Question to smart dog owners

[EuroSZabina]

If you have a puppy which is happily chewing on a bone and somebody walks up to it and try to take it away, but the person gets bit by it.
What is your opinion about it.
Was the person acted bad?
What would you do after you got bit ?

I learned it to not to touch any animal while they are eating no matter what, and if you are his owner or not.

Thanks

 

[CaraClementine]

A dog has no business biting someone for taking away it's toy. It may be a different scenario if the person is a complete stranger.

When I had a dog trainer, she told me that a dog must not bite, and be possessive... and we as owners should not encourage/allow this.

Strangers approaching dogs should know better than to just dive in and touch the dog, or dogs things. Owners should be there to make sure strangers do not do this.

 

[dilligaf]

the dog shouldnt bite anyone period.

 

[Arrrg]

You didn't get your 'pack leader' t-shirt yet?

Dog should learn not be possessive about anything!

 

[EuroSZabina]

Ok, fair enough

The puppy is not possessive about the toys but her bone she goes crazy.
I don't like to see this attitude from her.

 

[sirlickheralot]

If you have a puppy which is happily chewing on a bone and somebody walks up to it and try to take it away, but the person gets bit by it.
What is your opinion about it.
Was the person acted bad?
What would you do after you got bit ?

I learned it to not to touch any animal while they are eating no matter what, and if you are his owner or not.

Thanks

I think dogs should be trained to not be aggresive no matter what you try to take away from them, whether it be food or toys. What if they are eating something that could be harmful to them and you can't get them to relinquish it without them becoming aggresive. I have 3 large dogs and I trained them all to allow me to take food and bones away from them whenever I wish. They also obey when I tell them OUT. Now that they are trained it isn't something I do often but it has come in handy a few times when they've discoved something tasty, I don't want them eating, ie a dead animals like a rat, raccoon, etc, who knows what diseases they could be ingesting.

That being said I wouldn't be stupid enough to take food away from someone elses dog unless I knew the dog very well.

 

[neon]

Have you watch dog whisperer?http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/videoplayer/

 

[CaraClementine]

One poster said tug of war would be a good idea... tug of war is not a good game, as it encourages agression.

I have a little dog with big attitude... and I was told to train her using postive rewards.. such as the treat system, also time outs. The time outs actually seemed to have more of an effect on her! lol

 

[festealth]

Is the bone a "toy" or "food/treat"?

If it's considered as a toy, then your dog's behaviour needs to be corrected. But if you gave your dog a bone for food (raw food diet), a dog being overly aggressive trying to protect is kinda normal. Dogs generally will be possessive over food, but for raw food (or stuff that's more natural/primal), their wolf-like abilities are more apparent.

I have a dog under 15lbs, and when I try to take away his canned food/treats, he'll try to prevent me from doing so by just blocking me and growling a little bit. When I'm trying to take away his turkeyneck, he'll "attack" my hand without biting it, growl louder, and will hold onto it longer to prevent me from taking his stuff.

Overall, since your dog is still a puppy and there was an idiot trying to take her bone, I see nothing wrong. Though, as other posters have mentioned, you should prove your dominance to your little doggie, so if you decide to take the bone away, your dog will just (unhappily) accept it.

 

[Miss*Bijou]

Dog should learn not be possessive about anything!

Yup, totally.
It's obviously wrong (not to mention rude and stoopid! ) for a stranger to walk up to any dog and even approach/pet an unknown dog, let alone, take its bone - without first ASKING if it's okay. (A LOT of people don't realize this and assume it's okay to approach any strange dog but a lot of people also seem to LOOK AT ME and ASK first before going anywhere near my dog - regardless of how friendly she may look. Honestly, it's just common sense too, but many people lack that.)

BUT any kind of aggressive guarding such as you've described (food, toys, etc) is regarded as behavior that needs to be looked at and dealt with. It's a serious negative behavior and as unpredictable as people are, your dog may very well have his bones, toys or food handled unsuspectingly on any given day.. And regardless of who does this (you, a stranger: adult or child!), biting is an immediate BIG sign of trouble.

