[Einstein's Dad!]

Hi Guys, thought I'd throw this out there for some info on how to address it.

Einstein's parents (Chase and Chloe) are both owned by one of my best friends who I ran into recently at the mall. He and his wife don't have kids so they lavish all their attention on their Goldens.

They told me that a brother of Einstein's -one batch down, who still lives with them, has assumed the role of ALPHA DOG in the pack and his behavior has markedly changed as well.

Whenever Chase (the dad) tries to approach Chloe (the mom), Chummy (the dog in question) starts growling and makes threatening moves towards Chase -who just gives in. They said that several times they actually got into a fight and always it is Chase who decidedly backs down.

Needless to say, they are both saddened by this development as Chase has always been the gentle type, towards his pups and especially towards Chloe. Now, he can't even get near her without being mauled -and by his own son to boot!

Why do you think this is? And can this role-reversal be fixed?

Thanks.

[Gusty Acres]

First of all, we can not think of dog relationships as humans. Obviously this would be awkward if it were humans, however dogs are completely different.

It's not a question of whither Chummy or Chase is the alpha dog. The real question is if the OWNERS or Chummy is the alpha dog. The owners need to step in and show Chummy that he's not the boss and that they are. He needs to be corrected when this violent behavior occurs.

After the behavior is corrected, immediately distract Chummy from the situation. Throwing a ball or toy is great for that.

If Chummy is a very high energy dog, simply take him for a long walk and then try to present the situation where he becomes aggressive and correct it.

Lastly, don't use names. A dog quickly learns that his name is good or means good. When correcting, don't confuse the dog by using it's name.

Hopefully this is a good start. The bottom line is that the owners need to step up to the plate and fix this situation NOW before it because a habit.