I'm confused...

This is a place to gain some understanding of dog behavior and to assist people in training their dogs and dealing with common behavior problems, regardless of the method(s) used. This can cover the spectrum from non-aversive to traditional methods of dog training. There are many ways to train a dog. Please avoid aggressive responses, and counter ideas and opinions with which you don't agree with friendly and helpful advice. Please refrain from submitting posts that promote off-topic discussions. Keep in mind that you may be receiving advice from other dog owners and lovers... not professionals. If you have a major problem, always seek the advice of a trainer or behaviorist!

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Shiver Me- Timbers- "Charlie"

My Little Dog, a- heartbeat at my- feet.<3

Barked: Mon Nov 19, '12 3:53pm PST


	We all know the beliefs people have in regards to 'alpha' dogs, etc... And the training that needs to take place to assert dominance, etc.. I am purely positive reinforcement based, so.. meh. But now I'm getting confused. Since when did people start transferring this terminology.. and these beliefs... onto different species entirely?! Cats are one example.. I know so many people who was The Dog Whisperer and immediately think their CAT is trying to dominate them. And now... Rabbits too? WTH? Your pet rabbit is out to get you and take over your world, and challenge you left, right and center. This is getting to the point of absolutely ridiculous. Pin a rabbit to show you're dominant? People realize this is a PREY animal right?

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Moose

I love sitting- in laps

Barked: Mon Nov 19, '12 6:26pm PST


	Uh, cats ARE trying to dominate their humans. Plus the family dog. And when we think they're sleeping they're actually plotting a world takeover. Thank goodness someone is brave enough to tackle this problem. And have you ever walked an alpha rabbit down the street? All they do is hop in front of you, back and forth, back and forth, the whole time. Pretty much mocking you, letting you know that they hold the power to walk out in front of you. The Bunny Whisperer will show them who the true alpha is. The cat.

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Opheila

It ain't over- till the fat- kitty sings

Barked: Mon Nov 19, '12 6:40pm PST


	Cats Rule...people who hate cats realize this and can't cope with being subordinate. Cats are natures perfect predator as well as decorative meatloaves sleeping on the toaster...deal with it

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MIKA&KAI

Akita Pals- Always.

Barked: Mon Nov 19, '12 6:46pm PST


	I'm not about to touch the world dominance theory. That is total crap. However,those cute cuddly bunnies can have a vicious side. We raised some bunnies many years ago and kept several as pets. We also bred a few around easter and for 4H kids. We had one little bunny that was rejected and attacked along with his littermates,he was the lone survivor. I fully believe he suffered some type of brain injury. I still over 20 years later have the scar from reaching in to get his food dish and having him latch on to my finger taking out a dime sized flap. I don't think he was trying to dominate me or the world,he just had trust issues.

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Jackson Tan

Lad about town

Barked: Mon Nov 19, '12 7:02pm PST


	When I was a kid my dwarf rabbit beat the living bejesus out of my big male cat ... I wonder what the experts would think about that?

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Natasha - 美花- ~Beautiful- Flower~

Let's play tag!- You're it!

Barked: Mon Nov 19, '12 7:03pm PST


	Do they also flip it over and hold it down by the neck?! Do these people realize that rabbits can literally die of fright? This is making me angry...rabbits are my favorite animal(sorry Natasha!), and it just makes me fume with anger when I hear about people who do idiotic stupid things like this, it's obvious they don't know the first thing about taking care of a prey animal. Aaaargh! I have had to deal with aggressive rabbits before, and it's not fun. But there is no way these methods would have worked. I did pin a rabbit down a few times, but he was in the midst of ripping the ears off another rabbit and kicking his feet with all his strength trying to disembowel the other rabbit. I held him down just long enough to pick up the injured rabbit, then let him go. During the brief time I held him down, he went from angry killer rabbit to a frightened quivering mess and ran off to hide after I let him go. I ended up having to find new homes for both of the rabbits, my home environment at the time just didn't suit them. My current rabbit, Ava, would probably have no trouble with me pinning her down, but that is because she trusts me and knows I wouldn't hurt her(but I've never had any good reason to do so, she's an angel!). I have put her on her back and "hypnotized" her, but again she completely trusts me and lets me do it(it's the easiest way I know to clip bunny nails). Even though she trusts me not to hurt her, she would be scared out of her mind if I were to swoop down suddenly and grab her to pick her up or flip her onto her back. No matter how brave or aggressive a rabbit is, they are still prey animals, and they will react like one in uncertain situations. ETA: About aggressive rabbits, that's quite common, especially if they're intact. Cage aggression is also quite common. On the other hand, cats ARE trying to take over the world and enslave dogs and humankind... Edited by author Mon Nov 19, '12 7:10pm PST

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ARCHMX Asher RL1X RL2X RL3X RL

we will dance in- the ring without- words

Barked: Tue Nov 20, '12 7:15am PST


	I know is that they are revising their views on "Pecking orders" in many species of birds, so creating one in rabbits, who do not even LIVE in groups, seems pretty silly to me. However, I DO agree with moose. Cats ARE trying to take over the world.

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Shiver Me- Timbers- "Charlie"

My Little Dog, a- heartbeat at my- feet.<3

Barked: Tue Nov 20, '12 8:29am PST


	I can agree with cats taking over the world, bol. What scares me about the idea of someone 'pinning' their rabbit is how easy it is to physically harm them! It's not that hard to break a neck or back in a rabbit. I mean, if you son't even hold them right and they kick too hard, it could break their back! They absolutely can be vicious if they want to be, but they can also be incredibly sweet too. Natasha, I'm really fond of rabbits too. I own two of them, one who has major trust issues with people and even goes as far as to try to hide her face(I almost renamed her Ostrich!), and my other one who is a total cuddle bug. I can't imagine the amount of trust I would lose if I were to grab and pin them. My rabbits are also used to being held on their backs in my arms, for when I have to do nails, or when Crush needs his teeth trimmed. According to one of the people who took to arguing this over with me said that does do this to their kits. What I don't understand is WHY in the world she would think she's the doe to the rabbit in the first place. It's all very silly to me too. "Your bunny is trying to be alpha." Because there's never any other reason for off behavior.

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Trigger

*Blackdog*

Barked: Tue Nov 20, '12 8:40am PST


	I'm on several rabbit forums (my kids have always had them), a chinchilla forum (my daughter has one), a cat forum (we have two) and a horse forum (I have one) along with dogster. The only place I've ever seen anything about dominance in any of my online or day to day critter circles is in regards to dogs (reminder that Cesar did not invent dominance theory/pack structure/alpha rolling etc. nor was he the first to use it in his personal (read not recommended) training/rehabilitating) and in regards to equines and their training. I suppose one can find anything anywhere if they have enough time and search hard enough, but I'd challenge that if you're coming across suggestions like "alpha rolling" a rabbit that you reconsider where exactly you're at and who you're associating with.

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Shiver Me- Timbers- "Charlie"

My Little Dog, a- heartbeat at my- feet.<3

Barked: Tue Nov 20, '12 8:59am PST


	Thanks Trigger. Honestly, that forum is similar to this one. Everyone's opinions vary and out of five people who came in on the matter, only two suggested it. The other three were very against it. I have to agree that the only place I've seen it in terms of forums is in regards to dogs - although I know a few people who have watched Cesar's shows and automatically thought "Oh hey, my cat is being dominant!" which was actually why I referred to his show, lol. People seem to like to transfer things that make sense to them, onto other species, even if that doesn't quite make any sense at all. That's actually why it baffled me so much. Do people really think this about rabbits too? I'm only on the one rabbit forum, and haven't checked into others, but if you have a few suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

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