Dogs should not bite. Period.

Guarding Valued Objects

Object-guarding starts during puppyhood .
Owners may fail to notice their adolescent dog becoming increasingly possessive and protective. Some may actually encourage their puppy's protective displays, thinking they are cute.

It is natural for dogs to protect their possessions. In the wild, a wolf would hardly pop next door to borrow a cup of bones. Domestic dogs quickly learn that once something is gone, it is gone. So it is not surprising to find dogs trying to keep their possessions away from people.

....
If you frequently take food or toys away from your puppy and she never gets them back, your pup will learn that relinquishing an object likely means she will never see it again. Understandably, your pup might develop behaviors to keep objects away from you. She may run and hide with the object, hold on tight with her jaws, growl, snarl, and maybe snap.

...
Basically, you have to teach your puppy that voluntarily relinquishing an object does not mean losing it for good. Your puppy should learn that giving up bones, toys, and tissues means receiving something better in return — praise and treats — and also later getting back the original object.


The Token System — Exchanging Valued Commodities for Treats
Start working with objects that both you and your puppy can hold at the same time, such as a rolled newspaper or a Kong on a rope. Physical contact is a very big part of the possession game. Your puppy is less likely to protect an object if you still have hold of it. However, as soon as you let go, your pup becomes more likely to defend her prize.

...
By teaching your puppy to retrieve objects, what had intrinsic value as a toy now has additional value as a token that may be exchanged for praise and rewards. Playing fetch with your puppy is a wonderful way to supercharge her toys, increase their effectiveness as lures and rewards for training, and greatly increase the likelihood that a bored puppy will seek out her toys to play with rather than inappropriate household or outdoor articles.

Once the above exchange exercises are working, increase the intrinsic value of the objects by stuffing the Kong or sterilized bone with treats. Before your puppy is ten weeks old, you should also repeat the following confidence-building exercise many times. Even with a ten-week-old puppy, I would advise having an assistant for these exercises. Tie a length of stout string to one end of a meaty bone. Should the pup growl, have your assistant yank on the string to pull the bone away, and quickly cover it with a plastic garbage bucket. The plastic bucket may also be used to cover the pup's food bowl should the pup act up during food bowl exercises.

...
If you have problems with object and food guarding exercises, seek help immediately. Do not wait until your puppy is three months old.


The Food Bowl
Many old-time dog training books advise not going near a dog when it is eating. Whereas it may be sound advice to let a trustworthy adult dog eat in peace, this does not mean letting untrained puppies eat alone. If a pup grows up eating alone, she may not want her mealtimes disturbed as an adult. Eventually, someone is bound to bother the dog when she is eating, whereupon she may respond in a characteristically canine, food-protective fashion and growl, snarl, snap, lunge, and maybe bite.

By all means, tell people not to bother your dog when she is eating, but first be certain your puppy is totally trustworthy around her food bowl. Teach your puppy not simply to tolerate people around her food bowl, but to thoroughly look forward to dinner-time guests.

Hold your pup's bowl while she eats kibble. Offer tasty treats and handle the puppy, and she will learn her dinners are more enjoyable when people are present with petting and treats. Let the puppy eat kibble from her bowl, offer a tasty treat, and then temporarily remove the bowl as the puppy enjoys the treat. Then try removing the bowl prior to offering a treat. Your pup will soon look forward to your removing the bowl and the kibble, since it signals a tasty treat is imminent.

As your puppy is eating dry kibble from her bowl, quickly put your hand in the bowl and offer a tasty treat. Give your puppy time to reinvestigate the dry kibble, to check for more treats, and to recommence eating. Then plunge your hand in the bowl and offer another treat. Repeat the procedure several times. Your pup will soon become accustomed and look forward to sudden hand movements around her food bowl. This exercise impresses puppies to no end — it's like the magician who pulls a flower, an egg, or a dove from behind someone's ear.

