What do you do when your dog becomes possessive of a certain object such as a bone, a toy or a sock?
Here are my suggestions for dealing with a dog’s possessiveness:
First of all, nothing should ever be given to a dog for free. Even if certain objects “belong” to the dog, he should only be allowed to touch them with permission from his owner.
Some people will allow aggressive behavior from a dog when the dog is being possessive of food or toys that “belong” to him. It’s easy to make excuses for the dog, but possessiveness of toys or food or random objects should never be tolerated.
Some dog owners even believe their dog is showing aggression because the dog is “protecting” the toy or believes the toy is his baby. Trust me, dogs do not think their toys or other objects are their babies. Believing so would be humanizing the dog.
What starts out as minor possessiveness of a stuffed toy can easily escalate to much more serious aggression. Dogs that are allowed to show possessiveness of their food and toys often begin to show possessiveness of other objects such as socks, table scraps or even people.
How to prevent a dog’s possessive behavior
These are some tips you can use to work with your puppy or dog to prevent issues with possessiveness from developing. It’s much easier to prevent a problem than correct a problem!
1. A dog should always be given a clear set of rules.
The owner is in charge, not the dog.
My mutt Ace works for his food, works for my attention and works for playtime. If he wants something, I will make him sit or lie down before he can have it. Ace understands I can take his food or toys away at any given time, and I often do. And just because something is in his mouth does not mean it’s off limits to me or any other person. I take things from him all the time just to prove my point. I also give things back to him as a reward or I trade him for something even better!
2. Make sure you “claim” anything you give your dog.
At feeding time, I always require that Ace gives me about five feet of space before he is given permission to approach his bowl. Just because I set the bowl on the ground does not give him permission to come running up and grabbing it. He has to wait. I wish I could teach my cat the same!
It’s also a good idea to take your dog’s food away while he is eating. Have him sit or lie down, and then give the food back. If necessary, step over the bowl and move into your dog’s space the way a dominant dog would do.
With toys, it is the same concept. You own the toys. You can take them away at any time, and you should. Don’t allow the dog to grab toys out of your hand until you say it’s OK.
3. When your dog has a toy, offer him something even better!
Drop random pieces of chicken in your dog’s bowl while he is eating so he learns that good things happen when you approach his bowl! When he’s chewing on a bone, randomly come up to him and sprinkle liver treats or other goodies around him.
4. Teach the dog the command “leave it.”
I use the “leave it” command for any object, and all it means is “Do not touch.”
Teach this command by rewarding the dog with food when he leaves the object alone. Since my dog loves tennis balls, I’ll put a ball on the ground and say “leave it.” When I’m ready for him to pick up the ball I say “OK!” You could also say “Take it!” Ace now understands that “leave it” can be transferred to anything such as food or even nasty things he finds out in the yard.
Preventing possessive behavior is much easier than correcting it, so the most important part is to set clear rules for the dog before any issues come up.
I also want to point out that a dog can be obsessive without being possessive, but neither behavior should be encouraged. My dog is obsessed with retrieving and will bring a ball to someone over and over, but he has no problem allowing any person or dog to take the ball right out of his mouth.
How to stop a dog from showing possessiveness
1. Do not make up excuses for your dog’s possessive or aggressive behavior.
Small problems lead to bigger problems when dog owners do not take a dog’s mild aggression or possessive issues seriously.
Of course, some dogs sound aggressive when they are playing with toys. This is normal as long as the dog is just playing and will allow you to take the toy and end the game at any time. For more information, see my post on why does my dog growl at other dogs?
2. Begin “claiming” everything you give the dog, even if you consider it “his.”
Deliberately place the object on the ground and do not allow the dog to approach or take the object until you give him permission. If the dog tries to take the object too early, correct him instantly and put him in a sit or down position. Stand over the object the way another dog would.
Be careful not to frustrate your dog. Deliberately requiring your dog to wait for an object should be a healthy challenge for him. If he seems stressed out about this process, then give him treats while he waits for the original object. Remember to tell him how good he is. Then, give a command such as “OK” to take the original object.
3. Create situations where the dog is likely to become possessive.
Unfortunately, the only way to break a dog from a certain behavior is to catch him in the act. It does not work to simply take the bone away and hide it. This is like a “time out” and teaches the dog nothing. If the dog is possessive about rawhides, you’re going to have to present rawhides to him every day and correct him the second he becomes possessive.
Put a leash on the dog to give yourself more control and confidence. Then, purposely drop a rawhide and correct him the second he goes for it. The dog must learn to wait until you give him permission to take the rawhide. Practice this multiple times a day. Dogs need a lot of repetitions before a behavior becomes conditioned, so be patient.
Give your dog highly valued treats whenever he drops the object or waits to pick up the object. Make this process fun rather than stressful. You want to be the leader, but you want to be a fun leader.
4. Teach the dog that you can take anything at any time.
In order to practice this, you will have to allow the dog to pick up the object. Make sure to do so once you have claimed it and given him permission to take it. Once he has it in his mouth, take it away again but give it back as a reward. Practice this over and over every day. Taking something, holding it for a few seconds while praising your dog and then giving it back will teach your dog that you’re not necessarily taking the object away for good.
5. When the dog shows aggression, “trade” him for something better.
Do not hesitate to seek help from a professional dog trainer in your area if you are at all hesitant about approaching your aggressive dog. If you are tentative and giving off a weak energy, your dog is more likely to bite you.
If your dog becomes aggressive once he has an object in his mouth, do not allow him to keep the object. If you allow your dog to keep his bone every time he growls at you, then he will be rewarded for growling. The aggression is reinforced.
To get the desired object away from your dog once he is showing aggression, I recommend using the “trade” method. Give him something better than what he has. Practice this over and over again.
What do you do to prevent possessive behavior from your dog?
Discuss this issue further at That Mutt’s new dog training forum – How to stop a dog’s possessiveness
Possessiveness. Now that’s a lot of S’s.
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A lot of dogs turn on each other when they see another dog and can’t get to it. The excitement (“oh, wow a new dog!”) turns to frustration (“why can’t I get to that dog?”) which often turns to aggression (“I don’t know what to do with my energy but now I’m charged up”). And since the dog can’t get to the dog across the street or on the other side of the fence, he turns on the dog next to him. It’s nothing personal about his buddy. Dogs don’t think about what they are doing. They just react. Some will even bite their owners. Then they are nice again within seconds.
I don’t know your exact situation and what you have tried so far, so I’m making assumptions here … feel free to jump in …
What’s probably happening with your dogs is that they are so excited to get to that new person that they pull and pull and pull and there is a lot of tension in their leashes. The excitement builds and builds and they don’t know what to do with that energy/excitement/frustration, so one dog turns on the other. It’s probably one dog that is starting it. The new person adds to this tension/excitement by acting excited as well. This just feeds everyone’s energy. And when you pull back on the leash, this just causes them to pull even harder. Eventually they just turn on each other as a way to get rid of all this crazy energy. It’s very typical in terriers.
I would work with them one at a time and train them to heel at your side, not in front and no pulling. When you meet someone new, work on calmly walking up to that person while keeping the leash loose. If the leash is tense, then you do not approach the person. If they keep pulling forward, use treats or a toy to get them to “watch” you on command or simply turn around.
