Aggressive little pup

[Tracys0309]

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I am looking for advice on my lurcher/spaniel cross who is becoming very possessive and aggressive if anyone approaches (or even talks in her direction) when she has a treat, toy or her food. Any advice on how I can safely train this aggression out of her please

 

[leashedForLife]

.

U can't actually "train aggro out", as it's normal.
No one goes thru life placidly accepting everything done to them, done "for" them, or done around them - it's just not possible. Dogs are no more angelic than humans, altho frankly, i think they let us get away with more than we ought to get away with - they're far-more tolerant than most humans, of any age, gender, or ethnic variety!

Inapropos aggro is what we don't want - biting without just cause, forceful bites over petty provocations, & so on.

The problem here is that she's anxious about her possessions, & trying to protect them. Punishing her for feeling threatened will only "prove" to her than she was right, & taking away her precious items would also bring her fears into reality.

What U can do is teach Ur dog that U & Ur family can be trusted - no one will steal her food, snatch her chewie away, or make off with the toy she's playing with, for instance. She's a baby, & defending what's hers is an instinct - she's not "being bad", she's merely warning ppl that they're worrying her, & to go away.
U want her to warn ppl - there are few things more potentially-dangerous than a dog who's had the growl "punished out of them", 'cuz at that point, all the dog can do is go direct to bite.

I know it sounds counter-intuitive & crazy, but growls are good. :thumbup: Think of them as Public Service Announcements, & much-clearer communication than those garbled voices mumbling over the subway loudspeakers, LOL - she's not threatening, she's communicating in the only way she has, & growls should always be heeded.

I'd go to Dog Star Daily & download both FREE books on puppy-raising.
I'll also suggest the short n' simple pamphlet, "Mine!" - all about resource-guarding & teaching dogs to trust us.

- terry

.

 

[Tracys0309]

.

U can't actually "train aggro out", as it's normal.
No one goes thru life placidly accepting everything done to them, done "for" them, or done around them - it's just not possible. Dogs are no more angelic than humans, altho frankly, i think they let us get away with more than we ought to get away with - they're far-more tolerant than most humans, of any age, gender, or ethnic variety!

Inapropos aggro is what we don't want - biting without just cause, forceful bites over petty provocations, & so on.

The problem here is that she's anxious about her possessions, & trying to protect them. Punishing her for feeling threatened will only "prove" to her than she was right, & taking away her precious items would also bring her fears into reality.

What U can do is teach Ur dog that U & Ur family can be trusted - no one will steal her food, snatch her chewie away, or make off with the toy she's playing with, for instance. She's a baby, & defending what's hers is an instinct - she's not "being bad", she's merely warning ppl that they're worrying her, & to go away.
U want her to warn ppl - there are few things more potentially-dangerous than a dog who's had the growl "punished out of them", 'cuz at that point, all the dog can do is go direct to bite.

I know it sounds counter-intuitive & crazy, but growls are good. :thumbup: Think of them as Public Service Announcements, & much-clearer communication than those garbled voices mumbling over the subway loudspeakers, LOL - she's not threatening, she's communicating in the only way she has, & growls should always be heeded.

I'd go to Dog Star Daily & download both FREE books on puppy-raising.
I'll also suggest the short n' simple pamphlet, "Mine!" - all about resource-guarding & teaching dogs to trust us.

- terry

.

Hi Terry,
Thank you for this, it makes sense. I guess I'm just worried that the aggressive snarling she does for what appears to be no reason could develop into something worse. She has such a good temperament all other times and I don't want to mess that up.
Thanks again.
Tracy

 

[JudyN]

I agree with everything LeashedforLife says. It can develop into something worse, but there's more that you can do in addition to LfL's advice. You don't say that she ever guards things that aren't hers but I'll cover that anyway, just in case... My lad was fine with his toys but not with stolen socks, mobile phones, etc.

First, make sure you're very tidy so she can't get anything she shouldn't have (because it's dangerous to her, valuable, whatever). If she does get something, even if it could be dangerous, ignore her. There is almost certainly more risk in trying to get it off her than letting her have it.

