Training Alpha Male Puppy

[aherndon]

My 10 wk old male, Trooper, is a real live chick magnet/alpha male. I'm working on the basics. He is pretty close to getting a kennel up command for night time and house broken (when I keep to the schedule). The issue is that Trooper likes to play bite, he bites too hard and when corrected will get aggressive and may even try to nip me. He did have a run in with the sitter and nipped her on the calf. I think he is an alpha because he isn't affraid or cautious about anything.

Any ideas here? I'm concerned about breaking his spirit, but I can't allow the nipping and biting - i don't think.

 

[Tulsa-Dan]

Trooper is a puppy. He is playing for the most part and doesn't know anything yet about dominance and/or being Alpha. Boxers play like they fight, so it is not really an Alpha issue. So forget that angle.

You need first to teach your dog some basic commands such as sit/stay and recall. Thusly, you will have some alternate behaviors into which you can guide your dog when he is acting out or gets carried away.

Secondly, you need to teach the dog soft biting or "bite inhibition" techniques. There are plenty of threads here about how to train bite inhibition. If you don't start now, the dog will only get worse.

I also suggest getting a copy of the following two books and read and comprehend them THOROUGHLY. Although they are at times contradictory, there is excellent information in both which can guide you into training properly, setting YOURSELF up as Alpha in the eyes of the dog, and not have to worry about breaking the dog's spirit. They are: "The Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson and "The Dog Listener" by Jan Fennell.

Good luck.