I would also make sure they are getting enough physical exercise. Bostons need A TON of exercise, like 5 miles of running every day might be enough just to get by. On top of that, give them plenty of time to play games like tug to help get rid of any additional stress. And give them plenty of interactive games/toys and mental challenges and training. I’m sure you’re already doing all of these things. But you know where you could add more challenges for them.
When you walk them together, I would make them walk at your side, one on the left, one on the right with no pulling. Practice basic obedience like sit and stay and the command “watch.” If you aren’t already, use collars that will give you the most control such as choke collars, prong collars or martingale collars. Definitely ditch the retractable leashes if you are using them.
Let me know if this helps or what other questions you have.
Lindsday, first, thank you for your helpful article. I was referred to it because I’m having some possession issues in my home. It’s so nice of you to continue to help people even a year after the article posted.
The good news I derived from your post is that we’re doing everything we’re supposed to do. The bad news is that we’re doing everything we’re supposed to do, and it’s still occurring.
A little background (I promise a little) on our zoo — We have two dogs, one dog (Captain Awesome) is a two year old shepherd mix, and we’ve had him since we rescued him as a puppy. Our second (Tannis) is a six year old Siberian Husky that we got less than a year ago in July. And on top of the two dogs, we have six cats (a leopard gecko, a bearded dragon, and fish too, but who’s counting?
).
For the most part, there is some disjointed type of harmony that occurs when you have so many animals in one place. The husky, Tannis, had toy and food possession issues, but we nipped it in the bud as soon as we got him last year, doing all the things you outlined, also only allowing one or two toys in rotation at any given time, and when we were out, we took the toys away and only allowed an item that would keep him stimulated (a frozen Kong full of treats/peanut butter, for example).
Since we were first introducing him to the home, we crated Tannis when we weren’t home for safety’s sake. We knew he was fine around cats and other dogs, but it was a new situation, and we didn’t want to go in blindly. After about eight weeks of being crated during the day, we started letting him out in the afternoon and then once we were sure things were okay, the full day.
The cats do not seem threatened by him, even though he’s lunged, snarled, and/or growled at them if he has a treat or toy in his possession (quickly taken away when the behavior was exhibited, and after a few times, he stopped). Captain has given up on toys, but he was always fickle about toys anyway, so we didn’t take it to heart too much.
However, recently, we’ve noticed that Tannis is getting snarly again. But about household items. A blanket was thrown on the floor in the living room, and one of the cats curled up on it because that’s what cats do. He immediately went over to the cat and tried to make her vacate the blanket by giving her a look. We, like always, gave him an uh-uh, and he backed away, guilty because he was caught. But we found he’s doing it with other things too… dog beds, our bed, certain rooms.
Captain Awesome used to greet us every day when we came home from work by popping his head up in our bedroom window. Now he’s afraid to go into our bedroom unless we give him permission. He’ll stand outside the doorway and wait and stare at us. He also won’t lay down on one particular dog bed in our bedroom that he always used to frequent that now Tannis seems to favor. What tipped us off that this was husky-related was when the husky isn’t present, Captain will reluctantly go into the bedroom without permission, though he’s looking around while he’s doing it, almost as if he’s making sure the coast is clear.
Toys and food seem so easy now. You can withhold these things when you are or aren’t around. But withholding blankets, bedding, a room… The only thing we can think of doing is crating him again, and we really don’t want to do it unless we have to. He generally sleeps when he’s left alone, so I think my concerns or feelings of guilt are unfounded. But he was never really thrilled with the crate closed (he’s truly a cat; he likes sleeping it in when it’s open!). But I also don’t want Captain to feel threatened and unwelcome in the room either.
As you stated, correction needs to be consistent for it to be learned. And obviously, we cannot do this when we’re not home. So is the crate the only answer? I was thinking that perhaps if we crated him during the day for a couple weeks, we could see if Captain started poking his head up again from the bedroom window. Perhaps it would be a sign that at least the fear has been undone.
Thank you for reading, listening, and helping (you have so much already!).
Jennifer
I have three cats and a dog, and my most dominant cat does all of the things you describe about Tannis. He goes over and claims the dog bed, blankets, even certain rooms. He’s not aggressive about it. He just calmly walks over and takes what he wants. I don’t see anything wrong with this. The other animals just accept this and fall into place. It’s sad to see a 15-pound cat take the bed from a 65-pound dog, but that’s the way it is. Ace just moves to the floor or to another dog bed.
As long as there is not any aggression, I wouldn’t worry too much about your situation. Snapping over food should not be tolerated, but claiming a bed is normal.
The only thing I don’t like is that Tannis seems to be possessive about YOUR bedroom. So make sure that you claim everything so that Tannis knows you are ultimately in charge. You may want to consider making your entire bedroom off limits to dogs. Only allow them in with permission. Make them wait in the hall, even when your door is open. And definitely keep them off your bed. I’m not sure where they are sleeping, but you may want to keep them out of your bedroom at night. And with the other beds, pillows and blankets that Tannis likes to claim, make sure you are claiming them quite often by making him move to the floor.
Try not to feel bad for Captain. Part of his uncertainty about the whole situation might be because you feel bad for him. Dogs do not feel bad if they are “second” in line. I foster and pet sit a lot of dogs and almost every single one is more dominant than my dog Ace. I always want to give Ace special privileges because it’s “his” house and he is “top” dog in my mind. But nature doesn’t always work that way.
Make sure to have plenty of blankets and dog beds around so there is always one for each dog.
And one more thing. Does Tannis seem to lie at your feet a lot as though he is guarding or claiming you? Don’t allow him to do that.
Hope this helps. Let me know your thoughts.
Hi everyone! I need some real help here. My dog Roni & my girlfriend Amys’ dog Jo get along just fine but Jo shows aggression towards Roni all the time by growling at her in the house when she walks by her or walk by Amy & I and the worst of it is that Jo attacks her if Roni has something, anything! Jo doesn’t necessarily want the ball, space on the couch, food, etc… but she just doesn’t want Roni to have it. I have broken up 4-6 fights aleady and Roni is starting to fight back. Jo is a 7 year old Border Collie Mix that came from a multi-dog household at Amy’s parents (where she was very food possesive & growled at the others allot with little correction besides verbal) and Roni is a 3 year old American Pit Bull Terrier I adopted from the Humane Society a few months back. An example would be throwing the ball at the park. Roni has a high drive to play fetch, Jo doesn’t really care. But when I throw the ball, Roni goes after the ball and Jo just goes after Roni and that’s when the fight broke out. Also, just last night Amy & I were on the couch and Jo was allowed up for a few minutes of affection. Roni walked by and looked at us and Jo growled. Jo was immediately told “off” and as she jumped down she lunged and attacked Roni because she was close. Again, broke up another fight. It’s got us baffled because they are like peas & carrots on a walk, sniffing the same grass, walking side by side, even licking each others faces. As soon as there is something to claim though Jo turns into a first class A-hole! We really need help because this is causing tension. We are both active duty military and have enough stresses of deployments, staying together throughout conflicting assignments and whatever else is thrown at us. We want these two ladies to live happily ever after but this is our big hurdle right now. Thanks for the help. Chet…
Have you considered hiring a trainer in your area to come work with you and the dogs? Since there is already aggression, that would be a good idea.