Sit with your puppy while she is eating and have family members and friends walk by. Each time someone approaches, spoon a small dollop of canned food on top of the kibble. Your puppy will quickly make the association between approaching people and juicy canned food being added to her kibble. Later, have family and friends approach and toss a treat into the puppy's bowl. Soon your puppy will welcome the dinnertime presence and presents of people.

http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/guarding-valued-objects

Working with the dog who already has a problem
Occasionally we adopt a dog who has already had many years of controlling his food bowl and bones. Sometimes dogs who have been rescued from a puppy mill or neglectful environment actually did have to fight for their food. In either case, doing the puppy exercises listed above may not be a safe option.

Realize that it is not all about the food - rather, it's about the relationship. Your dog must learn to trust that you are a competent, capable leader who is in charge of everything, including the territory and the valued resources. He must trust that you have his best interests at heart. Work with a qualified behaviorist or an experienced trainer who can help you convey leadership to your dog in a kind but firm manner. Dogs are genetically programmed to defer leadership to the individual in their environment whom they consider the most capable of making the decisions, controlling the territory,and taking charge of the resources. Becoming that type of leader will help your dog feel safer and more secure.

Start by taking up all bones and toys and putting them in a basket or box where your dog cannot reach them. He can only chew on one thing at a time, so no more than one item should be on the floor, or in his crate, at any one time. If you come into a room and see the toy or bone just lying there, the dog ignoring it, simply pick it up and put it back in the basket. If your dog needs something to play with, then call him to you, have him sit, then reach in and get something and give it to him. This conveys to him that the toys and bones are yours, and you are allowing him to play with them, instead of vice-versa.

In relationship to his food bowl, start simply. Have your dog sit before the food is put down. Once he can do this, progress to standing near him as he eats, ignoring any displays of growling or guarding. After a few days, if you have not tried to take it away, he should accept your closeness to the food. Once he does this, then start using your foot (with shoes on, please) to push the bowl a bit while he is eating. Start by doing it just once during his dinner, but progress to the point where you can actually push the bowl totally away from him, and stand between him and the bowl.

If you think he is likely to have a temper tantrum, then have him attached to his leash, so you can pick up the leash and pull him away if needed. Dogs do understand that leaders can make them move, even away from valued items, so the use of a leash, or your body blocking him, or your foot pushing, are all leadership exercises. For best results, do all of these things without talking at all.

Be patient and persistent, yet calm and collected.
Are pack leaders the ones who engage in the most posturing and aggressive displays to make their point? No! It is the "leader wanna-bes" who make the biggest fuss. The actual leader simply walks into the pack and takes what he wishes, with very little fanfare.

When starting leadership exercises of any kind, including those that revolve around the food bowl, do so with confidence, yet quietly and calmly. Cesar Milan of The Dog Whisperer TV show on National Geographic speaks often of calm, assertive energy. This is exactly what we wish to project when working with dogs with food and guarding issues. If we yell loudly, or even chatter incessantly, we are marking ourselves as "leader wanna-bes," not powerful pack leaders. Remember, you are the one who paid for the food and the toys, and you are the one responsible for making sure your dog is not a danger to anyone - so you have not only the right, but the responsibility, to step into the role of pack leader. Be persistent, don't give up. Almost every dog can accept that adult human beings have control over the food, bones and toys. Keep in mind, however, that dogs view smaller children more like other dogs, pack members equal to themselves, so do not do any of these exercises with your children present, and never allow your children to do anything that might put them at risk.

If implementing these suggestions does not cause a significant improvement in your dog's behavior within three weeks, then consider contacting an experienced canine behavior specialist. They can help by evaluating your dog and making sure that there are not other issues which need to be addressed.

http://dogtime.com/dogs-with-food-aggression-issues-aspca.html

 

[Miss*Bijou]

Yikes! Some of this is pretty scary!!

