# Not really sure what to do...



## not-so-prince-harry (Jun 2, 2013)

Harry is almost 6 months old now and I love him more than anything, but I have come across a bad behaviour that I'm unsure how to work on, if anyone has advice. 

When he gets something at home he knows he shouldn't have eg tissues, socks robbed from other rooms - he runs away from you like crazy. I call him, tell him come, I've tried to stand over him and be quite dominant when asking him to give things back and I've also tried trading him a treat if he will sit and drop - the only thing I seem to have success with is the sit-drop-treat. 

However! Twice on walks in the last week he has grabbed something he shouldn't have - once was a filthy tissue I didn't notice in the gutter, and today it was an old cooked bone - and tries to run away from me like home but can't as he is on the leash. I have pulled treats out to trade and he won't have a bar of it - and then he starts really snarling and growling and snapping at me! It took 5 minutes for him to calm down enough today to realise that I had placed a treat on his paw, drop the bone and go for the treat, and honestly I think both times I was lucky not to get properly bitten. 

My question is what can I do about this horrible snarling behaviour when he doesn't want to give up something he has found? 

Thanks in advance for any tips. 


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

Ok, first, loose the dominance thing - you're picking a fight you will loose someday, and soon from the sound of it. 

Seond, start slowly at home wih minimal distractions and teach 'Leave it' While out on walks, you're goin to need to be especially viligent about watching everything as just grabbing items is self-rewarding. Also, there are a lot of sick and twisted people out there leaving poison meatballs out for animals. 
It will take some time and effort,but it is so worth it in the log run. 
Here's an example of a great way to start. 






I am also going to recomend you start clicker training for all behaviors if you haven't already. Since finding this method, I have been astounded at how easy it is to teach even the most hardened 'criminal' dogs to behave nicely. It works on weanlings to seniors - I love it!

Best wishes!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Excellent advice from BorderKelpie. Harry is growing up, and exercising his right as a dog to protect what is his. I played innumerable games of swapsies with mine, and of Leave it. In both cases, wherever possible give him the swap reward, and then give him back the original object as well - this seems almost magical to dogs, and seemed to speed up the learning process enormously.

And whatever you do don't try to "dominate" him into giving stuff up - that way lies full blown, entrenched resource guarding.


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## cookieface (Jul 5, 2011)

In addition to the great advice above, check out Resource Guarding: Treatment and Prevention by Patricia McConnell.

_Mine! A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs_ by Jean Donaldson is another good resource.

The general idea behind resource guarding is that the dog is frightened that you'll take away his valued possession. Anything you do to increase that fear (e.g., forcibly removing the item; "fighting" with the dog; asserting dominance by staring, moving closer, or yelling) will make the situation worse. He'll become even more scared of losing his wonderful new toy and try even harder to keep it. 

The best way to treat resource guarding is to make the dog see you as giver of all things wonderful. When you approach, he should think, "Oh, mom's coming! I wonder what great things she has for me?" rather than, "Uh oh, mom's coming. Better hold on to my treasure so she can't get it."

Teaching leave it and drop it are great - necessary, basic skills, in my opinion. Kikopup has excellent videos. Domesticated Manners has a unique approach teaching 



. Basically, you associate the phrase "drop it" with food being tossed on the floor. The dog eventually will drop what's in his mouth to eat the treats.


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## Quossum (Mar 18, 2011)

I really can't add too much more to the excellent advice and videos given above. The end result can be amazing. One thing to really keep in mind is to *always* praise your dog for giving you the "bad" object. I think there is a huge tendency to snatch away the naughty item with a stern "No!" and even shaking it menacingly in the dog's face, but that won't increase the probability of the dog giving up such an object in the future. 

We did swapsies from day one with Sugar, and also made a huge effort to praise him effusively for bringing us whatever was in his mouth--even if it was a shoe or something he shouldn't have (which we could then exchange for something acceptable). This ingrained the habit of him bringing us items rather than running off to hide with them and chew them. (Though he also wants to bring us his bones and chew them against our laps sometimes...) 

It comes in handy because now he can pick up dropped items and bring them to us, or bring me an item that's across the room. A regular little butler! 

--Q


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Excellent advice already given. All I can say is to reiterate what was said about losing the dominance, who's da boss thing. It's what causes aggression. 

I've been working on my two toy Poodle puppies using similar methods as posted above. I thought I better teach them to leave it quickly because Maurice, in particular is obsessed with picking up rocks and they both go zealously after my geraniums. lol...brats! In the house, I try to pick up anything they might be interested in that I don't want them to get first of all...really puppy proof. That way they don't get a chance to _practice_ that stealing behavior in the first place and don't get reinforced naturally, because it's fun. Of course, sometimes I forget. Matisse will get hold of my slipper (loves slippers) and before I take it, I'll get a treat from off the counter top and say, "give" and give him the treat and then maybe a toy. Before he knew this trick of giving or dropping (and he's not perfect yet) I will hold the treat in front of his nose and he'll drop the slipper to get the treat. Then I take the slipper, praise him and show him something else he can play with or chew.

Now, after just a little while, they're quite good at it. I will try to intercept them before they grab a rock or something on a walk and tell them "leave it." And they do. They also have learned it's "cousin," "drop it." (if they've already grabbed something I didn't catch soon enough) And they do that too...because they've learned if they do, something waaaaaaay better will come to them. It pays off big time. We also play retrieve games. Bring me the ball and you get a treat and the ball back again. Or toy. They have fun giving me things. I am not a threat to their stuff. I'm a play partner. 