Don’t think of it as Jo being an asshole because she is just reacting. She obviously came from a situation where there were a lot of dogs and she felt she had to fight in order to get anything. I’m assuming their were few rules and it was quite chaotic. She might be uncomfortable whenever there is a lot of excitement, such as when Roni goes after a ball. She is likely trying to control the situation and get everyone to be calm again.
I know this sounds too simple, but I suggest working on their basic obedience and making sure the dogs always follow rules. Nothing is free. Not even a pat on the head. Make them lie down and stay for five minutes before eating. Don’t let them on the couch at all, especially not if they’re not invited first. Work with Jo so she can sit or lie down and stay reliably for 10 minutes even with excitement such as Roni chasing a ball. Also, do what you can to eliminate these kinds of “exciting” situations unless Jo is under control first.
Keep taking them for walks together and doing anything that brings out their calm, happy energy. Make sure to reward them when they’re acting the way you want.
It does seem clear to me that Jo is trying to be possessive of you and your girlfriend, such as when you are all on the couch. So do not allow her to do any kind of guarding or claiming of you or your girlfriend. For example, don’t let her sit at your feet and prevent Roni from approaching. Make them both sit on their dog beds or on the floor a few feet from you and invite them to you on your terms.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Lindsay, thank you very much for the response!
Tannis is very clear that we’re in charge, which is why he tries to get away with things when he thinks we’re not watching. The other day, I was just outside the bedroom when I saw one of our cats, Neechee (our most dog-friendly cat) jump to the window sill. He was very excited that the window was open for a change, and he wanted to sit and sniff and stare.
Tannis didn’t like this, and he lunged at Neechee to make him leave the window sill. I caught him in the act and gave him a firm “uh-uh!”, and he meekly backed away in that, Oops, I’ve been caught! manner. Neechee ignored him. Neechee has suffered a couple nips from Tannis (I was going to say “bites”, but that suggests that Neechee got hurt, and while he was shaken up for an hour or two, he got over it) in the past, and he still thinks Tannis is better (or fluffier anyway!) than sliced bread.
He knows that we (the humans) are boss, and he rarely ever misbehaves when he knows I’m watching.
Tannis is very much a solitary dog, and when we’re home, he opts to sleep upstairs, alone. He’ll take a dog bed or our bed. But when it’s time for us to go to bed, he immediately hops into his crate. He does not really like too much physical attention from us unless *he* deems it necessary (cat/husky behavior
). He doesn’t want to be near us or lie at our feet. He doesn’t even opt to go on the couch unless we’re not nearby (wow, what does that say about us? 
). And we’ve been okay with that. It was when Captain stopped going into the bedroom or wanting to go into the bedroom that alerted us that something was different.
We got over the fact that Captain won’t touch toys anymore. And we’re okay with separating them when they get treats to make sure Tannis doesn’t get anything of Captain’s (Captain has already more than compensated for that by eating everything ridiculously fast now that he has someone else in the house with him). It’s the fact that he feels he’s not allowed in the bedroom anymore that bothers me.
Our bedroom is the brightest room in the house during the day, so as you can imagine, it’s the favorite nesting spot of, well, everyone. All the cats go in there, Captain goes in there, and Tannis does now too. We just want everyone to feel allowed to be in there.
We crated him this morning, and he doesn’t seem to have minded. He’s very low energy, a walk out to the backyard and back is enough for him to feel exercised (so imagine how he feels after our 1 1/2 – 2 hour hikes every afternoon), so it wasn’t exactly difficult for him. I think it’s still the mindset that the door closed in punishment, though we’ve never used it as such.
Since our bedroom is everyone’s nirvana, I’d be reluctant to prohibit anyone from getting in there, especially the cats; however, I think there’s something to be said about requiring permission to go in there. Our spare bedroom (also know as “the cats’ room”) has a baby gate in the doorway so the cats have a place they can go that’s dog-free (they also have our finished basement because the dogs won’t take the stairs). It might be a good idea to put a baby gate in the doorway there as well, so they’re only allowed in there when we say it’s okay (and the cats will still be able to go in there). That might help with some of Tannis’ possession issues.
Tannis’ behavior has always been unpredictable. He lived in the same home for six years before he came into ours, and he was the model dog (though still a stubborn husky). His world was turned upside down when he came to our house. He used to live with a large pack, and now he gets to be top dog (since his only competition is Captain and our angry cat, Luna). We knew we needed to be strict with him (I’ll never forget the first time we took him for a walk, and as we were trying to get the leash on, he took off. He would run and stop, wait for me to get within a couple feet of him, and he’d take off again. Man, was he testing us to see how much he could get away with!), and we make sure he works for everything he receives. But it’s been a challenge since Day One.
We were finally getting into a routine with him, and then about two months after we got him, he attacked a porcupine, requiring him to be anesthetized three times to remove quills, as well as a month of us trying to shove antibiotics down his throat and three months of pulling quills out of his nose. Since then, while he’s bonded with us, he’s wary of us too. We’re the evil pill-pushing-quill-removing people.
I give you the background because we’ve only had him since July, and things keep changing dramatically with/for him, so his behavior has been… less than ideal. I’ve been trying to figure out why suddenly now he feels the overwhelming urge to take over the house. Maybe it’s because he’s finally feeling better. Or maybe because we did have to pay extra attention to him when he was recuperating and now we don’t (though I figured he’d enjoy us not hurting him, as he’d recoil in horror every time we pulled a quill out). Or maybe winter put a bee in his bonnet. I know it helps to know what the cause is, but I can’t pinpoint exactly when he decided that he was king.
It could also be us. We’ve really reached the end of our rope with him (not just within the house, but outside, with other dogs, other people, etc.). A couple months ago, Victoria Stilwell came to our area and gave a talk. I remember walking out of there, feeling renewed, thinking we could tackle anything Tannis threw at us. Apparently, I need another pep talk.
It’s tough when you have a cat in a dog’s body. You don’t treat the dog the same as the cat. The cat walks all over everything, and your reaction is, Okay, he’s walking all over everything even though I don’t want him to. He’s a cat. But when a dog does it, your reaction is larger. It’s a double standard. Maybe I should teach him to meow! 
Thank you again. I will definitely start creating new boundaries for the dogs and the bedroom.
Lindsay, just wanted to update you once more…
Day one of day crating worked really well (we think).
Not only was Tannis happier to see us, he actually tried to play with Captain. He usually avoids Captain at all costs (Captain is the little brother he doesn’t want). And Captain was back in the window again! Tannis normally doesn’t even say hello when we come home. But he was visibly happy (but not crate-crazy-happy) to see us and actually showed affection toward us.
I know tomorrow could turn out horribly, and we’ll feel like we’re starting all over again, but this was a very encouraging start.
That’s great news! Keep me posted!
After a couple days of crating, he doesn’t seem as perky as he was on the first day, but he’s definitely not bothered by it as far as we can tell.
When we’re home, he still heads up to the room, so we call him right back down and make him stay in the living room with us. Other times, we close the bedroom door, and he’ll just come back downstairs because he doesn’t really have any other options.
He does seem more amiable, and Captain seems to be on more even ground with him now, which makes us all feel better.
That’s great! I’m glad it seems to be going better.
My lab mix Roxie gets possessive with toys and bones and occasionally her food. I worked on the food thing by standing next to her and offering her little extra pieces of chicken and dropping it into her bowl as she eats. She then thinks that when I stand next to her, I will offer yummy extras and she won’t growl or be possessive.