One poster said tug of war would be a good idea... tug of war is not a good game, as it encourages agression.

That's not true..
Tug of war is actually a great game for puppies socializing and learning to play without being aggressive. Well..... depends who you ask, I guess. lol Some trainers say it's great, other say it isn't...

My dog was socialized for the most part by my friends rotti who was about 1 yr older than mine. They played tug of war from the very beginning, it's one of the first games the older dog taught mine. And they never got aggressive.. My dog LOVES playing tug of war with me too and has never got close to displaying aggressive behavior when playing with me or with other dogs.

Really depends on the dog and on the trainer, I guess.

a dog being overly aggressive trying to protect is kinda normal. Dogs generally will be possessive over food, but for raw food (or stuff that's more natural/primal), their wolf-like abilities are more apparent.

I have a dog under 15lbs, and when I try to take away his canned food/treats, he'll try to prevent me from doing so by just blocking me and growling a little bit. When I'm trying to take away his turkeyneck, he'll "attack" my hand without biting it, growl louder, and will hold onto it longer to prevent me from taking his stuff.

Um. Sorry, but no matter the dog's size - that's not 'normal' or 'acceptable', dear. What you're describing is actually pretty bad aggressive behavior. Your dog should not growl, bark, or 'attack' your hand or any other part of your body if you try to take away his/her toy, food or bone (raw or not). Your dog thinks he's the boss or leader and you're his bitch , um, I mean - his subordinate.

Overall, since your dog is still a puppy and there was an idiot trying to take her bone, I see nothing wrong.

AAAH. That's scary advice. AAAH. Scary.

There's no way that's normal behavior. When a dog bites or attacks someone, animal control rarely even cares what this person did (unless they were clearly abusing or taunting the dog, of course). If an 8 year old decides to grab your dog's bone while you're not looking and your dog 'attacks', guards or bites the kid - no one will be saying:

"Aaah but it was completely normal for the dog to take a chunk out of the kid, as the dog natural/primal & wolf-like behavior are to be expected since he's on a raw food diet! Stitch the kid up, give him a lecture & reprimand his parents for making the dog bite him."

Um, no. Not so much, eh?!
Sorry, that's never normal or acceptable behavior from a dog. It may happen a lot, but that's a warning sign the dog needs some training in that department. Not that he's being more wolf-like. Unless you want him living in the woods with other wolves, he can't behave that way - regardless of its size!

Though, as other posters have mentioned, you should prove your dominance to your little doggie, so if you decide to take the bone away, your dog will just (unhappily) accept it.

If a dog considers you the leader (or dominant), there won't even be a question of whether your dog will 'happily' or 'unhappily' accept it... he'll just accept it and there will never even be an issue. There might be an issue when someone else (a stranger, someone who is not his leader) does it, but that is where training to eliminate aggressive guarding behavior comes in, and where it is really one of the most important things to teach your dog.

I'm sorry if it seems I'm targeting you, but your comments really scared the crap out of me. The behavior is just as bad regardless of the dog's size, but right about now I'm very thankful your dog is not 115lbs, or even half that size because that would be very, very scary IMO.






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The links below are of dog body language lecture (divided in 7 parts):
Learn the principles to efficiently build any behavior you can think of to any degree of difficulty you can imagine.

Jean Donaldson is the award-winning author of Oh Behave! Dogs from Pavlov to Premack to Pinker; The Culture Clash - A revolutionary new way of understanding the relationship between humans and domestic dogs; MINE! A Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs;


Anyway, if anyone is curious... it's super interesting (IMO - lol)


Part 1: Dog Body Language
Part 2: Contrast from Happy to Stressed
Part 3: Fear responses
Part 4: Threat responses
Part 5: Contact Intention & Threat
Part 6: Fear vs Aggression as Threat
Part 7: Bite inhibition and ritualization of aggression



These videos are Soooo interesting for anyone wanting to know more about dog behavior/body language. Most of us are brought up interpreting many of the messages dogs are giving us ALL wrong and it explains how some very common misinterpretations can lead to kids or adults getting bitten by a dog that was clearly making its fear, aggression, insecurity, etc known. Super interesting IMO.






