What is the best way to introduce one dog to another

Question : What is the best way to introduce one dog to another?
Answer:

The best way to introduce one dog to another is to pack-walk both dogs. Meaning, both dogs are walking together and heeling on the lead. This sends a signal to the dogs that they are not in charge; the humans are in charge and they are to follow the humans. I realize you cannot pack-walk your dog with all dogs you come into contact with, but consistently pack-walking your own dog will communicate to your dog that he is following you and looking to you for commands rather than the other way around. 

You should be going through all doorways and gateways before your dog as well, especially at the vet, and the dog should be heeling beside you while you walk him over to your seat. As soon as your dog begins to see you as someone to follow, he will respond to your corrections much quicker when you tell him to leave the other dog alone by giving him a tug on his lead and/or a verbal command.

Is it possible to get my own dog and raise my friend to be balanced even though the other 2 dogs in the home are not

Question: I live with someone who is not pack leader to his two current dogs. Is it possible for me to get my own dog and raise him to be balanced even though the other two dogs in the home are not?

Since they're his dogs I don't want to interfere with his methods, although I consider them wrong. My problem is that I want to get a dog of my own, but to show him that I'm the pack leader. I'm worried that it would be too confusing for my (the youngest) dog if older dogs are allowed on the couch/bed and he isn't, older dogs can pull the leash while on the walk, while he needs to walk beside or behind me, other two can go through the door and get attention first while he needs to wait to go through or get petted.

Answer:
In order for a dog to totally respect and obey humans, the humans around her need to be consistent. If you bring a dog into a home where one person does not display leadership you are not going to accomplish that leadership with the third dog. Especially if there are two other dogs in the home that are allowed to act in dominant or disrespectful manners. When humans and dogs live together they become one pack. If half the pack is not balanced the rest of the pack cannot be balanced.

I was told by a behavior specialist not to play tug-of-war with my dog. Why?

Question: I was told by a behavior specialist not to play tug-of-war with my dog. Why?
Answer:

Tug-of-war is not a recommended game for dogs because it is a dominance game. If your dog should win you just reinforced in your dog’s mind that he is in the leader position. It puts him in a dominance struggle state of mind. You want to get him out of thinking about being the leader, not play dominance games with him. When he is pulling he is fighting for the leader spot, while for you it is just a game.

 Sure, if you win, then you win, but if you accidentally let go then he wins and winning to him means something different than winning to you. Another important factor when playing with a dog is that you should only play with him when YOU bring HIM the toy; you TELL HIM when and where. You should be the one to end the game, not him. So if you see him getting tired then you must end the game before he does. Otherwise you let him make the decision and in the canine world the leaders make all the decisions.

Question: Why does my dog get mad and destroy things when I leave the house?

Question: Why does my dog get mad and destroy things when I leave the house?

Answer:

Sounds like a case of separation anxiety. Your dog is not getting mad when you leave. He is stressed either from a lack of exercise, a lack of leadership, or both. Followers are not allowed to leave the leaders and he did not give you permission to leave. Dominant behaviors always get worse over time if nothing is done to communicate to the dog that he is not the leader or he does not have an outlet to release his built-up energy. 

Read more about separation anxiety behind :

Separation Anxiety in Dogs

Your dog may look happy when you return, but in truth if your dog is excitable, he may be experiencing mental anguish, which is not healthy.

Did you know that separation anxiety is the second most common reason dogs are euthanized or given up by their owners?

Separation anxiety can occur in any breed and at any age.

Why has my housebroken, full-grown dog started peeing in my bed?

 Question: Why has my housebroken, full-grown dog started peeing in my bed?
Answer:

Assuming you have ruled out any health issues such as incontinence, this behavior would indicate that your dog is letting you know he is alpha in your pack. He is above you in the order and is marking on "his" bed. I would start looking into human-to-dog leadership and the amount and type of exercise he receives.

If one really understands dogs and how to communicate leadership to them one can get away with having a dog sleep on their bed with them. However, in most cases, I personally do not believe dogs belong on beds because in the dog world the leader sleeps in the most comfortable spot in the house. By letting a dog sleep on your bed most people unknowingly are allowing them to take the bed over. A follower would NEVER dream of purposely peeing in the place where the leader sleeps. Never...it just would not happen. If a dog is going to be on a human's bed it needs to be invited up onto the bed by the human and not jump up at its own free will.

What are the signs of a happy, stable-minded, submissive dog

Question: What are the signs of a happy, stable-minded, submissive dog? I walk my dog daily and am the pack leader. My dog is so calm I sometimes think he looks depressed.

Answer:

The sign of a happy, stable-minded, submissive dog is a dog that is not overly excited and that holds his tail low and is calm. It is not normal, nor is it healthy, for a dog to be so extremely excited that his tail is wagging a mile a minute and he cannot stand still. A dog that excited is anxiety ridden with excess energy. Your dog is not sad or depressed. 

