The dog in question is only a pup. Would follow what you are saying on an older dog as you do not know how he would react. But surely you would know your own dog. As you say your dog has growled at you while cleaning paws, you know your dog and understand it but to somebody who does not know your dogs how would they feel. But what some people on here were saying was leave it alone fullstop and let him get on with it. My mother in law has a rough collie and he has become dominant in the household with her. He barks to demand food off her plate (which she gives him) he shreds the mail in front of her and he has bitten her (she says he didn't mean to it was an accident etc), gets in the car and does not stop barking until he gets where he is going, barks when the phone rings and takes a while to stop, this is what happens I believe if you do not confront the problem. Both Andrea and I have both worked with him (for my sins my mil lives across the road)and when we have been with him none of the above happens. So why do you think that happens.
Like you I have been involved with dogs for most of my life and personally had 12 dogs (scary thought) Rough Collie, Boxer, 2 heinz 57(both rescues), 4 GSD's (2 were rescues), Scottish Terrier (she used to grumble at the cats when they got in her bed with her but the cats just ignored her),Lurcher (rescue), 2 Cockers and have never had a problem with food dominance, all our dogs are always fed at the same times in the same room and all you can hear is bowls scraping across the floor.
I am no expert and do not profess to be, only relating what works for us. We have been quite succesful with the Cockers in competion and are being asked continually to attend different shoots. We were also asked to attend Crufts as part of a team with the GSD's for an exhibition. We do help with other peoples dogs but voluntarily and not with behaviour issues just with training.
Firstly, i wouldn't let any one who didn't know Alfie dry his paws so would never put anyone in that situation so that really makes your question irrelevant, you still haven't answered mine by the way! With regard to this being a pup, well pups still bite Steve so yes I would treat any dog i didn't know with caution. Rather than posts that advised doing nothing, I only saw posts that directed people away from direct confrontation and I think I have made my feelings clear on what the OP should do.
The behaviour you are describing with regard to the collie sounds to me the symptoms of a lack of training and stimulation. I do believe you have to tackle problems, but in my world, that means using methods that do not put folks at risk of being bitten, and this often requires planning. The dog barks for food because it works and rips up stuff probably because it has learned it gets a reaction from your mother in law? I would be looking at what training and stimulation your mother in law does with the dog?
I do believe behaviour can be person specific and I do believe that dogs will behave in a manner that is inappropriate if the person handling the dog allows the dog to do so if that is your definition of dominance then so be it. Personally I would say rather than dominant under trained and badly handled. I blame the owner not the dog for allowing the dog to take the opportunities on offer.
I'm glad what you do works for you, but hope you will take on board my point that just because it works for one dog in one family does not mean you can advise successfully on another dog who is unknown to you who you know little about.
There is no one size fits all approach to dog behaviour modification, if there was I would be out of a job as every one would know exactly what to do and it would work 100% of the time with every dog.
Thanks for your resume by the way, i don't shoot so am never invited, never taken a dog to crufts to be part of a display team, but i do work with dog behaviour problems for a living and am just about to qualify with a BSc Hons in canine behaviour so hopefully that does make me as you would say an expert
