Guest Anonymous Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 OKay, I got a quick question, nothin big, but just something I was wondering about... because of the whole "Alpha" thing, your not supose to let your dog stand above you on the stairs, or go through doorways first right? So, what do you do when your going down the stairs? Do you let your dog go ahead of you so that he doesn't stand above you, or do you go ahead of your dog so he doesn't "go first"? :hmmmm: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mouseatthebusstop Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 THATS A GOOD ONE. :D WHAT ABOUT WALK TO HEEL IF THERE IS ENOUGH ROOM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtnek Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 when walking down or up the stairs, you lead the dog. The whole "top of the stairs" Alpha posture is because in the pack, the pack lead and mate sleep on the "high ground" to keep watch over the pack, and because they are safest up there. But if you lead, you are still the Alpha, either going up or down. All those pictures you see of the wolf howling at the moon standing on a rise...that's the Alpha, on the high ground, calling the pack to order. If they are all up there with him (unlikely but you never know) and it was time to come down, he would lead them down. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 What if your dog's too quick? And in order to be the "leader" going down, or up the stairs you fall?!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisysmom Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 My dogs (both) try to get down the stairs before me. Half the time they practically knock me over!! Hmmm....... is this a "Alpha" challenge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtnek Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 yea it is actually. Have you ever seen those animal "rope sticks" they use to capture wild animals? It's a stick with a collar rope on the end. They are perfect for stair training because you can make the dog stay behind you as you come down. I have one from when I was training Jarvis, and it works quite well once you get used to it. Or you can make him sit and then call him once you're down. Either way, you led the way. I frequently have to make Alex come down or up from the stairs when he went down before me, and make him stay till I call him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisysmom Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 Wow, who wooda thunk it :lol: I'll have to make them stay and wait for me now that I know!! Thanks :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luka-pop Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 [quote name='Daisysmom']Wow, who wooda thunk it :lol: [/quote] I love your language :D ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 but, if you get the dog to stay, then call it, wouldn't it be at the top of the stairs when your at the bottom? So therefore it'd be looking DOWN on you? :hmmmm: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisysmom Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 I already tried it with Chelsea, and it is much better. I don't care about her being above me, I am still in control. I make her wait and then call her down. It is much better already!! (My Daddy used to say funny things like that, Luka :lol: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy B Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 Quite frankly, I don't care if my dogs preceed me or follow me down stairs. The only no no in our house is that no dog shall pass me on the stairs. It's a safety issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary's Mama Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 If you have appropriately established yourself as alpha non of this should matter. In my house there is no consistency as to who enters or exits first, who goes up or down stairs first. It doesn't and shouldn't matter, because I am already established as alpha and they know that if I stay Stop or Go, no matter where they are they will listen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy B Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 [quote=Mary's Mama]If you have appropriately established yourself as alpha non of this should matter. In my house there is no consistency as to who enters or exits first, who goes up or down stairs first. It doesn't and shouldn't matter, because I am already established as alpha and they know that if I stay Stop or Go, no matter where they are they will listen.[/quote] Yep, that's how it is in our house too! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullygirl29532 Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 I agree with mary's mama and nancy b. i've never thought about this alpha control thing relating to stairs or doors. we don't have stairs (thank dog) but we also have no control problems. Lecter is the low man on the totem pole. so much so I allow my daughter to walk him in the living room. which is really her just holding his leash as he walks from couch to loveseat but she thinks she's helping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 I never really thought it mattered before either. But when you have a dog that's constantly testing you, the little things matter too. Everyday I try to put Hazel in situations (like the doorways ect.) where I can show her I'm still boss, 'pecially if I feel she's been testing me a lot. With a dog like Hazel, you want to always make sure that they know YOUR BOSS, otherwise complete chaois (sp?) would deffently break out! Nancy - how did you train your dogs not to pass you on the stairs? This is an ongoing issue with Hazel, she's REALLY bad for it! I've been racking my brain trying to figure out how to stop her from doing this because I've almost fallin down the stairs MORE then once! She doesn't just pass me, she blunders down! I don't know if she does this with anyone else, being as I'm the only person she's usually around! If I'm not home, she'll either stay in my room (by her choise!) or sit on the bottom of the stairs by the window, waiting for me (She has seperation anxiety). Other then that, she's always with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooeydog Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 I always make Goo go first down stairs, because once she gets going (the stairs to our basement are really steep, and there are like 15 of them, so she can really pick up some speed) she has a hard time stopping, and if I stop, she'll usually end up crashing into the backs of my legs (not intentionally). She does wait at the top for me to tell her to "go ahead", then stops at the bottom for me to catch up. For the outside stairs, we usually end up going down at the same time, or I'll tell her "behind" or "go ahead" if there's not enough room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisysmom Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 They know who is boss, ME but, there is a real problem on the stairs. So, I think I will continue to make Chelsea wait, at least. It has worked well so far!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy B Posted March 20, 2003 Share Posted March 20, 2003 [quote name='HazelNutMeg']I never really thought it mattered before either. But when you have a dog that's constantly testing you, the little things matter too. Everyday I try to put Hazel in situations (like the doorways ect.) where I can show her I'm still boss, 'pecially if I feel she's been testing me a lot. With a dog like Hazel, you want to always make sure that they know YOUR BOSS, otherwise complete chaois (sp?) would deffently break out! Nancy - how did you train your dogs not to pass you on the stairs? This is an ongoing issue with Hazel, she's REALLY bad for it! I've been racking my brain trying to figure out how to stop her from doing this because I've almost fallin down the stairs MORE then once! She doesn't just pass me, she blunders down! I don't know if she does this with anyone else, being as I'm the only person she's usually around! If I'm not home, she'll either stay in my room (by her choise!) or sit on the bottom of the stairs by the window, waiting for me (She has seperation anxiety). Other then that, she's always with me.[/quote] Mason, as a male Doberman pup, was quite a handful for a long time so, I can understand if you need to be more restrictive with Hazel on things that may not matter to other folks. Everyone has to train with their particular dog's temperament and issues in mind. Mason did try "pushing the envelope" when he was younger but he's really turned into a very good and fairly reliable dog. He still has a ways to go. I never went through the "I must be first through doors or up stairs" but I certainly did other things to make it clear to Mason that I was most certainly his boss. To this day both of my dogs have to sit or down and stay when i put their meals down. They only eat when I release them. They also have assigned places to wait while I prepare dinner....I don't want them underfoot. They are not on a formal stay in their places and I don't even have to tell them to go there but, they know that all meal preparation will cease if they are not in their places. I do a lot of attention and obedience clicker training with both of them. Mason, because he needs the reinforcement that he will do what I want when I command or, and this is what he hates, the game stops. I work Whitney simply because she wants it too and it wouldn't be fair not to work her. Going up or down the staircase I simply either tell the dogs to go first or tell them to stay. If they go first they know they must go all the way to the end and clear the stairs. If they're on a stay, they don't move until released. I never really put much training into this because it really consists of two well known commands. The "stay" is from obedience and it gets trained pretty early around here. The "go on" is an agility command...tells the dog go on and take a series of jumps or obstacles that happen to be in front of it. "Go on" in agility doesn't get used very often in agility aside from closing sequences...they tend to have 3 or 4 things in a line. Works great for stairs! Neither of my dogs have ever tried to pass me on the stairs. Since as far as I'm concerned, this is a safety issue, this would be one instance where I would use a correction if required. I seldom use corrections so, when I do, it makes a huge impression on my dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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