Yes, the "drop it" command is completely ignored at these times.
The aggressiveness has happened when:
- playing in the same room with other dogs. She'll go from playing, wrestling, and baiting them with her "prize" to hiding it, growling, and snapping.
- once while chewing on a lamb bone. The cat walked by (several feet away) and Penny flipped out. We threw the bone away and refuse to buy them now.
- and rarely, but it has happened, with us if she just doesn't want to give something up. (In the situation where the item wasn't good for her or for another good reason - we don't take things away for fun.)
In fact at night, I will sometimes put her bones or a particular toy away if she is concentrating on them and not going to bed. She might ask for them again but she never gets upset.
As I've said, normally she is the best dog anyone could ask for. But when I see her behave this way, it worries me. Not only am I afraid she'll hurt me, but also I worry this behavior will progress. I'd like to nip it in the butt now while she's still fairly young.
__________________ My goal in life is to be the kind of person my dogs think I am.  Mommy to Penny and Riley. |