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I think I spend too much time reading up on this stuff?!

Probably... But all dogs have their own issues lol My dog has some weird issues sometimes - though nothing harmful or serious, thank god. lol I've tried so hard to figure it out and fix it... I still haven't quite done that but I've learned lots of other cool stuff in the process. lol

 

[Miss*Bijou]

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If you have a puppy which is happily chewing on a bone and somebody walks up to it and try to take it away, but the person gets bit by it.

Just out of curiosity, did your dog bite hard and painfully or just nip?

Not that it makes a difference on whether biting is acceptable or not.... but a hard and painful bite might be another concern; whether or not your dog has learned bite inhibition:

Biting is most common in young puppies and new dogs
Especially in play and while teething. It's up to you to teach your puppy or dog what is acceptable and what is not. Most dogs and puppies are generally loving, sweet, adorable, affectionate and wonderful 99% of the time. Only 1% of the time does something specific happen that makes the dog bite. This article will discuss the causes of biting and what you can do to prevent your dog from biting.

Dogs and Puppies Must Learn to Inhibit Biting
First of all, dogs must learn to inhibit their bite before they are 4 months old. Normally, they would learn this from their mother, their littermates and other members of the pack. But, because we take them away from this environment before this learning is completed, we must take over the training.

Socialization Prevents Biting
By allowing your puppy to socialize with other puppies and socialized dogs they can pick up where they left off. Puppies need to roll, tumble and play with each other. When they play, they bite each other everywhere and anywhere. This is where they learn to inhibit their biting. This is where they learn to control themselves.

If they are too rough or rambunctious, they will find out because of how the other dogs and puppies react and interact with them. This is something that happens naturally and it is something we cannot accomplish. It can only be learned from trial and error. There is nothing you can say or do to educate them in this realm. They must learn from their own experience.

Socialization Prevents Biting
Another major advantage of dog to dog socialization besides the fact that it will help your dog to grow up not being fearful of other dogs is that they can vent their energy in an acceptable manner. Puppies that have other puppies to play with do not need to treat you like littermates. So the amount of play biting on you and your family should dramatically decrease. Puppies that do not play with other puppies are generally much more hyperactive and destructive in the home as well.

Lack of Socialization Causes Biting
A major cause of biting is lack of socialization. Lack of socialization often results in fearful or aggressive behavior. The two major reactions a dog has to something it is afraid of are to avoid it or to act aggressive in an attempt to make it go away. This is the most common cause of children being bitten. Dogs that are not socialized with children often end up biting them.

The optimum time to socialize is before the dog reaches 4 months. With large breed dogs, 4 months may be too late, simply because at this age the puppy may already be too large for most mothers of young children to feel comfortable around. For most owners, the larger the dog is, the more difficult it is to control, especially around children. If there is anything you do not want your dog to be afraid of or aggressive towards, you must begin to socialize your puppy with them before 4 months of age.

Trust and Respect Inhibits Biting
There are many other reasons your dog will bite and you will have to take an active role in teaching them. However, before you can teach your dog anything, there are two prerequisites that are essential. They are trust and respect. If your dog doesn't trust you, there is no reason why he should respect you. If your dog does not respect you, your relationship will be like two 5 year olds bossing each other around. If your dog does not trust and respect you, then when you attempt to teach your dog something, he will regard you as if he were thinking, "Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?"

Use of Reprimands and Biting
Never hit, kick or slap your dog. This is the quickest way to erode the dog's trust in you. Yes, he will still love you. Even abused dogs love their owners. A unique characteristic of dogs is their unconditional love. You don't have to do anything to acquire your dog's love. But you must do a lot to gain your dog's trust and respect. Another area where we destroy our dog's trust in us is when we scold or punish them for housesoiling mistakes and accidents. When housetraining your puppy, there is never an appropriate time to punish or reprimand. If you catch your dog in the act, just head for the towels and cleaner. You have no right to scold him, because if he is going in the wrong place, it is your fault, not his. If you find an accident after the fact, just clean it up.

