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Originally Posted by shopstump Any ideas on how to train Stump to not be agressive. We give him these bones that he loves more than anything. And tonight I was playing with him and it's funny because you touch the other end of the bone while hes chewing it and he will growl. I always thought it was cute, and well this time he jumped up and bit my finger. He has nibbled before when he was a pup. But this was a full on bite. My finger is still throbbing from it.
Anyway, my question is how can I teach him to not be like this?I know I probably shouldn't have taken it from him and messed with him while he was chewing it. But I don't want my dog to be agressive, Especially if he were ever around a child who took it away from him. Who knew his small teeth could hurt so bad. |
Loki is kind of like this, but rather than growl or snap he will get up and run away with his kong/toy/stick/whatever. Even if it's 5 feet away and he's not playing with it. But he will growl if he has something like paper that he's not supposed to have and I take it out of his mouth. So here's what you do:
Trade for better things. Take his kong away and give him a bully stick. Take his kong away, give him a treat, and give it back. Then work on taking it away and giving it back. When Loki is chewing on things I go over and say something like "Can I see that" and I take it, look at it, ask him to sit, then give it back. They learn you aren't taking it away from them.
Next - find a copy of Mine! by Jean Donaldson. Usually you can find them on Amazon or Ebay. It talks about resource guarding and object posessiveness.
I would not suggest hitting or correcting your dog for this. I know, easier said than done. But if you were poked or hit or yelled at each time you didn't want to share something important to you, wouldn't you get MORE defensive? And a dog's defence is retreating, then growling... and then biting... They can't say "Hey don't do that!" or "Suzie is hitting me!"
Make sense?