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Post by minismurf14 on Dec 27, 2004 19:31:33 GMT -5
Ok, i'm having some problems with my approx. 1 year old beagle. First off, let me jsut say that we just got him a few weeks ago, and have no idea of his past, so we are starting everything over. He is doing great in general obedience commands (sit, wait, down) but we are having some manners problems. He seems to get a little protective aggressive/dominant over things. But not his bones and toys he has laying around all the time, it is jsut when he steals something he is not supposed to have. He will take it and run behind a couch, or under a table, and if we try to take it from him, He will growl and snarl and bark at us. My dad usually uses the force method, like grabbing him and pulling him out, even though Barclay is biting and growling. I dont liking going in the couch to pull him out, so i usually use a real excited voice and distract him with something else. I dont think either of these are working, and we need a way for him to not get so aggressive and elarn how to give things up. He does also get very mouthy when playing-what should we do about this? I usually jsut say no and hold his mouth shut, and if he gets rough again, i stand up and stop playing with him----but my dad and brothers just get rougher with him. Sooooo i'm kind of at a loss of what to do--any ideas or suggestions? He is a great little guy, and he's doing great with everything else, its jsut his stealing and protecting thats not good, because we have little kids in the house and i dont want this to escalate. Thank you very much for any suggestions!!
Em :-) (sorry this is soo long)
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Post by Laura on Dec 27, 2004 22:37:04 GMT -5
Your dog is displaying the some of the signs of dominance, it's what we call resource guarding. Dogs are very big on "what can you give me", and everything to them is a resource, food pets, playtime, toys, and very importantly, your attention. However, in order to get him back on track, everyone in the house needs to be on the same page when it comes to the dog. All it takes is one person in the house to be inconsistent, and it's all for nothing (so feel free to show your dad and brothers this ;D !) The first step is to put the dog on what we call Nothing In Life Is Free, follow this to the letter, and you'll see a huge improvement, dogden.proboards21.com/index.cgi?board=Questions&action=display&thread=1079736429and the next step should be to pick up EVERY toy in the house. From now on, he will have to work for everything he gets, toys included. And only give him maybe two toys a day, rotate the rest in and out. Too many choices to make, and he'll play with none of them, but will guard ALL of them to make sure nobody takes them but him. The next thing will be to teach the dog " drop it" or "give". You can do this by giving him one of his toys that he likes, and depending on whether he's more motivated by food or a better toy, exchange one for the other. Give him the toy, let him play with it for a minute, then hold your left hand out palm up and tell him "give", while holding a treat in your right hand (something better than what he's already got) and then give him the treat when he drops the item. Praise and repeat the excercise. Do this several times a day, and he will begin to make the connection in no time. In the meantime, block off his access to under the couch and beds with boxes, any dog will get twice as defensive when cornered under something.
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Post by Aussienot on Dec 27, 2004 22:52:54 GMT -5
Laura's advice is perfect. Barclay thinks he has a right to the things he steals, and that's why he objects so much to having them forceably taken away. Your way of distracting is not confrontational, so is less likely to trigger an agressive display, but does not address the core problem.
You and your family need to convince Barclay that is place in the pack is at the bottom of the order. You do this by actively practicing NILIF (Nothing in Life Is Free). The sticky in the training section on NILIF is very helpful.
It's critical that everyone follow the rules, especially at first. Change the way you relate to him, and these little problems will disappear. But if there is inconsistency, he's likely to be confused.
He shouldn't have ANY toys or bones lying around. These are not his things, they are YOUR things, and you allow him to have them from time to time. Pick them up and put them away after a short play time.
About the mouthing - dogs like to play rough. When the men escalate play if Barclay bites, he thinks that's the way you all play at your house. To stop the biting, everyone needs to say Ouch, or NO, and stop the game. He bites, play ends. Again, your family must be consistent in this approach, and be patient. It may take some time to make him realise the rules have changed.
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Post by Kona on Dec 28, 2004 1:19:45 GMT -5
I would add that, rather than blocking off access to underneath the furniture, keep the dog on a short leash. When I'm establishing a relationship with a dog, he stays on leash, at my side if I'm walking and in front of me if I'm sitting. Whatever I'm doing, he does. When he tries to find his own activity (crawling under the furniture, soliciting me for attention, whatever), he gets the negative word marker and I place him back into position.
The philosophy is that the fewer choices a dog can make, the more he looks to his handler as a leader. The more choices a dog can make, the higher he feels in relation to his handler, and therefore the more likely he'll be to not only disobey but to physically challenge.
The monks of New Skete talk about basically the same thing in their first book, and while some of what they said hasn't stood the test of time, this one has yet to fail me.
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