Teach a really good recall in the house. You want her to come running happily to you from the other end of the house and forget all about her 'possession'. As a general training exercise, you want to give her her reward and then let her go back to what she was doing, so she doesn't develop a suspicion that you're really trying to separate her from what she has. Then when you do need to separate her, when she comes to you you can get yourself in between her and the possession - I used stairgates so I'd, say, recall her from the kitchen then I'd go out of the kitchen and shut the stairgate so I could retrieve what she had.

Moving on to toys and food...

When she has these, throw a high-value treat towards her from a distance she's entirely comfortable with, then walk away. Next, take a step towards her, throw the treat, and walk away. Gradually decrease the distance. What you want is for her to look up expectantly and happily when you approach - any sign of stress and you're going too fast. Eventually you want to be able to go right up to her, hand her the treat, and walk away. But if you don't get to this stage were food's concerned, don't sweat it. You can simply let her eat in peace.

If it caused a problem, don't give her any long-lasting chews. As a pup, my dog would bring his chew to eat next to us, then growl because we were too near

Train a good retrieve, starting with items she won't guard and working up to higher value. My dog knows 'bring it to me' and the beauty of it is that if he does bring it to me I know he's happy to relinquish it. If he just looks at me balefully I know that he doesn't want to give it up - this is so much safer than going up to him and trying to take it.

Reward him for bringing you anything. My dog used to guard socks, but after a lot of work, if I left the laundry lying around he'd bring me socks, pants, t shirts... and always got a reward, however much of a nuisance it was. He brings me my slipper-socks when we get in from a walk and I always reward him even if I'm already juggling coat, lead, keys, shoes, etc.

Sometimes, guarding behaviour can be so hard-wired that you can't fix it completely and management will be a part of it. This is the case with my dog, so he's always muzzled out of the house, in case he finds something edible and a well-meaning stranger tries to remove it. And if he gets food inside the house, I leave him to it. The possible consequences of trying to take it off him are likely to be worse than letting him eat it. Do teach a good 'leave' or 'drop', working with low-value items. It may well eventually work with higher-value items but again, don't push it if it doesn't.

 

[JudyN]

Oh, I forgot to mention trading - dog has an item, you offer him something REALLY high-value in exchange, when he takes the high-value item you pick up what he had. In a training situation you then give back what he had. Start work on this when he has something low-value that he won't guard, and build up.

It doesn't work with all dogs... I once offered my dog a lamb steak in exchange for a plastic measuring spoon and it did not go well. In his mind I think if I was prepared to do that the spoon must be REALLY precious and I must REALLY want it so he was going to have to fight hard to keep it. But quite possibly that was because I hadn't worked on the foundation skills well, and as more than one behaviourist has comment, I do have a really strange dog

 

[Violet Turner]

When a dog growls it is for a reason. Does he growl when he has a particular toy? Does he growl when you go near with reason to take the food away? Are you familiar with his body language (i.e. when he’s relaxed?)

There is a few steps on how to get him to stop so here goes:

Step 1 – get some high value treats, don’t give him kibble that is not what he’s after. He wants chicken skin or some shop bought soft bight treats.

Step 2 – let your dog have a less protected toy (if not give any). Stay at a good distance. (A good distance is a distance where he will not get tensed up) and walk parallel to him/were he is.

Step 3 – move gradually closer each day. Continue walking parallel to him and toss a treat when you pass him. In result to this your dog’s emotional response could change and he gets excited over getting a treat when you walk by (tail wagging and getting excited)

Step 4 – let your dog have another toy, smear it in non-xylitol peanut butter (xylitol is poisonous). Now instead of throwing the treats through the toy with PB on it. While he is increased in the other toy get his toy that he has dropped gradually walk calmly over and pick that toy up, then smear it with PB also and continue to do this you may want to buy 2 new toys after this because PB is not very easy to get out. Repeat this a few times a day every week and until he shows no sign of aggression.