Summary Tips on Biting
1. Reprimand alone will never stop biting.
2. If no respect exists, the biting will get worse. If you act like a littermate, the dog will treat you as one.
3. If trust is not there, the dog may eventually bite out of fear or lack of confidence.
4. Inconsistency sabotages training. If you let the dog bite some of the time, then biting will never be completely eliminated.
5. Don't forget follow up. The dog must understand that it is the biting that you don't like, not the dog itself. Make up afterwards, but on your terms, not the dog's.

Most owners wait until a bite just "happens to occur" before trying to deal with it and are therefore totally unprepared when it happens - and do all the wrong things, thus making the problem worse.

http://www.perfectpaws.com/bite.html

People can use the same idea to teach their puppies bite inhibition.

* Sit down with the pup to play, bringing his attention to your hands. When the pup tries to bite your hand too hard, yelp or say 'Oww' firmly and stop interaction. In addition to stopping interaction, some canine specialists advise to pull your hands back and freeze, and to avert your eyes or look to the side, away from the pup.

* Do not make your response sound like wincing or whining, or the pup may think it's part of the game. The pup needs to learn that fun stops when he bites.

* Give the pup a toy to chomp on intead of your hands or clothing. If he does not take the toy and instead nips again, stop interacting. Turn away, cross your arms, do not look back...you can even walk away.

* After time has passed, face your pup again and offer your hand. If he tries to bite, repeat the process.

* When your pup is gentle, pet and praise him calmly and resume play.

* If he bites again, say "Oww" as you did previously, and give him a 10-minute time-out. Leave the room, or better yet, place your pup in a time-out area. This area can be a separate room with no people or animal occupants, or in his crate. But avoid making this action seem like punishment -- you do not want the pup to learn to fear the crate or associate it with punishment. Time out is not the same as punishment. It is a suspension of playtime and fun.

* As you practice, the pup will use less and less pressure as he comes in contact with your hand.

* Keep in mind that the first goal is to teach the dog to actively inhibit the force of his bite, and THEN reduce the frequency. If you never let the pup put his jaws on you at all, when it does happen (say, an accident during which the dog's paw gets stepped on), the dog will probably react with an over-strong bite.

* Do not tap or smack the dog's nose as punishment for nipping -- instead of discouraging nipping, this tends to trigger instinctive biting in self-defense.

* Do not tease a pup or dog by flashing hands around his face or tapping his face. This can scare or startle the dog and trigger biting behavior, whether in play or self-defense.

* However, as the bite inhibition training progresses, you can gradually begin to incorporate some sudden movements into your play with the dog so he learns to be less spooked by human movement. If a dog is afraid of objects, you can help desensitize him by slowly incorporating hand-held objects into play.

* Daily grooming helps a dog get used to human touch. Teach your pup early on to allow you to touch his face and open his mouth. This will prepare him for activities like vet exams and tooth brushing. Start by gently raise the dog's lip and praise. You can also give a treat. Gradually lift the rest of his lip and examine the inside of his month.

Dunbar explains that no matter how hard you try to socialize a dog to people or other dogs, there may be times when it is not sufficient. For example, someone shuts the dog's tail in a door, or your dog is attacked by another dog. In these cases, your dog will instinctively respond by biting, whether it's out of provocation or self-defense. Whether or not your dog does damage depends on the level of bite inhibition that was established, usually before he reached age four and a half months.

http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_BiteInhibition.php

Teaching bite inhibition is the most important aspect of your puppy's entire education.