I always make her sit or lie down about 5 or 6 feet away and make her wait for the “OK” command to come get her food. She is very good at that and will listen and be obedient. I am hoping it helps her realize that I am the dominant one and get her used to the “wait” command. I never feed my dog until she works for it. I’ll take her for her morning run or walk and get her worked up to drink and eat. I read somewhere that this process fulfills part of her hunt/pack instinct.
I also realized that if the dog is not exercised consistently every day, it will be more likely to have these aggressive/possessive behaviors. A tired dog seems to be able to listen more and is more calm. As far as the bone possessiveness, I need to work on that one more. I avoid giving her super treats like that because it gets scary. It’s strange to have a sweet, playful, affectionate dog one day and then a scary beast the next. I saw an episode with Cesar Millan dealing with a big, black dog that did the same thing as Roxie. He had his tennis racket in front of him as protection and didn’t back down. Eventually, the dog surrendered and became submissive. It’s not an easy thing to do when your dog has teeth glaring at you, but I realize that this cannot be tolerated at all.
The trade thing works OK in these occasions. I’ll have a piece of chicken with me and offer it to her and that will make her stop growling. She then will bring her bone to me and let me pet her. She’ll do anything for chicken, thank God!
Sounds like you are doing all the right things with Roxie. Thanks for your comment. I think a lot of other people can learn from your example.
So many helpful hints. Thank you. I also have a problem. We have a 1-year-old male French bulldog and recently adopted a 3-year-old pug/Jack Russell cross. The pug is a lovely dog, very sweet and loves cuddles. The Frenchie is so gentle and loves to play. In two weeks the pug cross has become very possesive of us. She won’t let the Frenchie come near us at times and bullies him into leaving us just with her. We really don’t want to give her back, but on several occasions she has gone for our Frenchie and a fight has errupted. If anyone can help us to keep her, we would appreciate it so much.
Just don’t let the pug x do this. Do not let her guard you. Push her away or get up and walk away. The dogs can approach you only on your terms. I know this sounds easier than it is! Make the pug x work for everything. No freebies. Also walk them together side by side, not in front of you. Do things to show leadership on your part.
Really? Does no one see this? “A dog should not be given something for free.” We’re given things for free all of the time! Most of the time we don’t even deserve it! What makes us so special that we get things for free and dogs can’t? Why can’t people see this? This person obviously knows nothing about animals, and it’s sad that seeing this animal abuse is so daily for us that we’re used to it and don’t notice it/point it out.
Second of all, we don’t own dogs. We don’t own cats. We don’t own anything but inanimate objects. Is that so hard to see? We’re their humans and they’re our pets. We don’t own them at all. We might have paid for them and all, but we pay to get human orphans, yet we obviously see that we don’t own them. Again, what makes us so special? We’re not their owners! They can’t have rights, too?
Third of all, we tolerate other humans’ aggression all of the time. Dogs sometimes have their bad days when they’re all grouchy and irritable and aggressive. We do, too. We tolerate each others’, but when it comes to dogs, this person thinks we shouldn’t tolerate it. Again, what makes us so special? Dogs are like us. They have feelings, and one of those is grouchiness. We can tolerate it. Suck it up.
And why did the author of this article say “belong” to him? Yes, things can belong to dogs. Wake up and smell the roses. They have rights. This person obviously knows nothing about dogs and their rights and how to treat them. Don’t listen to him. This is actually considered animal abuse.
I agree with the author on one thing: dogs don’t think toys or anything are their babies (except their babies). They don’t think like that. It’s like them not rolling around in dirt because they think they’ll get dirty – they don’t think like that. But, when the author says “would be humanizing the dog,” that’s basically saying that the dog is not a living being, just a mere live object of ours.
Okay, I have had enough of reading this animal abuse. The dog must sit or lie down for the dog’s own food? You’re supposed to give the dog his own food no matter what! Let’s say he/she doesn’t sit down. You don’t give the dog the food? That’s animal abuse. I swear to God I will report you. How about, at every meal, I make you do this dumb trick before I give you your food? How about, before every time I talk to you, I make you do a dumb trick to entertain me first? Hey, Dummy, this is animal abuse. You’re an animal abuser, and I can see it in the eyes of your dog that he is a victim of animal abuse, not a very happy dog, and you should seriously change your ways that should have never started to begin with.
You’re confusing the dog and the dog’s instincts. The instinct is to protect the food. When you get in the way, that comes into play. When you punish him for his instincts, that makes him confused. Are you that dumb? People! Don’t take your dog’s food away when he/she is eating, or at all! It’s animal abuse. Would you like it if some alien you didn’t understand that is much bigger than you randomly took your food away all the time? No, you’d want it to get out of your space and let you eat.
I don’t blame your dog for looking sad in that picture. Apparently, in your and his mind, he owns nothing, has to do whatever you say or he may not eat, and gets punished for instincts. I actually feel sad for the little guy. You know, animal abusers shouldn’t post advice articles on stuff they don’t even know about, like how to treat an animal.
No, I do not treat my dogs like babies. I believe they should be treated well, but not like princesses. When me dog eats my other dog’s food, I do take that dog, put her in another room with her food and have her sit before I give her the food. Now she hardly takes or even thinks about taking my other dog’s food. It’s rare for that to happen now.
I hope you all don’t listen to what this uneducated person has to say about animals and listen to the people who do (I’m not saying me). Dogs shouldn’t beg for their food. Dogs shouldn’t be punished for their instinct of protecting their food. If you buy a dog toy, you don’t buy it for yourself. You buy it for your dog. It’s officially theirs then.
Yes, please report me for animal abuse.
Megan, what you’re saying is just plain laughable.
Thanks for the laugh, Lindsay! Megan, good luck with your animal abuse charge. I don’t think you are going to find much support.
Well said, Randi! Lindsay, you are wonderful!
Everyone’s an ass.
No Megan. Not everyone’s an ass. You are just showing yours. Report me as well for animal abuse. You should go back and really read what you wrote. I pity your animals.
Actually, most of us have to do dumb tricks for food. It’s called work.
I have a feeling that Megan is a troll. No sane person actually thinks like that. I think someone is messing with you.
Yeah, I hope so!
Megan would have to report all the dog trainers for military and public sectors such as local police and guide dog trainers who have amazing dogs that are highly trained and extremely bonded to their trainers with deep love and loyalty. These trainers also use such methods for behavior modification and have for years because it’s the proven method that works. It doesn’t break a dog’s spirit. It’s only training their natural instincts to perform.
My dog loves to be challenged to raise to the high calling of self control. It gives her pleasure to please me and show that she can do more than I expect of her. Wow – dog abuse? Megan just has her own ideas of how to love her animals that don’t fit the normal grid of thinking. I’m sure her pets are just as happy as Ace in their own way because they have no boundaries set for themselves. Who wouldn’t love to be the master of all they see?
By the way, Ace just happens to have a face that gravity loves to pull on because of his breed. Sorry, Lindsay – Megan’s got you on that one! Hahaha. Ace does have a face that looks sad but unfortunately he was born with that face which makes you love him all the more!
What’s important is Megan’s ignorance to have never met Ace and knows how much love has been poured into that relationship and how much Ace adores you. She has judged without knowledge, and that makes her ignorant and a fool. What the whole world suspected about Megan has now been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt by her own words. Good luck, Megan.
Ace is one hell of a lucky dog!
Thanks, Tawna!