Dogs are not like humans. They think differently because they are different. A wagging tail is not necessarily a sign of happiness. Dogs that are upset and stressed will also wag their tails. The dogs you see jumping around like crazy, running and unable to stand still are dogs that are not stable. Do not mistake this behavior as being sad or depressed and feel bad for him, or you will confuse your dog by giving off weak energy.

How do I get my rescue dog to trust me?

Question: How do I get my rescue dog to trust me?

She was found homeless and we were able to catch her using a tranquilizer. She has never growled, just runs away and won't let me pet her. She is currently in my fenced backyard. My other dogs really like her, however, and they get along great. She just will not let us humans approach her.

Answer:
She sounds insecure and not sure what to think of the humans. One rule of natural dog behavior is you cannot rush and force yourself upon insecure dogs. You are going to have to take it slow and not approach her head-on until she learns to trust you. Here is something you can do: Sit down in your backyard where the dog is. Place a bowl of tasty food a few feet from where you are sitting and read a book (or something). Do not make eye contact with the dog and don't talk to her. Just sit there quietly. Let her get used to you simply being there. Each feeding, move the bowl a little closer to where you are sitting. You can also sit down and toss something like tasty bacon her way. Remember, don't look directly at or talk to her. Just sit calmly and quietly.

My puppy is scared to walk out the door. What should we do?

Question: My puppy is scared to walk out the door. What should we do?
A few days ago we got a Boxer pup. He is now 11 weeks old and is a nice and humble fellow. One thing that worries us a bit: when we take him on walks, he seems to be terrified of the outdoors. He sits at the open door and just stares outside. We literally have to pick him up and carry him outdoors. Once outdoors, he acts like nothing happened, exploring and walking around just fine. How should we handle this?

Answer:
Your little fella just needs time. He is unsure and you cannot rush insecurity. Try coaxing him out using treats (positive reinforcement). Picking him up and taking him out the door will not get him over his fear; he needs to take the steps on his own. 

Be careful not to give any affection when he is scared or unsure, as it will increase his worry. He is looking to you to be strong for him, something to feed from, a strong leader. You need to be that leader for him and he needs to sense things are OK, that you have the strength to keep him safe. To communicate that to him you need to be confident and strong. He will feel it

What would cause my dog to get into a fight with another dog when he's never done that before?

Question: What would cause my dog to get into a fight with another dog when he's never done that before? I took my dog over to a friend's to play with her dogs like I have done many times. We never had any problems in the past. My friend’s dog had a deer leg and my dog wanted it and attacked the other dog. The other dogs that were also there joined in! Why would they do this when in the past they were always fine? They were all socialized from an early age, have been with other dogs before and have been treated with tons of love and affection. Have our dogs turned bad?

Answer:

Dogs live in the moment and at that moment the other dog had a bone and it became a dominance struggle as to which one was actually going to get the bone. Once a fight starts between dogs it is very hard to break it up because the levels of excitement are extremely high. The deer leg should have been taken away well before all of the dogs got together. If any of those dogs believed they were alpha it makes things that much worse. This is preventable by you yourself becoming 100% pack leader over your own dogs then learning the signs and stopping it from happening right BEFORE it happens—right when you see the first "look" from one of the dogs, and before the dog reacts, you give a correction to the offending dog. I recommend you tune into the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel. If you do not get that channel there are DVDs for sale on Amazon.com. Watching the show will help you pick up on a dog’s body language and understand what it means. My own dogs, as good as they are, got into a fight over a dead animal once. They both wanted it and I missed my sign that a fight was going to break out. My fault for not seeing it coming.

Because the dogs got into a fight over a bone does not mean they are "bad" or "dangerous" dogs. The humans around them need to learn how to read the dogs, how to be 100% leader and know the signs that something might happen. (For example, taking that bone away.) Dogs need leadership before they need love and affection. I suggest you start pack-walking all the dogs at one time to reinforce humans are alpha over them. All dogs must be heeling on the walks. At the bottom of that page there are many links to other helpful articles. 

What is the key to getting my dog to stop fighting with other dogs?

Question: What is the key to getting my dog to stop fighting with other dogs?
Answer:
The key to getting a dog to stop fighting with other dogs is proper communication. The dogs need to see the humans as 100% pack leader and the communication needs to be that the humans do not approve of them fighting with other dogs. I have a Boxer that used to attack other dogs. She did this for years. When she was about 6 years old I started watching the Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan and from there started studying more natural dog behavior. I learned how to communicate with her in a way that she could understand. 

I told her that I was her leader and I did not wish for her to fight. It took a while for me to learn her body language, but when I did I was able to read her and correct her at the right moments. It's been years and she no longer goes after other dogs. Once in a while I see the look in her eyes and I simply have to give a verbal command at the right moment and she responds. The key is to learn how to read the dog, how to correct at the right moments and how to communicate with them in dog language that you are pack leader over them 100%. Tell them that fighting is against the rules. When they are convinced and so long as they are getting enough mental and physical stimulation to keep them from having bottled-up frustration, they will change and no longer pick fights. The humans need to be confident and strong-minded in order to convince the dog.