I have a 15 mth old male, i also own mum,my problem with him is when i tell him off or smack his nose he growls and goes to bite me,this morning he got out of the front door and onto the drive i managed to grab his collar and he went to attack me, he hasn.t managed to bite me yet but he really scared me this morning he is normaly a big softee who weighs in at 9 stone so he is a handful !!! Please help as my son said if he carrys on we will have to put him to sleep which i don.t want to do.

How would you react if someone smacked you on the nose? I think you need to rethink your training methods.

Could you try to find a behaviouralist in your area

Think you need help with your training methods contact the APDT [url=]http://www.apdt.co.uk/
[/url] and find your nearest trainer.

Hi
Your old school methods of training are very frightening from his point of view. He is going through his teenage time where he will act up at times. With this breed as they can be very stubborn and willful it is best to use food as a way of getting him to do as his told. Don't grab him I know its difficult if he gets away from you but he knows that he is gonna get a slap so is protesting this treatment. Bitches are easier to handle on the whole but if he is an entire dog will be a lot more difficult . Maybe getting him castrated will take a bit of the fizz out of him and make him a more amiable dog in general. Most importantly being calm and not aggressive is the key- think of him as a boisterous child rather than a 9 stone dog . Being confrontational with your dog with brute force is a no no remember you will lose every time. At this young age manipulation is the key I say "whats this" in a spirited way once you get their attention you've half way cracked it then when he comes to you give him a toy or sweet. My dog never really came to me when I called his name or "snoop come" so a lot of key words to get his attention like  "do you want a biscuit" or sweet, cracker  or like I said the one before. I've got a English Bull terrier so I know how they can make you want to pull your hair out at times.

Just realised you mentioned that he is 9 stone. I'm thinking that this is rather over weight for such a young dog ?
What is the weight limit on the Olde tyme bulldog in the KC standard ?

A good non confrontational method that alters a dogs perception of his place is NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free). 

Here are some links on Google: http://search.live.com/results.aspx?q=NILIF&src=IE-SearchBox

>What is the weight limit on the Olde tyme bulldog in the KC standard ?

The 'Olde Tyme Bulldog' isn't a recognised breed, so there's no KC standard. However, googling turns up several sites for the different types of 'olde tyme bulldogs' under various names, and their weight seems to be in the 60-75lbs mark (4½ to 5½ stone) so this dog seems to be very large.

yes I googled them found a breeder in Dorset and it said adult size is from 27kg to 41 kg.
My bully is 33 kg and my vet has mentioned about getting his weight down to me all the time, they are nearly the same sized dogs mine is on the large side as he stands at 22in high at the shoulder.
Didn't know that there not an official breed in Britain.

> Didn't know that there not an official breed in Britain.

Don't think they are recognised as a breed by any countries kennel association or the FCI, or are they?

without this sounding rude, a lot of people (esp with large breeds) tend to vastly over estimate how heavy their dogs are. countless times we have had dogs in at the vets and the owners are like "hes 8 stone of pure muscle etc etc and we weight them to find that theyre 35kg not the 50kg the owners like to think. dont know why this happens but very common.

Many thanks for all your messages,when i said i smack his nose it is a tap with the words "WHAT IS IT" mostly when he has chewed something.... Buddy does weigh in at 9 stone as he had his booster last week and the vet weighed him ...I have been in touch with the vet who is going to refer me to a behavior specialist so many thanks for all your replys

With due deference to the OP (who has had his dog weighed) I find this over estimation happens an awful lot. It makes me laugh when people TELL me how heavy George is as they are always at least 20kg over. I wonder why this is?

> It makes me laugh when people TELL me how heavy George is as they are always at least 20kg over. I wonder why this is?

I have over-estimated the weight of my pup, the last trip to be weighed at the vet I thought he was 9 stone (I was using his previous weight gain as a guide to estimate, without considering the natural slowing of growth with age combined with the fact I was getting him leaner), he turned out to be 8stone 3 lb :( Some times I think there is a genuine miss-calculation, others are blatently lieing, my dad bumped into somebody who had a Great Dane, (not over wieght and not exceptionally huge) the owner proudly announced that his dog was 25 stone!!!!!!

(this is not aimed at the OP, I know that thier breed has a lot of size variation and the 'average' is no indication of the weight of all the dogs in that breed).

It's one thing you being wrong (although not far off) about your dogs weight but when complete strangers inform you that you are mistaken I have to laugh although manners prevent me saying the first thing I think of! :-)

Sorry, I got the wrong end of the stick - i didn't realise that you were getting at people telling you the weight of your dog (you wrote it clear enough, I'm just having an exceptionally dim day!!!). I didn't realise George was the mane of your dog, I though you were using it as an example.
I can imagine it must be very annoying being told you have the weight of your own dog wrong!!!!