Whenever we go to the vet, she says to Ace, “You can’t fool me with those sad eyes!”
He is one spoiled boy, that is for sure!
It’s been just over a month since I first wrote you about our issues with Tannis.
I think the crating has been working out well. Captain is more willing to go into the bedroom. When we let Tannis out, Captain is very excited and happy to greet him.
On Mother’s Day, an odd thing occurred – they played! And they’ve played a little each day since! This is amazing, since they’ve barely had any relationship, other than possessiveness and policing. It’s even gotten to the point where Captain has stopped policing Tannis for the most part. The playing may only last two or three minutes, but we’ll take it.
Tannis has become a happier dog, and it’s a lot more harmonious in our house.
I’ll have to make sure to abuse my dogs into happiness more often.
HA! Thanks for the update Jennifer! I’m so glad everything is going well!
I’ve just started dog walking for my grandpa’s 6-year-old German shepherd mix. She wasn’t socialized as a pup. Three times a week I take her out for one hour of off-leash dog park time. I brought a tennis ball to the park yesterday, and she started acting possessive over it towards the other dogs (snapping and chasing them away).
I took the ball away and tried again later. She then growled and snapped at another dog while trying to get that dog’s ball. The other dog owners didn’t react, but it was really embarrassing.
I just wanted to know what I should do next time that happens, and if I should do some training at home with her?
The dog park is probably not a good place for your Grandpa’s dog to go. Dogs that visit the dog park should be well socialized and not possessive over toys. I would stick to walking the dog or organizing small groups of one or two dogs for her to play with.
If you want to help her get over the possessiveness, then practice a command such as “leave it” or “drop” when you are not at the park. Basically the idea would be to give her something more valuable than the toy. You can also use “trade.” You take the toy but she gets an even better reward such as a piece of chicken. If she obeys these commands with just you around and no distractions, then you can try the commands with another dog around and eventually take her to the dog park again.
my 18mth jack russell has just gone very strange over a cushion. she growls if we go near it and has taken it into her bed. does anyone know why?
If she is typically a submissive dog, this may be something she feels she can “control.” I’ve seen this with two other dogs and they were both very submissive.
I suggest getting rid of the cushion if she is showing aggression. If you think she might act like that with another pillow or cushion, don’t let her on the furniture anymore without permission.
Hi Lindsay,
We’ve had a very similar problem as a few others have noted above. Wanted to check and see if you thought we were on the right track with how to correct it.
We have a 1.5 year old boxer-standard poodle mix. We have had him for about one year and have taken 3 obedience classes, which we reinforce with him daily.
His main problem is stealing objects at the dog park, mostly balls and especially balls that makes noise. He will steal another dog’s ball, and play keep away from them and all humans. He learns right away that he’s got something that everyone else wants, and will not come, will not drop it, will not leave it in this situation. Sometimes this can go on for 30 minutes plus. We don’t chase him, but eventually he gets distracted and drops it. We try to bring a high value treat for a trade (beef jerky, cheese, hot dog), but nothing seems to be higher value for him than the ball. He won’t come near us during this time, and clearly sees this as a game.
For the past 2 months, we have been working on lots of recalls and drop its, at home and at the park. We do this mostly on a long lead so we can “make it happen” if he ignores us. He seems to know that he can’t get away with “keep-away” while on the lead, but is still about 75% with recalls and drop-it’s. If we decide to let him off leash (to see if we are seeing improvement) so he can play with the other dogs, we still notice no improvement in the keep-away.
Again, the ball seems to be the biggest value for him in the park setting. At home, he will happily drop it for a reward, but at the park he still defies us.
Any other suggestions? We’d love to be able to let him play off-leash at the park, but this situation has turned into a nightmare and can be very embarrassing to not be able to control him, especially when the owner wants their ball back….
Thanks so much for any guidance…
Anne
You said the greatest reward of all is the ball he’s playing with. You could try using that exact ball as a reward. If he drops on command, he gets the ball back. That would also show him that the “game” is not always over. Right now, in his mind, he’s not getting a reward for obeying. The greater reward is to continue holding the ball and getting people to chase him. So you’ll have to find a reward that’s even greater than the chase game he has created.
What if you brought along a fun squeaky toy or just the squeaker to a toy and pulled it out, walked the opposite direction of your dog and started squeaking it and acting like you were having all kinds of fun without him? That might get him to come to you and drop the ball. But I imagine this wouldn’t work after he caught on.
Another route would be to try an e-collar with a remote. This would be temporary, to help him transition from the long lead to no lead. It would teach him that he must listen with or without a lead on. Give the command to drop. If he doesn’t drop the ball, then give him a vibration correction and a reward the second he obeys. The reward might be a pile of jerky treats or a piece of real chicken or you throwing the ball for him again. Just use whatever makes him the happiest.
Also, have you practiced this with just one or two dogs playing in a setting that is more controlled than a dog park? Maybe someone’s fenced yard where you could keep him on a leash?
We are fostering an 11month old JRT. She is a beautiful smart girl, however she is completely deaf. She is learning hand signals well and is finally beginning to get the idea that biting us or our dogs is no fun. The problem we have is she seems to be possessive of my son ( her primary care giver) when the other dogs come around. She will growl, lunge and snap, then run and hide. She seems to know she’s wrong although I could be humanizing the behavior. This behavior is not consistent nor is she waiting until the dogs are close, they have been as far as 7 or 8 feet away.
What we have done up to now is put her on the floor on her side with the other dog present until she relaxes, which she does very quickly. She’ll even fall asleep. But of course this can only happen if we catch her before she runs away. Otherwise she will run and we just love on the dog she just snapped at while she watches.
Do you have any suggestions on how to curb this behavior?
Are you able to determine whether this is true possessiveness or if she could be fearful of the other dogs?
The reason I ask is because some dogs will lean on or guard a person when they don’t want other dogs to get any attention. But some dogs will lean on a person in order to feel safe or secure. My foster dog is submissive and fearful, and he will lean on me in order to feel more comfortable around other dogs. He sees me as a protector. Either way, it’s not a behavior I would want to encourage. But if it’s possible your dog is acting this way out of fear, then be careful about making her lie on her side submissively with the other dog present. You don’t want to make her even more insecure.
If you think her behavior is out of dominance/guarding, then instruct your son not to allow her to sit at his feet or on his lap or on the furniture unless she is invited. If her behavior continues, start training her to lie down and stay on a specific spot such as a dog bed or blanket not necessarily as a “timeout” but to help her relax and focus on something other than the other dogs.
If the other dogs are running around all the time and acting rowdy, she may actually be trying to calm them down by snapping and telling them their behavior is inappropriate. Or maybe she is not used to other dogs. If that is the case, then work on getting all the dogs to lie down and stay in their specific spots when asked.
I hope this gives you some ideas. Thank you for your comment. I’m happy to hear you are fostering a dog.
Hi,
thanks so much for the info it is really helpful. From reading other people’s comments possessiveness over a ball is pretty common, which makes me feel sort of better because it means we are not alone.
We have a 7month patterdale terrier and have done lots of work on her recall which has been really successful (she is now coming out of rabbit holes), we try to make her work for things and “giving her jobs” and have found this makes her more obedient, e.g. laying down for her food, like you have suggested.
