Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 12:03 pm Post subject: Teddy growled and bit me
Well Ted is approaching 9months old now and is a lovely boy,most of the time.Last night he raided the bin and ran off with a yoghurt pot straight into his cage,i told him to leave it and he ignored me,he then backs right into the corner of the cage and puts his head up so i cant get to him,then i tried to take it,he growled and then bit me,the little s**t! i was so annoyed.I could have bribed him with a biscuit but dont see why i should.This exact same thing happened before a few months ago.He has never growled any other time,even with food,toys,bones etc.But i dont think its acceptable for him to go for my hand just because he's in his own space.What do you all think,many thanks,emma
Your right, it isn`t acceptable for him to go for you, his own space or not.
On the odd occasion CJ does this, I make him drop the item, then make him come out of the crate, that way I can remove the item.
Trouble is, I can`t remember how I did this, whether its something he just does because he`s used to doing as he`s told (except when he`s outside!) or if I used treats, possibly a mix of both.
Hopefully others will have tips for you on overcoming this problem.
Oh no what a shock for you, i cant offer any help but i will be watching to see what the others advise just incase Harry gets any ideas. He too likes to pinch yoghurt pots but so far he knows he gives them up when i either get hold of him or put my hand on top of his nose yet he wont give up for anyone else. Hope you get this sorted.
Hi Sarah,are you still going to puppy classes? think i might need to start agin.As for Ted he has only ever growled when hes been in his cage,any other time i can wrestle whatever it is (clothes,toys,pens etc)out of his mouth with no problem,even a his prized bone,he'll just let me have it.I dont know if its because in his cage he feels cornered,i just dont want an unpredictable dog,especially as we have 3 young children who adore him,fingers crossed its a one off xx
I think if that were me I'd have shown him a biscuit and asked him to come out of the crate and do a "sit" to get the reward.
I'd also be working together on this and practising dropping and leaving items with lots of tasty treats as rewards. You need to teach him that good things happen if he gives up whatever he's got to you, whether that be his toys, food, in his crate or outside etc. There shouldn't be any need to wrestle anything from him.
You saying you don't see why you should give him a biscuit to get it off him is an understandable response when in an annoyed state but ultimately isn't a frame of mind that is going to achieve anything positive IMO. Next time, take a deep breath, recall him calmly (as if you were calling him from the garden) and encourage him to come to you for a treat, rather than chasing him.
Nope im not going to puppy class anymore, Harry passed the one you went to but we havnt been back since, getting there was a big problem as i dont have a car anymore and there was no bus from mine or i would have to walk half way there to get a bus that would only get me there half way though the training. So im either going to have to find somwhere else that i can get to (still trying to find somwhere) or contact the one we went to and find out about the classes they do in the week. But he does need to go back and do more training.
Kimbley said what I was thinking, try to ignore the norty bit where he has stolen something and run in the cage, but be very quick with a higher value reason to come back to you, and a sit and treat. Then a distraction while you retrieve his stolen booty .
Thats what I would do, as it could have been something valuable or dangerous.
In an ideal world we'd love our dogs to do exactly as we wish each time, but they're dogs.
Of course we don't want them to bite us, but given the choice between noting the growl warning and using some "enticement" into good behaviour, or having a bit of a battle of wills and ending up bitten, I'd opt for using a treat and then continue to work on the leave cue, as suggested already
What we forget is that it's very natural behaviour your dog is displaying, it's just unsuitable behaviour towards you.
To a dog, that yummy yoghurt pot has a value to him, it's food and for someone to just take it off of him, well that's down right rude, and if you had been another dog you would have received the same. when my dogs have a juicy bone and one of the others approach to take it, they get a lip curl and growl for their efforts.
It's not bribery to teach your dogs t give up something in exchange for something else, I have used this technique for years, 'if you give me yours, i'll give you mine'
Think to yourself, you have an a nice big cupcake, you found it on the work surface, no one else around, it's just crying out 'eat me eat me', now you would far rather perfer a nice bar of chocolate but hey ho, so off you go into the living room, sit in your favorite comfy chair, and then along comes your friend, and she trys to grab the cupcake off you, what do you do, you protest, you found it it's yours, she still trys to grab it, you would push her away...
Now if she had come along and said to you, hey, that's my cupcake, but I tell you what, I have a really nice big bar of Cadburys Dairy Milk, do you want to swap?
Well you see where I am going with it
____________ Natalie x
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