No problem, you have all this to look forward to! I bet you are already bored of the "put a saddle on it" quip?

I would def drill him on obedience- make him work for his food (ex: sit, lay down ect before he gets it and only when you say ok), do not pet him unless you want to- don't allow him on furniture, in your bed ect- I would show him who is boss. Def would take him to obedience class. If you show him fear then he knows he's boss over you- not good. If you are worried about him snapping when you grab his collar then keep a leash on him this way you can safely discipline him at a distance so to speak- If you ask him to do something like get off the couch and he doesn't listen pull the leash tell him OFF (don't yell use more of a low growl) and then make him sit-lay down-sit laydown- a couple times and leave him there. Don't play unless you want to and only do things on your terms. best of luck and do hope someone can come in or go some place that can help you :)

> I bet you are already bored of the "put a saddle on it" quip?

Yep, that does get boring, and soe does "OMG what is that?" (by people who are horrified to see a big slobbery dog),  or over-hear people quessing as to what breed he is - the most stupid quess was a SBT!!!!! I'm thinking of getting Buster a t-shirt printed, to save me having to answer the same questions all the time :)

> Yep, that does get boring, and soe does "OMG what is that?" (by people who are horrified to see a big slobbery dog),  or over-hear people quessing as to what breed he is - the most stupid quess was a SBT!!!!! I'm thinking of getting Buster a t-shirt printed, to save me having to answer the same questions all the time :-)

I'm often amazed at how wrong people can be about dog breeds :-) I've been asked many a time if Remy is a weimeraner - he's a fawn dobermann, so that's fair enough.  But I was once asked if he was a bedlington!!

I once got asked if my Dobe was a Great Dane!

>"put a saddle on it"

I get that as well :-D Probably just as often as people saying loudly to their small dog or child "don't go near that big dog, he'll eat you for lunch!"

I'm shocked as your the second person to say that somebody thought their Doberman was a Weimeraner?T
The american Doberman owner used it as a reason for getting his dogs ears cropped ?!

when my ridgeback puppy was very young, i got asked several times if he was a sharpei?? a bloodhound and a bullmastiff. now i get great dane A LOT! also got asked last week if he was a chow? this confused me slightly....

Someone once asked me if my Chinese Crested Powderpuff was the puppy of my German Shepherd dog just because she had a black and tan ear!!

I get asked if my two are twins, some people cant get the concept that they are just the same breed. Someone once said when my boy was a pup that he was a durex puppy lol.

I have a Pug and am always being asked if shes a bulldog or a baby boxer!

people are forever asking if my bullmastiffs are boxers. er no. they'd be rather smaller...

and we get the saddle thing to :)

and the oh my gods!!

I also get asked if my olde tyme bulldog is a boxer or bullmastiff and if my mastiffs a st.bernard or leo,the only one every one gets right is my staffy :) im getting into the habit where people only have to glance at the dogs and im telling them what breed they are LOL.When Zeus was last weighed (olde tyme bulldog) he was 37kg and the vets told me to watch his weight and beleive me i have to as he would eat for england if i let him,:)

> I also get asked if my olde tyme bulldog is a boxer or bullmastiff

That isn't really surprising when they are not a recognised breed and probably various breeds are in their make-up close up anyway, including Bullmasitff or other Mastiff breed I believe.

I am always being asked how many times a week do you need to bath my dog, a white/cream spitz. She is actually bathed maybe once every couple of months if I'm showing but if not showing she would never be done!!
Angela

I've been asked several times if our Airedales are Poodles!

I used to get asked if my Hungarian Puli was a poodle - and the puli had a fully corded coat so actually looks like no other dog at all!!

I dont understand why make a mockery of people getting breeds mixed up?  Im sure there are some people that think a dogs a dogs a dog.

You should feel flattered that they came to talk to you about your pet, rather than being ignored, or heaven forbid say "damn thats an ugly mut!"

If they don't know what breed it is then they should simply say oh what a lovely dog, not make uninformed or disparaging remarks and get upset or huffy when corrected. 

There nothing wrong with not knowing the breed only being a smart alec and getting it totally wrong.

Can you tell that I get fed up with the 'Where's your sleigh'  :D duh sleighs are pulled by horses and reindeer, and sled dogs which mine are not pull sleds.

Think I have related this before but at the risk of boring those who have read it I will repeat.

Had a chap who kept coming into my place of work, had my hounds with me, and insisting no matter how often I corrected him that my dogs were Wolf x GSD and in the end he called out the Dog Warden. Luckily the warden was rather more knowledgeable and we all had a good laugh but it could have been so different had the warden been uniformed with regard to dogs, which I understand a good few are.