Recently I started taking her to our local field and other dogs were there, being a terrier I want her to socialise as much as possible, she enjoys chasing a ball but will not give it up even for hotdogs. She especially likes having a couple of balls, the other is usually someone else’s, and chewing on one and keeping one.
One of the dogs tried to take the spare (which this time was hers) and she growled and then a scuffle ensued. I pulled them apart and promptly took the balls. When there are no balls she is fine and very friendly and playful, but if another smaller dog tries to take hers she does not like it. She will allow people and larger dogs to take the balls.
What would you recommend? Obviously I do not want an aggressive dog, at all, and don’t want to be on the outs with other dog owners.
Thank you
Would it work to distract her with a third, potentially higher-valued toy? Maybe one of those tennis balls that squeak? Only bring it out in emergency or training situations so it remains exciting to her. Since she is a terrier, she has a high prey drive and she probably goes through the motions of “killing” the toy. You are doing all the right things by working on her recall, general obedience, etc. I would keep looking for ways to practice a command for “drop.” Obviously you’ll have to start with less challenging situations like getting her to drop the ball for just you, which she is already good at. Then try with just one or two dogs around, maybe your friends’ dogs. Keep her on a leash if you need to. Then progress to more difficult situations like that field with strange dogs around. Find something that is more rewarding to her than the original toys she has. Chicken? A squeaky toy? I have a relative who puts a stuffed animal on a string and pulls it along the ground to get his cairn terriers to chase it. Use whatever works!
Hi, we have recently rehomed a 16 month old beagle. When we got him he had issues with toilet training, strange men, loud noises but over the last three months we have successfully elimenated all these problems. The one issue we have left is his aggresiveness and possiveness. If were on a walk and he picks up something he is not allowed to have i can reach in his mouth and take it with no problems but if he is in the house and gets a sock or towel he wont let me near him. He gets very growly and aggresive, and has snapped at us on numerous occasions. We make him sit and wait for his food which he does just fine. Its becoming a real issue, im afraid to have people dog sit in case he bites someone. What can i do??
I would approach him with something he values even more than the sock or whatever he has. Use pieces of jerky, hotdogs, chicken or whatever it might be. Teach him that if he “drops” on command (or whatever word you want to use), he gets a treat. You may even want to take the sock away, hold it for a second and then give it back as the reward. You want to teach him that good things happen when you approach him. If he is one of those dogs that tries to make a game of this by running away, then practice this with his leash on so you have more control.
Make sure you are always reinforcing that everything belongs to you first, and then him, as you are doing with his food. But do it in a fun way. Take things away, but then give him a treat and give the object back. You can start with objects he is not aggressive over, like his food bowl. Push his food bowl away while he is eating but give him something even better – pieces of hotdogs or something like that. Then give him his food back and tell him what a good boy he is. Then progress to more challenging situations like when he has a sock.
I tried the food bowl trick earlier with no problems, he didnt even flinch when we took it away. Later my boyfriend approached him in his bed when he was chewing his kong and he snapped at him! Am I best to continue with food rewards or should I put my foot on his toy. It seems to be selective possessiveness which makes it really difficult to stamp out.
I would do both.
Drop a treat, put your foot on his toy, drop another treat, remove the toy, drop another treat, pick up the toy, then give the toy back. Tell him how good he is. You could even use a clicker to mark the exact moment he willingly gives up the toy – and then give him several treats in a row – Wow! What a good boy!!
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
Thanks for your help. It’s only been a couple if days but we are seeing a slight improvement already. Hopefully things will continue to get better
Oh, good! Let me know if you find something specific that works well. It is helpful for everyone to hear which techniques work best in specific situations.
My 5 1/2 month old chocolate lab Leo loves to play with Valentino, a 2 year old golden retriever at the park. On two separate occasions, while giving my dog a treat, I accidentally dropped it and both dogs went after it. Leo growled at Valentino and Valentino attacked him. Both times Leo hit the ground whimpering and crying while Val had to be pulled off of him. Valentino’s owner said Leo has a possessive aggression problem and needs to be trained but to me Leo just let out a growl and then was attacked. Who is the problem here?
Also when we play ball, Valentino hordes both balls and won’t let Leo near them even when they are his. Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Sounds like both dogs could use some work on their possessive issues. But you can’t control someone else’s dog. You can only focus on your own dog.
It would help your dog if you teach him a “Leave it” command. That way if you drop a treat, he will “Leave it” on command. Teach him this by purposely dropping a treat, blocking him from picking it up and offering him an even better treat as a reward for leaving the first treat. To stop him from growling at other dogs, you will have to practice this in a controlled setting around other dogs. For example, with another dog safely on a leash but close by. Give him yummy treats while the other dog is there so he learns to take treats nicely. Practice dropping treats on the floor and asking him to “leave it” even when another dog is there and eventually to allow the other dog to get the dropped treat. When your dog waits, he gets a handful of even better treats for being so good!
So really, with the growling thing, it’s not ideal. If you growl at the wrong dog, you will get attacked. My dog does the same thing Leo does. I don’t like it one bit. I understand he is just communicating to the other dog that this is mine, but he does need to learn some self control, even if it’s not natural to him.
Thanks for your advice. I will start working with Leo to teach him to leave it.
Let me know how it goes!
Hi,
I have a one year old mix pomerenian/bijon. The problem I am having is that when he takes something that is not his, he hides under the bed. When anyone tries to take it away from him he growls and snaps at you. The fact that he is under the bed makes it difficult to teach him anything. I have tried giving him a treat in return but he then takes possession of both items.
Is there anything else I can do to dominate him?
Carol
Keep a leash on him. Then set up situations where he would be tempted to take something and hide under the bed. That way you can get a hold of him safely and offer him a reward for dropping the item.
Thanks! Will try it this weekend.
Great advice, my dog will let humans take anything from her, problems i have is if we are out walkies, and she has a ball/rock/stick, and another dog comes near she warns first, if the dog persists, can get more heated.
Have to ask, but the picture of the dog in the original article………….is the image of mine! What breed, mine is a mix breed of great dane?? Just interested!!
Thanks again
lisa
I would practice “drop” or “trade” or “give” or whatever command you want to use. Give her something even better when she does drop the object. Then practice this around other dogs in a controlled situation like with dogs you know on a leash. Start with the dog six feet away. Then get closer. Use different objects. Set up realistic situations so when these situations really occur with strange dogs she will remember the drill and drop the object in order to get an even better treat (hot dog, chicken, jerky, etc.).
Send me a pic of your dog, please to Lindsay@ThatMutt.com or post a link. I’d love to see!
I don’t know what Ace is, but I guess mostly black lab mixed with some dane and maybe another kind of hound or pointer. Who knows. He’s about 68 pounds, so like the size of a lab. He just has the big head and lankiness and jowls of a dane.
I have a 7year old unneutered JRT whose very unsociable. He has recently become very possessive over his duvet and pillow that you cannot go near him he will growl or come to bite. He guards it continually and doesn’t want to eat or go out to piddle. I m not sure if its his mating idol as he often mounts it, is plainly aggressive or is unwell. I am now afraid of my own pet. What is your best advice to assist me please?
Well you could try getting rid of the pillow and duvet. Just put them in a closet for a few weeks. But I bet the behavior will continue once you bring them out again.