You can play trading games with toys where they get a treat in exchange for giving you the toy into your hand, "give" and "take" when you give them the toy back again plus a treat. It's a win win for them to get a treat and the thing they just gave you into your hand back again. Start with lower value toys and not as fantastic treats and work up gradually to using higher value items and higher value treats. (proportionately) Don't start out with a tasty bone and expect the dog to give it up for a piece of kibble. Don't even give high value stuff like that at first.

Instead of winding up with a vicious resource guarder from taking that "who's da boss" dominate/alpha stuff and taking their stuff (because once they have it it _IS _theirs) you get a dog who looks at you as the giver of good things and a really fun playmate to bring things to and drop things when asked or to leave things in the first place. No one takes a possession from someone without that "person" defending it. Animals are no exception. If dogs or wolves all along had said, "Yeah, sure, go ahead and take my bone" they wouldn't have lived long enough to evolve. Rank, leadership has nothing to do with it. Survival does.


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## Pluto (Jul 8, 2012)

I think you have gotten some great advice, but I disagree that you should "lose the dominance thing." 

Regardless of what you call it, your dog is getting "something" from you that is reinforcing his temper tantrums. A puppy doesn't just spend 5 minutes snapping and growling, he has been trained to do it, and it likely has something to do with your reaction (and something you do not recognize you are doing), and the fact that you consider yourself lucky you didn't get bit is probably some of it. You are afraid of him and of getting bit, and he is using that against you. Frankly, I would get a pair of leather gloves and absolutely remove things by force from his mouth. You can and should while working the positive trading games as well, but you need to not be afraid of your dog, ever, and he needs to know it.

So I would absolutely use things that others would consider "dominance". All of my dogs know that I can hold a paw for as long as I want, or lay on them, or roll them over. It's not attacking them, getting worked up, etc. it's reinforcing calmly that I while I am bigger and badder then them, I am also a calm leader that can be trusted. That if I hold a paw or dogpile my pup to the ground while playing or training, nothing bad is going to happen to them. Some dogs are born followers and need little reinforcement of this, but your boy is a bully and if you don't want him to grow up to be a bully (which can be fatal for a dog), then you need to nip this behavior in the bud, and a lot of that needs to be training of you and being more stubborn then the dog, every time.

ETA: And I am not saying to drop the positive training, but that I do not think it will be enough raise this pup into a good citizen without some changes in the way you interact.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I agree that you *must* nip the resource guarding in the bud. I would use the trade up game and *definitely teach leave it*. Also, the natural extension of leave it is drop it (or you can call it "give" if you teach the dog to put the forbidden thing into your hand). Start this training with something your dog likes but will easily give over to you then up the ante to things he loves.

Also your pup is at an age where he is looking to find what his position is in the hierarchy of your household. He needs to know that you are in charge, but I wouldn't call that being dominant over him or encourage you to use any kind of aggressive assertiveness to work on this problem. In fact, it is really important that you are very calm and relaxed in dealing with these issues. I think that being able to touch all parts of your dog at any time, take things safely without fear from your dog's mouth at any time and to have your dog respect you as their benevolent leader is very important. As Pluto suggests you may have a pup who has high social aspirations on your hands, but speaking from the owner of a very strong status seeker I would say that a firm but kind approach is best. I had a tough time with Lily when she was a puppy. Things only got better when I really found inner true calmness in my approach and showed her positive ways out of the situations she was inclined to put herself into.

If you don't feel comfortable with a clicker (I am a klutz with them) then use a verbal marker such as good or nice (just be consistent with it). 

Keep us updated on your progress.


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## not-so-prince-harry (Jun 2, 2013)

Well today on our walk he again manages to grab a tissue. I just calmly knelt beside him with a large piece of chicken liver treat and said stop,
Sit - and he did. He still had the tissue, so I just held the treat in front of him close enough for him to reach without getting out of sit and I think it took about 3 seconds for him to drop the tissue and grab the treat. So lots of praise and a pat and we continued nicely on our walk. 

Definitely going to try teaching drop or give - those ones weren't a part of puppy school! Haha! We will get there I have total faith  

Side note: his snarling behaviour I have seen before, much earlier on - when we tried to put his harness on he used to do it. We had the lady who runs puppy school come out and see us/him about it and now we get his harness on first time, every time. What I had to do was take a grab of the back of his neck and make him still and say NO! When he snarled and then as soon as he calmed, treat. Every step of the harness received a treat as well. Now he gets one when the last clip is done up. 


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Good work with the tissue. If you consistently work this way you should see progress in no time. BTW tissues are one of Lily's favorite things to steal and eat, along with paper napkins and paper towels. Lots of poodles seem to have paper obsessions.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Not just poodles - Sophy routinely takes advantage of my being on the phone to check any wastepaper bins I've been foolish enough to leave within her reach ... Ah well, I suppose it's better than raiding the laundry basket for used knickers, her other favourite!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

fjm, the dirty laundry basket is one of Lily's favorite shopping spots too! My hypothesis on unlaundered undies and my used tissues is that she is attracted to my smell first, then to the idea of comforting herself by chewing on things that make her feel close to me even when I am absent.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

http://www.poodleforum.com/images/editor/createlink.gif


OOOPPPPSSSSS!!!!!!!!! Disreguard this


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Ya gotta be vigilant ..........................Hahaha!!!!! :bounce:


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

lily cd re said:


> BTW tissues are one of Lily's favorite things to steal and eat, along with paper napkins and paper towels. Lots of poodles seem to have paper obsessions.


Jazz certainly does. She has never chewed anything but her own toys, except for tissues and paper towels. If she finds one in the floor, it's toast--she LOVES to shred them.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

One thing I like to do is have them drop something then I treat him and then I give him the object I had him dropped back. That way he won't assume drop it means he will never get it back.


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