[HoorayForPie]

My mom wants to take Kingston to the dog school because he's aggressive towards other dogs, but who should be there with him? He listens to all of us, but doesn't really listen to my mom very well. I think it's because she spoils him. We always have fights regarding her spoiling him, but she'll have her way either way. She gets mad at me if I don't follow her.

Anyways, who should be there to train him? He pulls his leash with me and my mom, but he stops after I correct him. With my mom, he just keeps pulling and my mom lets him. If I ask my mom to stop it, she would say that I should let him because he's having fun outdoors. Wouldn't it be better if my mom goes with him so she knows what to do and the dog learns how to obey her? Also so the instructor could teach her what to do? Because if I try to teach her, she just gets mad and says I don't listen to her.

Examples of pampering:
-My mom always gives in when the dog wants to play and gets mad if I don't give him attention.
-Buying him too much toys. She even gives my stuffed toys to him.
-She recently bought him a "buggy" so she could take him shopping. He doesn't like being in it.
-Giving him table food. I tell her not to and she keeps mentioning that he needs to lose weight, but she does it otherwise. Also, we ALWAYS have to mix pasta, rice, potato, bread or vegetables with his dog food. When I try not to, she gets mad because he doesn't eat it. He does, but not all at once. I tried to tell her that he'll just eat it if he's hungry, but she seems to just get angry and says I don't listen to her.
-My mom addresses him as her baby.
-Whenever he becomes aggressive towards other dogs, she keeps saying that "he just wants to play" because Kingston doesn't bite whenever other dogs approach him, but I can see that he's being dominant because he barks when the other dog tries to get away or he tries to jump on them.
-She always tells me to pet him until he falls asleep.
-Talks to him with a baby voice.
-She lets him bite while playing even when I tell her not to
-etc...

I hope you can help me, because it has been causing a lot of trouble between me and my mom ever since we've had him. It's the main reason I volunteered to go to boarding school - to avoid the fighting. It got to the point where I don't even bother training Kingston, because my mom will do the opposite otherwise. But then she keeps nagging that I don't train him anymore. She still gets mad if I tell her off.

[Catsmine]

Both of you need to go. Your mom could use some pointers in disciplining the animal, and you both could use some training in the dog's hierarchical viewpoint. Who's the Alpha, who's the Beta, who's a pack member.

[tickle]

There can only be one alpha. All the rest are pack members.

Your mom should go with you to obedience school. She clearly needs some hard and fast guidelines !