OK. Making a start.
LOL! I just think that once you have the proper pecking order established you won't ever NEED to roll him again....honest!
Now, I want you to try something for me for
three full days. Just one thing, and one thing only to start with. Everyone in your family must cooperate - I cannot stress that strongly enough. Your husband, yourself and your son MUST be as one on this - you will be amazed at the results.
Your dog (what is his name, by the way?) thinks he is alpha dog. He thinks this because he has never been taught any other way. Don't worry - it's not your `fault' as such, because what is natural to us just is not natural for dogs. Its so easy to forget that they can't be taught the way you would expect humans to understand. I am of the strong belief that by addressing other problems that you have with this dog, the nibbling problem will take care of itself.
So, the first thing to address is the jumping up. Firstly, get rid of the leash. It ain't working, and it's not going to work. So, that goes.
Jumping up is a common and solvable problem. When you leave the dog's presence for any reason, whether it's leaving the room or leaving the house, he feels as if his charge is going away, somewhere he can't control you. Because he thinks that he is alpha dog, he views you somewhat as his child, or the subordinate in the pack. In the wild, the alpha dog eats first, so the fact that you bring his food to him doesn't make him think you're his leader, but in fact the other way round! (But we'll get to that later...
). Also, he has no way of knowing whether you will be gone for two minutes or gone for good - he doesn't know if you're EVER coming back! This is very stressful for him, his baby is leaving, and he doesn't know where, and he's being left behind.
So, when you come back, he jumps up on you (or your husband or your son) to re-establish his position as leader of your pack. He doesn't get anxious because he misses you, he gets anxious because he's
worried about you! This behaviour is reinforced, again, in a dog like a shepherd because they are SO protective of their packs.
In order to establish your authority, and the authority of the members in your family, you MUST NOT ACKNOWLEDGE his attempts to subordinate you upon your return - either from another room or from being out somewhere. This is VITAL to basic alpha status.
Again, in the wild, when the alpha dog returns to the pack, the other pack members crowd around the dog, lick his face, whine, fawn and submit. The alpha dog just stands there - doesn't acknowledge, doesn't make eye contact, just accepts quietly their obeisance. You must do this too.
When you first walk in the room with your dog, NO eye contact. NO hello. NO petting. NO smiling. NO acknowledgement whatsoever. This is very nearly impossible if you are used to walking in the door and making a big fuss over your dog. But every time you do that he views you more and more as a subordinate returning to his dominion. By not acknowledging him in any way, shape or form, you establish your right as leader to go where you wish, and you do not give in to his attempts to dominate.
Dogs will react differently to this. Some will persist, jumping and jumping and whining and getting very agitated. Others will catch on after just a couple of jumps. I don't know where yours will fit in but I suspect the former
It doesn't matter what he does you MUST NOT pay attention to him AT ALL. That will ruin your chances. You have to remember that to your dog, any attention is attention. Saying `no' or `stop it' or glaring at him or yelling or shrieking - any of those things is paying attention, which to him, equals paying homage - exactly what you DON'T want.
Now, it doesn't matter how hard they try, as long as you keep ignoring, eventually your dog will slink off by himself to digest what has just happened.
This part is the key. It is VERY important to leave exactly five minutes for him to do this. Go about your life. Make a cup of tea. Have a snack. Go check on the baby. Do whatever you have to do but LEAVE HIM ALONE. After the five minutes is up call him to you - do NOT go to him - and greet him. Gently stroke his head and neck, speak softly and calmly, and do not get excited. If he starts to jump up again, the ignoring starts again instantly. Stand up, turn your back, and walk away. Give him the five minutes again once he settles down.
Now. You have to repeat this exercise
every single time you come into contact with your dog after an absence. It is difficult. No one wants to ignore their dog. But in fact, you are not ignoring him, you are just not paying homage to him. You are behaving in a way he finally understands, and so you are not `hurting' his feelings, which it's very easy to feel like you're doing.
After a day or two (sometimes less, sometimes more) if you do this EVERY time you see him - and the other members of your family, too - his jumping up will stop. He will understand that it gets him nowhere, and more importantly, he will see you as in control. Submissive pack dogs do not challenge their leader unless for very good reason. You need to continue to do this for two or three weeks - long after he has stopped jumping up - to consolidate your position. After this, you will be able to say hello when you come in, but still, don't make a fuss, because it'll just confuse him.
It sounds to easy to be true? Well, trust me, it is. If you stick to exactly what I have outlined, your jumping problem (with you - guests we will go into later) will be over, and you can start looking forward to the other problems being solved, too. He will be seeing you in a new light.
So, give this a try, and see how you go. And good luck in your first step towards becoming the alpha of your house!
