I seem to have a bully.  Anyone any experience of curbing/managing a dog's bullying behaviour, standing over/lying over younger dogs especially if they are submissively rolling on their backs and don't stand their ground?  I have read some helpful resources on the net but just wondered whether anyone any practical experience.

I have a young dog and although he is from a known 'soft' breed, he is a bully to my other older dog. He is a very big dog and uses his bulk to intimidate and get his own way. He is a complete brat! We have found the only way to keep on top of his behaviour is to jump in it when we see it happening and give him a very firm "No", which normally does the trick. He hates being told off by us! If it doesn't work then he is removed from the room for 5 minutes. My other dog is from a breed that is known not to take any prisoners. However, he won't stand up for himself even if he gets hurts. Time out and a firm "No" works for us. Good luck.

Thanks for that Admin. The other advice I have just been given was to use a positive interrupter to get him to move away, hold on to him for a few seconds and let him go again.  If he goes straight back to the dog to try and do it again then it is on the lead for a time out for 3 minutes until calm.   He is a bit of a chancer and a deep down wuss for sure.

There is an element of letting them get on with sorting out the pecking order.   BUT if eventually you get actual fighting going on, then obviously something has to be done.  I had a hound who, when he reached around 18 months decided it would be great to challenge his uncle (who had been used at stud, the younger hadn't).  I tried everything to stop this to the point of leaving them together in our outside pen so I could use the hose to break up a fight.  They lay together at the gate with not a murmur.   Eventually I let them out and later that evening, it kicked off again.  It was then that I realised the younger one had to go so I found a great home for him with two bitches of 'his own' and not only did peace return to my small pack, but when we went to check on him a month or so later, we found him happy as Larry. 

If you have this going on, you may, like me (and generally those we kept, stuck - he was one of an all male litter) have to bite the bullet and home the bully probably into a single dog situation.   I would just that if the other dogs are submissive so the bully gets no reaction, he just might give up and settle down!!

> The other advice I have just been given was to use a positive interrupter to get him to move away, hold on to him for a few seconds and let him go again.

This, but slightly different.  The above doesn't really give him much of a reason (in dog terms) to not go back again; bullying can be very self-rewarding behaviour, so you have to take that into account.  So, I'd use the interrupter to stop him before he reaches the other dog, then absolutely reward the heck out of him when he turns away.  Seriously, throw a party.  Make 'not bullying' the best thing he can do.  It shouldn't take long before he begins to interrupt himself and come to you, then you can reward that instead.  My worst was totally focused on my oldest when she arrived, but doing that, stopped it altogether.

A solid 'leave' cue is a good backup if it doesn't though, and I tend to use that with her for her other two victims in the household.  Her bullying with the first dog was more anxious; with those two it's far more self-rewarding so I use both.  The leave cue, and then reward for coming away (can be just a fuss or a 'thank you' now but in the early days, it was whatever she loved most and randomly, I still do that).

>Thanks for that Admin. The other advice I have just been given was to use a positive interrupter to get him to move away, hold on to him for a few seconds and let him go again.  If he goes straight back to the dog to try and do it again then it is on the lead for a time out for 3 minutes until calm.   He is a bit of a chancer and a deep down wuss for sure.

I'm sure you will crack it. I'd be interested in how you get on, so please keep us posted.

Thanks all.