Put his leash on him and keep his leash on as needed. When he’s in that guarding mode, take his favorite treats, walk over to him and give him the treats when he moves off the bed. Take his leash and physically move him if needed. Do this 20 times in an row. Do this every day. Teach him that he gets good things when you approach. Also, remove him and then “claim” the pillow yourself. Hold it. Sit on it. Don’t let him come near it until YOU decide it’s OK. Give him permission to approach. Then give him lots of treats when he’s being nice and friendly while you both sit on the pillow or while he sits on it and lets you pet him.
The mounting behavior he does is his way of showing he “owns” and “dominates” the pillow. It wouldn’t be such a big deal, but since he becomes aggressive and possessive, do not allow him to mount the pillow either.
You could also try throwing the pillow and duvet away and getting new ones just to see how he does with something new. He might have a whole new, friendlier attitude. But most likely he will get possessive of the new objects, too.
Let me know if you have questions. Since you are dealing with aggression, do not hesitate to contact a trainer for help. You don’t want the behavior to escalate and it is dangerous.
Dear Lindsey, thank you so much for the reply will definitely try and let you know. Do you think it wise to consider neutering him now?
It might help, but don’t expect it to suddenly eliminate the possessiveness. That, along with everything else I mentioned should help.
I managed to remove the items he searched frantically to no avail however found another pillow but not so agressive today. I managed to distract him and give him his bathe as well. He’s back to his normal self now was even hungry. Thank you so much for the tips I will continue with them. You saved him as I was seriously considering giving him up as I was so scared of him even though I love him to bits. Thanks a mil. God bless.
Oh I’m so glad he’s a bit better. You’ll have to keep after him because he will always have the tendency to become possessive of something.
I have a 1.5 year old lab/shepherd mix. She is wonderful at home with food and water. We make her sit or lay down, stay, and then use the “watch me” command to maintain eye contact with me before she gets food or water. The problem is at the dog park when it is really hot and there isn’t this structure. There are dog bowls filled with water all over the place and I cannot easily prevent her from getting to them. With my own bowl I will still have her work for me before getting the water, but this is a lot more difficult with everyone else’s water bowls. When another dog tries to drink out of the same dish, or even come close to it she becomes possessive (sometimes growling or lunging) of it. I don’t know how all of this started…some days she will drink just fine out with another dog out of the same dish. But it seems like the days when she is really hot and thirsty she thinks it is her own. She has gotten into a few scuffles because of this. Any suggestions?
That’s hard since it’s so hard to get control of the dog in an dog park setting. You could try setting up similar scenarios in your yard or friends’ yards with one or two dogs. Allow her to drink and keep approaching with other dogs but then give her treats when they approach so she associates good things with other dogs approaching. Just be careful so she doesn’t become possessive of the treats! Give them to her when she is calm. Also practice making her lie down at the dog park, not as a punishment but as a way to keep her calm. Reward her for eye contact. If you haven’t trained her to “watch” on command, do that, too. Give her treats for making eye contact. That way you can get her attention when needed.
My dog steals tennis balls at the dog park, and I make sure to step in and make him drop the ball and then I walk into him, pushing him back, away from the ball. This is difficult just like your situation since there are tennis balls everywhere and sometimes he’s far away from me. If I see him eyeing that particular ball again, I get after him and say “No!” and walk between him and the ball, requiring him to change his mindset. I’m not sure if you would be able to do this with the water bowls, depending on how they are set up. But you could step in every now and then, forcing her to back away from the water, and then give her a treat.
Does it help at all if you bring your own water bowl? I assume not since I know how that goes. The dogs prefer to drink out of the public bowls, it seems. If you do bring your own water, make sure to reward her when she drinks from it.
I have two dogs who have toy aggressiveness. I think we’re going to have to use corrective measures for our puggle but we just adopted a new fox hound who has the same toy aggressiveness, and I think that we need to implement your suggestions on him right away. Do you have any other suggestions on how we should manage this?
It helps if both dogs see you as the ultimate owner of the toys. Both my dog and foster dog will at times show possessiveness over a toy or bone. But if we are all playing together, they will both surrender the toy to me or to each other because they know I “own” the toy. I reward them and tell them how good they are when they are playing nicely and “sharing.”
When one of them does get possessive, it does not help the situation if I get tense and upset. Usually this just makes the dog go into an avoidance mode, which is better than being possessive, but they are not learning anything. If one dog becomes possessive, then I just get out a new “better” toy and totally ignore that dog while playing with the other dog and making sure to make a huge point that we are having all kinds of fun!
So, I suggest making sure to claim everything as yours. And keep the toys put away when you are not playing. Rotate which toys are out so they are always interesting. And always have something even better to bring out whether it’s treats or other toys.
Hi Lindsay,
We just (a month ago) rescued a puppy, Piper, someone abandoned next to a garbage dumpster. The vet thinks she’s about 2-3 months old, possibly a lab or lab mix but hard to tell at this age. She’s been fine with everything up until recently — we crate her at night & if we leave the dogs in the house when we’re not at home, during the day she stays outside with the other 2 dogs (Shiloh & Lacy) we own & gets along fine with them, she plays with her toys when we play with her, walks on a leash (for the most part–she’s still learning), etc. And until just in the past couple of weeks, feeding her was no problem but now she’s started showing aggression toward her food. We make her sit & wait for us to put the food in the bowl & wait until we place it on the floor. She still doesn’t wait long before rushing to the bowl but she is learning–if she starts heading toward the bowl as I’m setting it down, I stand back up & tell her to sit. Once she is sitting, I tell her to wait & then begin to set the bowl down again. But, as I said, just in the past couple of weeks, she’s begun growling when I pet her while she’s eating (which I was able to do before). Yesterday, I was just putting some food back in the bowl that fell out & she really growled & I thought she was going to snap.
I am so glad I found your blog — my husband said he tells her no & picks up her bowl, makes her sit & then gives it to her again, which is what you recommend. I wasn’t sure what to do & if what he was doing was right. I was attacked by my step-father’s dog shortly after he & my mother were married so, although I’m not afraid of dogs & am normally forceful when I need to be, in situations where I feel they may bite, it’s difficult for me to be forceful but I plan on putting your tips into practice, but she does show more aggression toward me with her food than she does toward him.
I have a few questions. We feed Shiloh & Lacy outside because they eat much slower than Piper (& we’ve always fed them outside) & she acts like she is starving even after we’ve feed her (we feed her about a cup of food 3 times a day) so we don’t want her to eat their food — Shiloh is sometimes timid & Lacy is 12-year old, so I fear with this recent behavior that Piper will take over the food bowls of all the dogs. When is a good time to introduce the three of them to eating together, if ever? Is the fact that we feed her inside, apart from them, something that led to her aggression? And, they get a mixture of wet/dry food & she just gets puppy food but my husband put a couple of chunks of wet food in her puppy food a few times would that extra “treat” in her normally dry food have led to the aggression? As I said, she was fine with her food before so I’m trying to determine what may have led to the aggression so we can rule that out & make sure we stop doing whatever it might be!
Thank you for any help you’re able to provide.
Some dogs are just naturally more possessive of their food. If you do feed all three dogs together, I would make sure to make them all sit first like you are doing with Piper and then release them and allow them to go to their own bowls. Make sure to supervise and to correct anyone who tries to go to another dog’s bowl. Keep leashes on at first if you need more control. And don’t leave any food out at all times. Put the bowls and any uneaten food away until the next meal.