This is only one way of getting his to stop being aggressive and I have only shared one so there is loads of ways to do it. This is going to take a while so be prepared for a long month or two… Hope this helps!

 

[JudyN]

Also, there's the 'three bowl trick':

Start when it is not a meal time: put down three empty bowls spaced as far apart as the room will allow, and walk a circuit between them, dropping ONE piece of kibble into each bowl as you go round. Your dog will follow you, eating each piece of kibble as he goes round - the bowls must be spaced out sufficiently that he can't dive at you from the previous bowl.

The idea is that he associates you and empty bowls with food arriving so, eventually, when he is eating and he hears a person moving around or sees them out of the corner of his eye approaching or walking by, he thinks 'Oh… human, more food?' and not 'Argh human, might steal food'...

After you have introduced the very basics of the three bowl trick, you have a number of ways in which you can progress - you can do the sessions nearer to his meal time, so the food has more value because he is hungrier. You can reduce the number of bowls (and thus each bowl will have a higher potential value), increase the value of what you drop into the bowls, you could ask someone else in the household to do the session instead of you, you could increase the amount of kibble you drop into each bowl, or you could reduce the distance between the bowls.

Pick whichever one you think, based on what you have seen so far, will be the LEAST likely to cause your dog to make a mistake. If you think any of those changes would cause him to make a mistake then you are not ready to make a change yet.

Stick to changing just one thing at a time, unless you think you need to go back a step - so maybe you think he is ready to have the bowls closer together, but perhaps do this session when he has only finished his breakfast an hour ago and so isn't that hungry.

Eventually you should be down to one bowl with his actual meal and when you approach, he should look at you relaxed and waggy and then you can drop a handful of something tasty into the bowl as he is eating.

This is from an article I wrote on Victoria Stillwell's forum, but this section came from Emmabeth on that forum so I should credit her: Resource guarding - Positively | Victoria Stilwell | Forum

 

[Violet Turner]

Also, there's the 'three bowl trick':

Start when it is not a meal time: put down three empty bowls spaced as far apart as the room will allow, and walk a circuit between them, dropping ONE piece of kibble into each bowl as you go round. Your dog will follow you, eating each piece of kibble as he goes round - the bowls must be spaced out sufficiently that he can't dive at you from the previous bowl.

The idea is that he associates you and empty bowls with food arriving so, eventually, when he is eating and he hears a person moving around or sees them out of the corner of his eye approaching or walking by, he thinks 'Oh… human, more food?' and not 'Argh human, might steal food'...

After you have introduced the very basics of the three bowl trick, you have a number of ways in which you can progress - you can do the sessions nearer to his meal time, so the food has more value because he is hungrier. You can reduce the number of bowls (and thus each bowl will have a higher potential value), increase the value of what you drop into the bowls, you could ask someone else in the household to do the session instead of you, you could increase the amount of kibble you drop into each bowl, or you could reduce the distance between the bowls.

Pick whichever one you think, based on what you have seen so far, will be the LEAST likely to cause your dog to make a mistake. If you think any of those changes would cause him to make a mistake then you are not ready to make a change yet.

Stick to changing just one thing at a time, unless you think you need to go back a step - so maybe you think he is ready to have the bowls closer together, but perhaps do this session when he has only finished his breakfast an hour ago and so isn't that hungry.

Eventually you should be down to one bowl with his actual meal and when you approach, he should look at you relaxed and waggy and then you can drop a handful of something tasty into the bowl as he is eating.

This is from an article I wrote on Victoria Stillwell's forum, but this section came from Emmabeth on that forum so I should credit her: Resource guarding - Positively | Victoria Stilwell | Forum

This is a great method!

 

[Caro Perry]

Like that 3 bowl method - I've not heard of that before. I've always "traded" with Harri.

 

[Tracys0309]

I agree with everything LeashedforLife says. It can develop into something worse, but there's more that you can do in addition to LfL's advice. You don't say that she ever guards things that aren't hers but I'll cover that anyway, just in case... My lad was fine with his toys but not with stolen socks, mobile phones, etc.

