well i gave the new puppy a small little stick bone and she took it to the couch and started to chew on it. i wanted to get use to touching her food and get the cats around her while she eats so when shes older shes comfertable with people touching her and being around her when she eats so she has no chance of snapping at someone if something may occur. well i went to touch the stick bone and she growled. so i scolded her and said . NO! then i went to touch it again and she snapped at me. so i screamed at her again and ripped the bone from her and hid them in the closet. is there a way to train this protectiveness out of her so when shes older its not so dangerous? because at christmas theres alot of little kids around and i dont want to have to worry about them gtting hurt if shes eating or something
protective of bones
- Thread starter Nebis
- Start date
R
Now think about it.
She growled because she was afraid you would steal her treasure.
And then what did you do? You made her worst fears come true.
What do you think she will do the NEXT time she has some goody and you walk up?
You have to look at these things from your DOG'S point of view.
I would take out the bone, give it to her, and while she's chewing it, go up to her several times and give her some REALLY tasty treats. Soft stinky cheese, smoked turkey, bits of steak, tiny bits of things she can NOT resist.
If she will let you, play trade for the bone, giving her a very high value tasty goody in return, and then immediately give her back the bone.
ONce she is comfortable with you coming up and feeding her treats with the bone, start letting others do it.
A dog trained in this way does not fear an approach from ANYONE, even if they have high value items, and it makes them child safe no matter what they have.
She growled because she was afraid you would steal her treasure.
And then what did you do? You made her worst fears come true.
What do you think she will do the NEXT time she has some goody and you walk up?
You have to look at these things from your DOG'S point of view.
I would take out the bone, give it to her, and while she's chewing it, go up to her several times and give her some REALLY tasty treats. Soft stinky cheese, smoked turkey, bits of steak, tiny bits of things she can NOT resist.
If she will let you, play trade for the bone, giving her a very high value tasty goody in return, and then immediately give her back the bone.
ONce she is comfortable with you coming up and feeding her treats with the bone, start letting others do it.
A dog trained in this way does not fear an approach from ANYONE, even if they have high value items, and it makes them child safe no matter what they have.
Start teaching her that coming close to her when she has a bone equals treats. If she has it, and she's not growling, toss her a treat as you walk by. Sit next to her and toss a treat. Don't try to take the bone away from her - that's what she's afraid you're going to do, and taking it away just reinforces that belief. If you have to take it away, toss a treat far enough away that she has to leave the bone to go get it, and then pick it up while she's not there. I'm all for trading with a dog: I want the bone, I give the dog something equal or better than the bone in exchange. The dog needs to know that everything belongs to YOU. A little NILIF would be a good idea, too.
Keeping a leash on the puppy is also a good idea. Then you can physically remove her from the situation (not a leash correction, just gently removing the puppy).
Look up resource guarding online, and see what's available. Jean Donaldson wrote a book called "Mine!" on the subject, which might be useful. I haven't read it and have heard from some trainers who read the proof of the book that JD makes the solution way more complicated than it needs to be, but I've also heard that it's an excellent resource... It's the only one I know that specifically covers resource guarding, at any rate.
Keeping a leash on the puppy is also a good idea. Then you can physically remove her from the situation (not a leash correction, just gently removing the puppy).
Look up resource guarding online, and see what's available. Jean Donaldson wrote a book called "Mine!" on the subject, which might be useful. I haven't read it and have heard from some trainers who read the proof of the book that JD makes the solution way more complicated than it needs to be, but I've also heard that it's an excellent resource... It's the only one I know that specifically covers resource guarding, at any rate.
http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2001/hierarchies.htm
This is a great link. After you read the front page, down on the bottom is a link to click on and you'll see a whole bunch of neat things you can learn about. Find the one which relates to this very thing. There's a story about what one person did, step by step...slowly to undo this possession guarding. It's just what Red was talking about. But this will show you exactly what this person did and how she went s-l-o-w-l-y. I think it would be a great help and there's a lot of other good stuff too.
This is how to start all puppies, right away...getting them accustomed to all kinds of people handling their food and their stuff, that no one is a threat and that it in fact is even better to "give" up the item than to not....more of a benefit to them.
This is a great link. After you read the front page, down on the bottom is a link to click on and you'll see a whole bunch of neat things you can learn about. Find the one which relates to this very thing. There's a story about what one person did, step by step...slowly to undo this possession guarding. It's just what Red was talking about. But this will show you exactly what this person did and how she went s-l-o-w-l-y. I think it would be a great help and there's a lot of other good stuff too.
This is how to start all puppies, right away...getting them accustomed to all kinds of people handling their food and their stuff, that no one is a threat and that it in fact is even better to "give" up the item than to not....more of a benefit to them.