The foster I am caring for could well be mistaken for a Wolf, as she has those light facial markings.

Till you look at the other end, never seen a wolf with a tail held as our breed does.

Yeah but the ones supposed to be in films often have curled tails (this girl isn't all Elkhound), though hers curls like a Mals.

The lack of size alone ought to be a give away.

Have see a timber wolf carry it's tail like a Mal when struting it's self infront of other males, wonder if this is normal with wolfs or if this one was a one off.

well best one i had was when someone from dogs trust was cold calling in my area asking ppl to "sponser a dog" came down drive and my ddb's were stood on hind legs  looking over the gate when he asked are they akita's and then promptly asked me to sponser a dog??????????? not much difference in breed lol

i get asked is my bulldogs boxers !!!!!!!!!!!doh

Ive been asked if my borzoi looking long dog is a whippet but the most bizarre happened last week when walking past some kids and was asked by one if they were dogs!

I have gotten off quite lightly with people guessing my st Bernard's breed. Most people shout out "it's the Beethoven dog" or "the dog with the beer barrel". The other day I met a woman walking 2  labs, who spent about 30 mins telling me how experienced she was with dogs, and there was no breed she did not recognize. She then asked me how old my Akita was!

Her face was a picture when I told her that in fact my bitch was a st Bernard,, and a KC registered one at that.

I get the "you should saddle that dog up" comment all the time, but as I am a hefty girl my self, I doubt my dog could carry me even if I was to saddle her up! Hehe :-)

Because my Dobergirl is very dark brown, I have been asked several times by people as they admire and stroke her, if she's a chocolate Lab!!? I wonder if I should be embaressed or pleased? She's been placed at championship shows as a Dobermann so I know she looks as she should do and I don't think I would of gotten away with entering her in the Lab group either ;) Still you should see their faces change when I answer "no, she's a Dobermann." I guess she's a good example of a dog?

This is true! People do over estimate weight of their dogs and the height, they seem to think big is better! lol

A guy at work who has recently took on a Komondor keeps telling me he is huge well oversized even for this giant breed, I told him good job you dont want to show him then, he wouldnt get anywhere!
That shut him up lol! 

Think people who do it obviously wrong and have just picked a number from the air are much like the wrong people who own staffords and then boast and claim that their staffords have the biggest heads or the hardest bite or is a right hard nut, just people trying to get some status from their dogs :( So Sad :(

My Akita has been called a Snowdog??? Husky, Chow and a wolf....however I was quite impressed when a little girl who looked to be about 8 yrs old walked past and quietly informed her mum that my dog was infact an Akita!!!  Well done to that little girl!  Where I live you don't see many Akita's so quite understandable for people to not know what they are.
What does annoy me happened the other day when walking past a man who informed me that my male Rottweiler would take his leg off....I was sooo tempted to say well start running and see if he can catch you but thought better of it...

A lot of people just dont have a clue about breeds apart from the ones that they own, we recently went to a dog show and my hubby didnt have a clue, unless it was one of our breed which he could spot a mile away.

>without this sounding rude, a lot of people (esp with large breeds) tend to vastly over estimate how heavy their dogs are.

Was waiting outside the shops with my Dobe yesterday and a man came over to speak to me about the breed. Nearly started laughing when he said that his was 12 stone (about 76kg)! Mine is towards the end of the max. weight scale at 44kg (6.7 stone). He also held his arms about 2 foot apart to show me how wide he is!

Personally I feel that anyone who makes out there dog is massive thinking that its "great" are stupid, it is just as bad as having a dog underweight in my mind.  Having a dog massively over weight is just a cruel and the poor animal suffers.  I can't understand why anyone would feel this is a good thing !

> Personally I feel that anyone who makes out there dog is massive thinking that its "great" are stupid,

For some breeds 'massive' is the aim though, it has nothing to do with them being over-weight :) I love the fact my pup is huge (if I didn't, I wouldn't have chosen the breed), whenever he is weighed I always hope he has reached x weight, to keep in line with the average weight for the breed, which he is lagging behind in - he's 10 months old now & I guess he is about 8 & half stone :( .

Personally, I think being underweight is no where near as bad as a dog being over-weight. I am constantly adjusting my pups diet to keep him on the leaner side.

My dad's friend has recently taken on a 4 month old Sibe, the bloke was very proud when he told my dad it was a "massive pup, it's 7 stone allready"!!!!!! My dad was quite shocked at how small it was when he finally saw it, defiantely not a record-breaking size for a Sibe!!!