First, make sure you're very tidy so she can't get anything she shouldn't have (because it's dangerous to her, valuable, whatever). If she does get something, even if it could be dangerous, ignore her. There is almost certainly more risk in trying to get it off her than letting her have it.

Teach a really good recall in the house. You want her to come running happily to you from the other end of the house and forget all about her 'possession'. As a general training exercise, you want to give her her reward and then let her go back to what she was doing, so she doesn't develop a suspicion that you're really trying to separate her from what she has. Then when you do need to separate her, when she comes to you you can get yourself in between her and the possession - I used stairgates so I'd, say, recall her from the kitchen then I'd go out of the kitchen and shut the stairgate so I could retrieve what she had.

Moving on to toys and food...

When she has these, throw a high-value treat towards her from a distance she's entirely comfortable with, then walk away. Next, take a step towards her, throw the treat, and walk away. Gradually decrease the distance. What you want is for her to look up expectantly and happily when you approach - any sign of stress and you're going too fast. Eventually you want to be able to go right up to her, hand her the treat, and walk away. But if you don't get to this stage were food's concerned, don't sweat it. You can simply let her eat in peace.

If it caused a problem, don't give her any long-lasting chews. As a pup, my dog would bring his chew to eat next to us, then growl because we were too near

Train a good retrieve, starting with items she won't guard and working up to higher value. My dog knows 'bring it to me' and the beauty of it is that if he does bring it to me I know he's happy to relinquish it. If he just looks at me balefully I know that he doesn't want to give it up - this is so much safer than going up to him and trying to take it.

Reward him for bringing you anything. My dog used to guard socks, but after a lot of work, if I left the laundry lying around he'd bring me socks, pants, t shirts... and always got a reward, however much of a nuisance it was. He brings me my slipper-socks when we get in from a walk and I always reward him even if I'm already juggling coat, lead, keys, shoes, etc.

Sometimes, guarding behaviour can be so hard-wired that you can't fix it completely and management will be a part of it. This is the case with my dog, so he's always muzzled out of the house, in case he finds something edible and a well-meaning stranger tries to remove it. And if he gets food inside the house, I leave him to it. The possible consequences of trying to take it off him are likely to be worse than letting him eat it. Do teach a good 'leave' or 'drop', working with low-value items. It may well eventually work with higher-value items but again, don't push it if it doesn't.

Thank you, I will try this.
This is the first time I've had a puppy of my own, previously it was my parents doing this. I just don't want to get it wrong for her.
Tracy

 

[Tracys0309]

When a dog growls it is for a reason. Does he growl when he has a particular toy? Does he growl when you go near with reason to take the food away? Are you familiar with his body language (i.e. when he’s relaxed?)

There is a few steps on how to get him to stop so here goes:

Step 1 – get some high value treats, don’t give him kibble that is not what he’s after. He wants chicken skin or some shop bought soft bight treats.

Step 2 – let your dog have a less protected toy (if not give any). Stay at a good distance. (A good distance is a distance where he will not get tensed up) and walk parallel to him/were he is.

Step 3 – move gradually closer each day. Continue walking parallel to him and toss a treat when you pass him. In result to this your dog’s emotional response could change and he gets excited over getting a treat when you walk by (tail wagging and getting excited)

Step 4 – let your dog have another toy, smear it in non-xylitol peanut butter (xylitol is poisonous). Now instead of throwing the treats through the toy with PB on it. While he is increased in the other toy get his toy that he has dropped gradually walk calmly over and pick that toy up, then smear it with PB also and continue to do this you may want to buy 2 new toys after this because PB is not very easy to get out. Repeat this a few times a day every week and until he shows no sign of aggression.

This is only one way of getting his to stop being aggressive and I have only shared one so there is loads of ways to do it. This is going to take a while so be prepared for a long month or two… Hope this helps!

