Women not the Master (Oh Boy) - Page 4

Just a thought how many HUSBANDS are realy the boss in there own homes!!!!! And dont you think some dogs work better for a female, than the alpha man(well he thinks he is alpha)

In our house, my husband is viewed as a buddy, certainly not an leader. His own dog doesn't even really listen to him!!!! My nickname from him is "Mommy dearest"...I'm definitely the alpha in the house. But,to echo (sorry Echo!) a number of others - I'm the caretaker - I feed, I fix the boo-boos,I break up the altercations,do the training, take to the dog parks and the beach. It doesn't seem that the girls or the boys really are different in their behavior.The only funny thing out of this is that my old girl feels the need to "protect" my husband from me. If we goof around and I threaten to "get" him, she raises hell and will actually grab my hand to keep it away from him...and she always apologises to me afterwards. We're still trying to figure out whether she thinks I'm that much of a threat or that he's that feeble that he needs help....LOL

We have a 10 month old, rather dominant, 90 pound male GSD. My husband feeds him and walks/plays with him for an hour every morning before going to work. I stay home during the day with the dog. He really loves us both... but I'm the only one of us that can make him submit. My husband would never dream of putting our dog on the ground when he needs it. All I have to do is look angry and the dog will literally bolt from the room. So, I think he's more afraid of me, and VERY affectionate with me, and my husband... but if we were to walk in different directions, I think the dog would follow him. We have done that, and the poor things just cried. We never did that again to him :) But, he's a sweet, loving dog, who we bought to title and such. Unfortunately, he is cryptorchid and is getting neutered next week. He's been a great companion dog, and also loves to work. So, I don't really care, in our circumstance, who he thinks is the alpha, as long as he does what we both tell him to do!

I'm female and my dogs have always treated me as the alpha. I attributed this to the fact that my boyfriends/husband didn't know squat about dogs and just kinda played with them. I did the training and everything else. Now I have a trainer for a boyfriend and my dogs still look at me. My dogs listen to my daughter, when I am not around. If I am out with her, they ignore her and look at me. Maybe my trainer boyfriend just doesn't address my dogs, so they can't see him as the alpha??? Also I use the deep commanding voice when I know it's needed and he rolls his eyes at this. I guess they should listen to me with a whisper? Oh well, they are trained the way they are trained now, at 6 and 7yrs old. As long as I have control and they do as I tell them, I am cool with that. It's funny to see my daughters best friend come over and borrow my male for the day. He tolerates her but when I walk out, she doesn't exsist anymore. Cracks me up to see her try to tell him something and he pretends he is deaf. Just sits there waiting for momma to say the word on what to do next. The kids just don't get it. The dogs are fine to go have fun with the girls all day but when mom says jump, they ask how high? The kids do all of the fun stuff, treats baths, grooming and walks in the park. I should be better with my rewards but they still love me more! It's all about the "alpha" baby! =)

I don't think it has anything to do with sex or who spends more time. I think they look to who is in control of the situation and makes that very clear. My dogs love all of us and are bonded to both my daughter and I. However my daughter doesn't know enough about training and being consistant or strong enough, to be as firm as she always should be. They know they can get away with more and not be put in their place for it with her. Yesterday I did observe my daughters dog stayed with her all day and didn't come to me once for guidence. No OB involved though, all free play in the snow. Usually the dogs will all come to me once in awhile to check in though.

Guess good arguments could be made both ways. An argument could be made (and in fact is made by Stephanitz in a round about way) that the dogs obey and respect the "Alpha-ness" of the woman of the house, because the dog knows that, that is what the man of the house wants it to do :) oops, there comes the Philadelphia Lawyer in me out again. I would have appreciated more input from you males out there, but I guess a lot of you are neutered ;-)

Dorightandfearnoone--I know you are mostly tongue in cheek with what you said, and that's why no one else has responded to you, however: In the 1700s, because too many women and children were being beaten to death by the husband/father of the family, an English common law came into effect that was considered progressive which decreed that a husband had the right to "chastise his wife with a whip or rattan no bigger than his thumb, in order to enforce...domestic discipline." In 1910, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that a wife had NO CAUSE FOR ACTION on an assault and battery charge against her husband because it "would open the doors of the courts to accusations of all sorts of one spouse against the other and bring into public notice complaints for assault, slander and libel." As recently as 1977, the California Penal Code stated that wives charging husbands with criminal assault and battery must suffer more injuries than commonly needed for charges of battery. Within 30 years of the last ruling in favor of husbands beating wives---you have a woman being considered for the USA Presidential race, a wom prime minister, women in command of vast military forces, women in the police forces all over the world, etc. We are working our way up with a vengence. I doubt there ever will be a female heavyweight boxer, unless she uses massive steriods and to become a freak of nature, much like a man who did whatever it took medically to concieve, gestate, and give birth. They might could do it...but why would they want to?

Hey, this one is simple. When Max wrote his book times were different! Women were thought of differently! Now days it all boils down to: Who wears the pants in the family! I have 1 dog that is bonded to my husband and has always been more "loyal" to him, but this dog lives in the house has a cushy life and my husband feeds him cheese, and ice cream.....etc. Now my working dogs see me as the leader, so I out number my husband 1 dog to my 6 dogs! Vickie

DoRight: or they are hen-pecked!!!!!

The one who can obtain the Alpha-status will be the leader. You have to be more clever than your dog/s and be able to use your authority correctly to gain the respect of your dog/s. And in our case, 12 dogs - in a group and not in kennels, that's me.