Certainly puppy biting behavior must eventually be eliminated. We cannot have an adult dog playfully mauling family, friends, and strangers in the manner of a young puppy. However, it is essential that this be done gradually and progressively via a systematic two-step process: first, to inhibit the force of puppy bites and second, to lessen the frequency of puppy mouthing.

Ideally, the two phases should be taught in sequence, but with more active puppy biters you may wish to work on both stages at the same time. In either case, you must teach your puppy to bite or mouth gently before puppy biting behavior is eliminated altogether.

more: http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/teaching-bite-inhibition

 

[festealth]

Um. Sorry, but no matter the dog's size - that's not 'normal' or 'acceptable', dear. What you're describing is actually pretty bad aggressive behavior. Your dog should not growl, bark, or 'attack' your hand or any other part of your body if you try to take away his/her toy, food or bone (raw or not). Your dog thinks he's the boss or leader and you're his bitch , um, I mean - his subordinate.

AAAH. That's scary advice. AAAH. Scary.

There's no way that's normal behavior. When a dog bites or attacks someone, animal control rarely even cares what this person did (unless they were clearly abusing or taunting the dog, of course). If an 8 year old decides to grab your dog's bone while you're not looking and your dog 'attacks', guards or bites the kid - no one will be saying:

"Aaah but it was completely normal for the dog to take a chunk out of the kid, as the dog natural/primal & wolf-like behavior are to be expected since he's on a raw food diet! Stitch the kid up, give him a lecture & reprimand his parents for making the dog bite him."

Um, no. Not so much, eh?!
Sorry, that's never normal or acceptable behavior from a dog. It may happen a lot, but that's a warning sign the dog needs some training in that department. Not that he's being more wolf-like. Unless you want him living in the woods with other wolves, he can't behave that way - regardless of its size!

If a dog considers you the leader (or dominant), there won't even be a question of whether your dog will 'happily' or 'unhappily' accept it... he'll just accept it and there will never even be an issue. There might be an issue when someone else (a stranger, someone who is not his leader) does it, but that is where training to eliminate aggressive guarding behavior comes in, and where it is really one of the most important things to teach your dog.

I'm sorry if it seems I'm targeting you, but your comments really scared the crap out of me. The behavior is just as bad regardless of the dog's size, but right about now I'm very thankful your dog is not 115lbs, or even half that size because that would be very, very scary IMO.

I guess I should have been more clear.

The part of "the puppy did nothing wrong", I meant it since he doesn't understand it yet. It is a natural behaviour, and the puppy doesn't know better, and thus it's up to the owner to teach it properly. In anycase, the other person is still pretty stupid to try to take away the dog's bone.

With everybody and everything, we all have limits and boundaries, and the puppy's boundaries were intruded upon. Dogs should be disciplined and gentle, but it doesn't mean you should be tempting fate by pestering and annoying them.

I remember seeing one episode of the Dog Whisperer, and Cesar was teaching the dog is eat properly or something. Anyways, the dog was completely fine for regular food, but when he switched it to raw meat, the dog sudden became aggressive, since it's in their nature to crave meat.

Dogs may be domesticated, and it's not good for them to exhibit wolf-like behaviours, but nonetheless, dogs are basically a sub-species of wolves, so it's natural for them to act similar in some ways (acceptable is a different matter).

In conclusion, dogs should be trained, be well-behave... yadda yadda yadda.... but lets not label everything as them being "aggressive" or them being "bad".... they're just behaving naturally and we as humans are just conforming them to our ideals.

I hope that made more sense.... lol.

