Tamz Posted April 22, 2010 Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 hey peeps when i go out with shiloh at night he is forever picking things up and trying to eat them...he will pick anything up- fruit peelings, tissue, chip wrapping...seriously anything it was alot easier when it was darker in the evening as he didnt see as much anyway....i always remove whatever it is he has from his mouth, have done from day one and its never been an issue until 2 nights ago...when i opened his mouth to take whatever it is out of his mouth he growled at me then snapped he has never done this before...it was defo not a normal growl either...it sounded like a mean, angry growl do you think this could be a sign of aggression??? i know i am probably over reacting but he really scared me lastnight when he did it as he really growled at me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
furbabys Posted April 22, 2010 Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 oh dear i am not sure wot to say on this one its tricky because my 2 have there moments wen they growl but i know its not aggression ...demon also picks allsorts up from outside but wen we say drop it or demon no he generally does xxso sorry not much help xxxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted April 22, 2010 Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 Yes it was a sign of aggression. . . .however. He was probably testing the boundaries. Like any teenager will at some point stand up to a parent and say. . ."NO!" he's fed up of you taking all the new and good smelling stuff he finds. you need to make sure he knows you are ALPHA. By whatever dominance technique you follow. Perhaps take away his toys when he's playing with them. . .make him wait an extra 10 minutes for his food reinforce that YOU control everything. if he continues getting stroppy isolate him for 10 minutes ignore him. No petting or treats don't let him stay in his favourite place. Just for a short while. Then he will realise that aggressive behavviour towards you means his favourite stuff gets taken away or stopped. just my 10 penneth worth. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamz Posted April 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 lol thanks andy he is never like this with anything else....you can take his food away when he is eating and he will jst sit there wagging his tail and wait for you to put it back down....he also wont do it all the time when i take stuff out of his mouth..only occasionally Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magical Merlin Posted April 22, 2010 Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 hi Tami, A growl is a warning it means i dont like what you are doing, so all he did was say i dont want you to take that. As he did follow with a snap he was really trying to make it clear that he wasnt happy with your behaviour towards him. This doesnt mean that he is dominant, it means he telling you something and its great that he is giving you a warning. So many owners punish their dogs for growling/snarling that the dogs become to afraid to warn that they are unhappy so just bite instead. Have you taught him a leave it/drop it command? I would start with that and also get some really good high value treats like cheese and meat. Then when you are walking you can offer him treats when he shows good behaviour and when he drops/leaves something you dont want him to have he is also rewarded with a treat. to teach leave: hold a treat in your hand and allow shilo to see it, close your hand into a fist and say "leave" then lower your hand still closed. Shilo will paw/lick/nibble at your hand. As soon as he stops say "good" (or if you use a clicker, click) then let him take the treat. Repeate it over and over again and fairly soon Shilo will learn he only gets the treat when he doenst try to get it (leaving it). Once he can do this you can work to putting the treat on the floor and saying leave then telling him when to take it. Once you have it working 9/10 times in the home you can start usining it on walks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted April 22, 2010 Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 Hopefully this was just an isolated incident. . . .what was it you took away from him. . . Did it have sharp edges. maybe you accidentally hurt him whentaking it from him that might trigger that kind of behaviour. . . Just exploring possibilities Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamz Posted April 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 hi Tami, A growl is a warning it means i dont like what you are doing, so all he did was say i dont want you to take that. As he did follow with a snap he was really trying to make it clear that he wasnt happy with your behaviour towards him. This doesnt mean that he is dominant, it means he telling you something and its great that he is giving you a warning. So many owners punish their dogs for growling/snarling that the dogs become to afraid to warn that they are unhappy so just bite instead. Have you taught him a leave it/drop it command? I would start with that and also get some really good high value treats like cheese and meat. Then when you are walking you can offer him treats when he shows good behaviour and when he drops/leaves something you dont want him to have he is also rewarded with a treat. to teach leave: hold a treat in your hand and allow shilo to see it, close your hand into a fist and say "leave" then lower your hand still closed. Shilo will paw/lick/nibble at your hand. As soon as he stops say "good" (or if you use a clicker, click) then let him take the treat. Repeate it over and over again and fairly soon Shilo will learn he only gets the treat when he doenst try to get it (leaving it). Once he can do this you can work to putting the treat on the floor and saying leave then telling him when to take it. Once you have it working 9/10 times in the home you can start usining it on walks. ta hun he is actually attending puppy classes at the mo- it will be his 3rd one on sat...we did the leave it command last week and he has picked it up a treat...quicker than what i thought actually...i do say leave it when we are out and about...sometimes he listens to me but other times he doesnt- especially if it is paper he can see...i cant compete with paper lol x x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamz Posted April 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 Hopefully this was just an isolated incident. . . .what was it you took away from him. . . Did it have sharp edges. maybe you accidentally hurt him whentaking it from him that might trigger that kind of behaviour. . . Just exploring possibilities it was a plastic bottle top i stopped walking with him, went to open his mouth and thats when he started to growl at me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arooroomom Posted April 22, 2010 Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 Sounds like he was disagreeing with whatever you took from him. Was it something high value like a disgusting old chicken bone? I hope in the end you did take it from him and were not that frightened off by his growl/snap. They're dogs. This is normal behavior for a dog. A child would have screamed and probably slapped your hand. I think 4-5 months is terrible 2's? that might be 8-13 months not sure... Although, weather it's normal behavior or not, it should not be tolerated and you should begin to enforce take/drop with him. Even if it seems like he's OK with taking his food away and all that good stuff.. you need to make him understand that you are in charge and YOU say what he can and can't have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamz Posted April 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 Sounds like he was disagreeing with whatever you took from him. Was it something high value like a disgusting old chicken bone? I hope in the end you did take it from him and were not that frightened off by his growl/snap. They're dogs. This is normal behavior for a dog. A child would have screamed and probably slapped your hand. I think 4-5 months is terrible 2's? that might be 8-13 months not sure... Although, weather it's normal behavior or not, it should not be tolerated and you should begin to enforce take/drop with him. Even if it seems like he's OK with taking his food away and all that good stuff.. you need to make him understand that you are in charge and YOU say what he can and can't have. lmao no it was a plastic bottle top Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magical Merlin Posted April 22, 2010 Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 you can compete, you just have to find what does it for him...steak, cheese, burger,hot dog. keep going with the leave and remember to reward him when he does it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winks Posted April 22, 2010 Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 Kia does this i use Extra strong mints (not whole one try to break them up into smaller pieces) to get her to drop what ever she is eating it works everytime. Also you can try getting a stick to carry I have just brought a Bike attachment and harness she doesn't have time to pick anything up now, she is to busy running next to the bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilllawton Posted April 22, 2010 Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 Hi Tamz, Storm has done this a couple of times recently. I still give her all her treats and everything but i have started to sit with her when doing so and taking it off her at regular intervals. She is getting alot better as she is beginning to realise that she gets it back. Im sure Shiloh didnt really mean it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted April 22, 2010 Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 great advice peeps - added to reps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamz Posted April 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2010 Kia does this i use Extra strong mints (not whole one try to break them up into smaller pieces) to get her to drop what ever she is eating it works everytime. Also you can try getting a stick to carry I have just brought a Bike attachment and harness she doesn't have time to pick anything up now, she is to busy running next to the bike. yeh we have the bike attachment and harness aswell i cant go use it though as its on ian's bike( i dont have a bike ) and its way to big for my little legs lol xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth89 Posted April 26, 2010 Report Share Posted April 26, 2010 if i back my dog intoa corner or under a table he will growl at me. did you back him into a corner? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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