HELP! I need some advice!

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by GoofysMom

hahaha sounds nice! Thank you for your advice. Yes he usually shows teeth wneh we are playing with his toys, he doesnt know we are just playing he wants to show me he owns everything in the house I think. We are trying to make him understand the meaning of playing, first with treats but then again when we got him he was about 13 pounds!! (yes... poor baby) So we were looking for a way without treats so that we can reduce his weight. He is now 8.8 pounds.

It does sound like he's learned that showing teeth can assert a little control and guarding his toys is a way of showing he has something that he can call his and get people to back off, fear or respect him some. In a pack setting, a dog will guard something to remind others of his dominance. The pack leader will sometimes remove something such as food or a stick from puppies and other dogs to reinforce his leadership/dominance. Secure, well-adjusted dogs don't need to do this in a home setting so this behavior screams "I need help". Just keep working with him on the NILIF program, obedience and teach him the "Leave It!". This will slowly and over time show him that if he does drop and back away from something you tell him to leave, it will get him a lovely reward and smiling praise. He will learn that "leaving it" is always much more rewarding than is desperately guarding his toys or his food. But you have to be consistent and reward him every single time with a treat and a "Good boy", giving him a great sense of accomplishment for doing this wonderful thing. Tibbe has been trained to even drop food from his mouth with the "Leave It!" trick! It is especially useful in keeping a dog from swallowing a human medication you might have accidentally dropped or something and can save a dog's life!

About treats: Tibbe has a very iffy tummy this past year so I just make his treats from kibble. I soak his kibble in water until plump, microwave it 20 minutes or so on both sides until it is like toffee or praline bark or something, dry it on both sides all day, break it up into small clumps or pieces and he will do ANYTHING to get a piece. He's eager and very fast to do something to get this because I guess it is like French Fries or something to him in the crispy form that microwaving/drying creates. You might try the same thing with your dog's kibble to keep his weight down.