Alpha Roll

[Lookingforone]

Lots of debate on this training method. Have you used it before? In what circumstances? Did it work? Are you against this method?

[kjc]

Totally against! This AR can cause a puppy or young dog to shut down and always makes behavior worse! Are you considering this method and why?

[Lookingforone]

Haven't really thought about it. Just heard about it, read up on it, and was curious to others opinions on it.

[kjc]

Puppies and dogs need support and encouragement along with good training to bloom. The AR will break their spirit and do the opposite when one is trying to build trust and respect with any dog.


It was developed years ago as a 'last ditch' effort to save severely aggressive GSDs from euthanasia when all other methods of training had been tried and failed to work. If not done properly, one usually gets bitten. Done correctly, it's only a one time thing, not to be repeated over and over. I've heard of some people using it on Yorkie puppies and it totally destroys any self esteem the dog has. Then one has to jump through hoops to get the pup back to normal and work from there.


All dogs are different. I tried to roll my female over on her back just to give her a belly rub and she went catatonic on me. Rebuilding her trust and self esteem is something that is always on my mind. I think most pups are not quite this sensitive, but there are many things in their personalities to be aware of when choosing training methods. Basically I try a method, if it doesn't seem to be helping I try a different method, instead of trying to force a particular method to work. All mine have done best with Positive Reinforcement... Ignore the bad and reward the good. Rewardng good behavior with Yorkies is sooo key to successful training.

[Maximo]

I tried it a couple times when Max was young. Positive reinforcement training is so much more effective, especially with a Yorkie, in my opinion. This does not preclude corrections like "no." Make learning fun and you will have a happy dog. I also agree with Kathy that trust is important.

Withdrawing attention when the dog displays negative behavior is very effective. For instance, during playtime, if puppy Max did not listen to 'no bite', I got up and walked away. Play time over.

When Max was not behaving as desired, it did no good to try to dominate him. It only made him struggle and lose focus more.

[Lovetodream88]

The alpha roll has actually been de bunked. Brit (Brister) has posted links to articles about it maybe she will see this and post them again.