Thank you, she is a good pleasant little pup mostly, I just don't want to let her down. All advice gratefully received.
Tracy

 

[Tracys0309]

Also, there's the 'three bowl trick':

Start when it is not a meal time: put down three empty bowls spaced as far apart as the room will allow, and walk a circuit between them, dropping ONE piece of kibble into each bowl as you go round. Your dog will follow you, eating each piece of kibble as he goes round - the bowls must be spaced out sufficiently that he can't dive at you from the previous bowl.

The idea is that he associates you and empty bowls with food arriving so, eventually, when he is eating and he hears a person moving around or sees them out of the corner of his eye approaching or walking by, he thinks 'Oh… human, more food?' and not 'Argh human, might steal food'...

After you have introduced the very basics of the three bowl trick, you have a number of ways in which you can progress - you can do the sessions nearer to his meal time, so the food has more value because he is hungrier. You can reduce the number of bowls (and thus each bowl will have a higher potential value), increase the value of what you drop into the bowls, you could ask someone else in the household to do the session instead of you, you could increase the amount of kibble you drop into each bowl, or you could reduce the distance between the bowls.

Pick whichever one you think, based on what you have seen so far, will be the LEAST likely to cause your dog to make a mistake. If you think any of those changes would cause him to make a mistake then you are not ready to make a change yet.

Stick to changing just one thing at a time, unless you think you need to go back a step - so maybe you think he is ready to have the bowls closer together, but perhaps do this session when he has only finished his breakfast an hour ago and so isn't that hungry.

Eventually you should be down to one bowl with his actual meal and when you approach, he should look at you relaxed and waggy and then you can drop a handful of something tasty into the bowl as he is eating.

This is from an article I wrote on Victoria Stillwell's forum, but this section came from Emmabeth on that forum so I should credit her: Resource guarding - Positively | Victoria Stilwell | Forum

Thank you for this
Tracy

 

[leashedForLife]

.

here's a link to Dr Dunbar's free books:
http:///www.dogstardaily.com/free-downloads


& another for "Mine!" on UK Amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mine-Practical-Guide-Resource-Guarding/dp/0970562942/

all 3 are very-highly regarded [2 of Ian's, one of Jean's], & none will suggest anything confrontational, aversive, or likely to cause unintended fallout. Safe for use by anyone!

- terry

.

 

[JudyN]

.
here's a link to Dr Dunbar's free books:
http:///www.dogstardaily.com/free-downloads

I found Ian Dunbar's books a little military and prescriptive for me - not that he's suggesting Boot Camp for dogs, more 'Every time your pup has an accident in the house it's a disaster' and 'You need to get your dog fixated on chew toys.' But this is a personality thing. I'm more of an 'OK, chew my hand off as long as I can stay in bed five more minutes' person I'm just mentioning this so that if you read the book and feel like I did, feel free to adapt according to what you're happy with - you don't need to achieve the standards he sets for his approach to be really useful.

 

[leashedForLife]

.

I like to aim for error-free housetraining, altho the owner's schedule can make that a fantasy, in which case, we confine the mistakes to places that are easy to clean. // Sometimes U really need to enlist outside help for young pups, so they can get out as needed when U are working or in classes, etc - a relative, neighbor, friends, can all help get the pup out regularly.
If there are no buddies of any kind, hire a pet-sitter or dog-walker to pop in as needed for a 15-minute potty trip, until the pup is older & can handle longer periods of confinement w/o an aching bladder.

A LOG is important, anytime more than 1 person is taking a pup [or dog!] out for potty-trips, to keep a record of When they were last out, What they produced if anything, & Comments on changes [diarrhea, gassy, straining, plastic bits in poop, any other unusual events].
A standard sheet of paper with 4 columns is fine - day/date, initials of the person taking the dog out, What [liquid or solid] & approx volume [6-oz, 12-oz, whatever], then a line for comments.

Hang the log somewhere accessible & obvious, such as on the exit door, or on the refrigerator door, & be sure to tape or clip a pen on a string beside it.
Now, everyone can see when the dog was last out, & if they actually voided on that trip. :thumbs-up:

- terry

.