My foster dog Cosmo is a bit aggressive with food as well, and he is nuts about food just like Piper. He inhales the food as though he’s never eaten in his life. I also make him lie down and wait for his food and he practically shakes with anticipation. One thing I do with him sometimes is make him sit facing me with the bowl between us. And then I literally feed him by hand. This forces him to be calm and to accept the food from me on my terms. It’s not very convenient to do this all the time, but it is something you could try. With Cosmo, I keep feeding him one piece at a time as long as he is sitting nicely without growling or snapping the food from me. Sometimes I have him work on a few obedience commands like “watch me” or “down” while I’m feeding him this way.
Remember that the reason Piper is growling is because she doesn’t want you to take the food away. There is a strong possibility that she will bite if you take the food while she is growling. Dogs growl as a warning that they are going to bite. So do be very careful and don’t hesitate to contact a trainer in your area for help.
When Cosmo is eating, I walk over and nudge the bowl away from him with my foot. He is a small enough do so he won’t be able to hurt me this way even if he does bite. So I move his bowl away with my foot and walk into him, causing him to back away and tell him to sit. As soon as he does, I tell him what a good boy he is and allow him to return to the food immediately as a reward. I might do this two or three times while he is eating. Sometimes I have an even “better” treat in my hand like pieces of chicken. I use these rewards to teach him that it’s not a bad thing if I approach his bowl. I might be approaching him to offer something better!
I’m not sure what has set Piper off. It is probably just her age and personality. Make sure you are a leader to her at all times like you are doing. Remember that everything in the house belongs to you – the dog food, dog toys, and so on. She only gets something with your permission.
Make sure you are not feeling bad for her because she had a rough start during her first month or two of life. I guarantee that she has moved past that point in her life and you do not need to feel one bit sorry for her. Doing so will only empower her even more.
i have 3 year old terrier.who is very protective over clothing items steals mail.she will sit growling for hours.if you go near her to get them back she snaps and sometimes runs away with it.we have tryed all ur tips but nothing is working please can you help.thank you carol.
Give her less freedom and opportunity for this. Keep her on a leash when needed so you can re-gain control. Have you tried “trading” her for something better? If nothing else is working, you could try a shock collar with a remote. Give the command drop and then give a correction. Reward with her favorite treat the second she drops. You may even want to consider giving her the same object right back if that is the ultimate reward. The goal is to get her to “drop” on command.
Hello,
I was wondering is someone could help me with me with my puppy. This is the first puppy that i have EVER had in my life to date. She has started to become aggressive with her food dishes. Everytime I go near her dish she tends to growl, show her teeth, and her hair stand up on end. I was wondering if you could give me some help with this as it is not aggressive behaviour yet but I know it can turn into that if something doesn’t happen now. She is a Border collie lab mix and is 6 months old. Thanks
Patty
I have a few suggestions.
First, make her earn the food. Go for a long walk before each meal or work on some obedience. Then make her sit a few feet back while you get her food ready and release her calmly with an “OK” if she is calm – ears back, relaxed, not panting frantically or ready to bolt at the dish. Keep her leash on while you feed her for more control, and stay calm and pleasant but confident and in control. Be a leader, but don’t be super tense about it.
While she is eating and has her leash on, approach her bowl with some extra special treats like bits of hotdogs or chicken. Don’t bend down and touch her or put your face near her quite yet. Just walk right into her, causing her to back away. When she does, immediately give her a treat and put another treat in her bowl telling her she is a good dog. Repeat this several times. If you are uncomfortable with this, then hold the leash the whole time. Have the leash in your hand before you put her bowl down so you are holding the leash the whole time. You don’t want to have to bend down and get it if there is a chance she could snap. Keep repeating this game with the treats so she learns to associate good things (better food!) with you approaching.
At the same time, you don’t want to just be bribing her with treats. You want her to respect you and understand that you can take the food away at any time. So keep working on approaching her and progress so you are able to touch her back and head while she eats and massage her. Then you can try pushing the bowl away with your foot. Then you can progress to touching the food in the bowl and so on. Be very careful of course and if you are not sure of the warning signs a dog gives before a bite, please consult a trainer in your area for help.
You can also make her sit in front of you, facing you with the bowl between you. Then hand feed her the food. This teaches her to be calm and that you control the food. This is time consuming so you probably aren’t going to want to do this every meal.
Hi,
We have a two dogs, a collie and a jack russell. they are both grown up and the jack russell (elvis) moved in with us last year. Now my problem is he was a rescue dog and so thought he might have been treated badly, but i’m not sure… Now he continually takes random things and guards them quite aggressively, and i was wondering if anyone can give me any hints on how to stop him doing it. Basically when you go to take the object away from him he will initially start to growl and if you continue he shows his teeth and then goes for your hand if you don’t hold him back. The rest of the time he is an awesome loving dog. anyone with any hints it would be much appreciated…
I would teach him a command for “drop” by trading him for something he values even more than the object he has. Maybe this means using hotdogs or chicken or whatever. Sometimes that might even mean giving him the object right back if he drops it on command first. You will want to work on this randomly when he is not being possessive until it becomes automatic.
Also, make sure you are doing a better job of claiming everything as yours. The food is yours. The dog toys are yours. Everything is yours. Use the “nothing is free” method and always make your dog do something before he gets what he wants.
Hi, I was hoping you could could share your thoughts with me. I have a two year old weimaraner that I rescued at ten months. A few months in, he got something out of the trash and when friend tried to pick it up, he snapped at her and peed himself. I believe that in his past, he may have been abused for grabbing items. We hired a trainer, worked on leadership, drop it, give, etc. with all things, he us very stubborn. He will listen to a command only of he wants to. He knows what I want but is stubborn sometimes. He randomly gets things that were not important to him yesterday. If I try to get it from him, he’ll stand over it and and growl, snarl. I used to get his leash, get him to come, and then tie him up and get the item. I’ve tried letting him watch me, I’ve tried having him in the other room. I’ve tried claiming it after getting it, and I’ve tried making him work to play with it again. When that wasn’t working, I decided that I’m willing to risk a bite to make things right. I tried trading things, he doesn’t care for anything else once he’s in that mind sight. I’ve tried grabbing the item at which time he lunges and snaps over and over again to get it back. Sometimes, I have to get him on his side and pull on the item until he eventually loses it by trying to get a better grip and loosening his jaw for a moment. I get the item and he goes crazy. I have to hold him down and put a muzzle on him,. Sometimes I can let him up without the muzzle. Sometimes I am holding him down trying to get the item got up to an hour. He knows he shouldn’t do this. When he does “get me,” it never breaks the skin but I have huge deep bruises and knots from his teeth. He plays and shares with other dogs just fine. Always. Minus this, he is a pretty great dog. We practice nothing in life is free, he works for everything. He doesn’t sleep with us, he gets plenty of physical and mental stimulation. Besides these “random” items, he gives, drops, etc. when we ask. I will not give up on him or return him. I an doing as much research as possible and am going to work with a different behaviorist. What is your take on this? What would you do?
Thanks for reading all of this!
I would’ve suggested teaching him drop or trade as you have been trying. And since there is nothing he values more than that original object, I would give that right back as his “reward.”
Are you comfortable with an e-collar? In this case, you would tell him to “drop.” If he does, give him tons of praise and a reward. If he does not, give an immediate correction and then an immediate reward once he does drop the object. I suggest pieces of chicken or other real meat as the reward.