to deal with when new people enter my home as he will be leashed.

I want to implement this method because I see the benefit and I really want him to rely on us as his alphas. Any advice for above situations will be greatly appreciated. We are going to get a personal behaviorist over next month (need to wait until finances allow for it) but I want be doing something helpful in the meantime.