 

[EuroSZabina]

I read everybody's responds.
My puppy is a little over 3 month and the person was bit was a family member.
This was about the 2nd time I gave the dog bone and she goes crazy about it.
Tries to hide it , burry it you name it. Fine, I see the point I would just not try to take it away from her, however I don't find it cool when he tries to bite us.
The person was bit hard, that he was bleeding.
Now, I am seeing this behavour a little more and unfortunatelly it doesn't have to have bone.
Last night I tried to move her from one spot to an other on my bed.
She did the same thing to me, almost bit me. I find her very territorior peronality.
When I took her back to the original owner to show her how well she grows, she tried to dominate her sister.
This dog is a rare pure breed but very very smart animal and they not suppose to bite
I had dogs, cats in all my life and I haven't experienced this issue yet.
My pup was putty traied in about 2 weeks, all is good with her but this kind of behaivor is strange to me.
I love her a lot, I feel like I need some kind of pro help how to deal with it.
I can't even get close to her when she acts like this way.
She's awesome around dogs, little or big she just wants to play and she understands how to approche them too.
Thanks

 

[Trevor2136]

I have always trained my dogs not be possessive about food.

When they were puppies, I would practice by removing their food bowls while they were eating, waiting for them to calm down and then returning it. I would also put my hand in the kibble and take a few pieces from the bowl. They learned that this was acceptable behaviour and never growled at anyone when their toys or food was taken.

In the case of them growling, nipping or biting, I immediately place them into the submissive position and keep them there until they relax. Once I am comfortable that they have calmed down and understand that their behaviour is unacceptable I allow them to continue with what we were doing.

This is about establishing your position as dominant and having them accept their position as subserviant to humans.

I cannot agree with anyone who says that it is okay for a dog to be possessive. If your dog behaves like this you will never be able to allow it to play with a child so you need to correct the behaviour quickly.

Trev.

 

[HeMadeMeDoIt]

Everything and Anything a dog touches is YOURS and has to be surrendered on command. You need to be able to touch his food, take away his bones or hold onto his favourite toy. Period end of story. I'm very anal about this because I have a 110lb Dobie and we had to come to a understanding on this from day one. I've never gone anywhere and not been complimented on his behaviour.

I second others suggestion that you watch the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic. I have it PVR'd daily at 2PM I believe.

I can't stress how much you need to act on this territorial behaviour ASAP. What is your dog's breed?

 

[CaraClementine]

If the reward system works for and your dog i'm certainly not going to knock it but another very successful, and foolproof, method in training is training your dog to believe you're the leader of the pack.
Tug-a-war is how dogs play with eachother and the leader will always win.
Dogs that think they are the leader will be the ones that show aggression to other dogs, people, and cars driving by the house.
They are always on alert and can get very stressed feeling they have to defend their owner, house and/or food.

Yes - teaching your dog that you are leader of the pack is a fundamental.

Tug of war is fine if you have control over your dog. Don't be suprised if you play lots of tug of war with your pup, and he starts tugging away on your pant leg. Maybe I want to take away something my pup/dog is chewing on and shouldn't be... but he now thinks it's a tug of war game?

It really depends on the dog, and their behaviours, and what you want to correct.

Yes... tug of war is a great game for dogs to play with other dogs.

 

[CaraClementine]

Everything and Anything a dog touches is YOURS and has to be surrendered on command. You need to be able to touch his food, take away his bones or hold onto his favourite toy. Period end of story. I'm very anal about this because I have a 110lb Dobie and we had to come to a understanding on this from day one. I've never gone anywhere and not been complimented on his behaviour.

I second others suggestion that you watch the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic. I have it PVR'd daily at 2PM I believe.

I can't stress how much you need to act on this territorial behaviour ASAP. What is your dog's breed?

Excellent points. Any good trainer will tell you this also.

On a side note, Dobermans are some of the best trained dogs out there!
hehe I think they are much easier to train than Chihuahuas!

 

[Im Cuming]

Give a dog a bone, and this Old man came rolling home!

Ok, this is the situation. If you really need to train the dog, you have to use
a bit of S&M You have to show him who's the Master.

Start off with putting him in a cage and dangling the bone in front of him.


Cat's are easier to train.

At least Cat's smell the food before they eat it. Dog's will eat , puke , shit and then smell.

I love my pussy.

 

[neon]

Good to watch at the end

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZD_p1trwYM&feature=related