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| Tweet Topic Started: 28 Mar 2017, 11:27 AM (515 Views) | |
| Big-Paws | 28 Mar 2017, 11:27 AM Post #1 |
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GSD Puppy
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![]() ![]() ![]() Usually when Bud has something, Specially food, if you go near him he starts to show his teeth and growl If we back off that that would be giving in to him and reinforcing that behaviour So we have made a point of making a fuss of him as we give him his food and even while he is eating He no longer growls when we touch him while he is eating but he does when he has something like the chew he has in the pictures But we still ignore him and touch him but reassure him we are not going to take his chew away from him yesterday he kept bringing his chew to me while growling each time I made a fuss of him and sent him off to eat his chew but he kept coming back for more fuss growling all the time. Today he brought his chew to me and let me take it from him I made a big fuss off him told him how good he was then gave it back to him and sent him off to eat it I guess this is a very positive step forward Your thought or advice welcome Thanks |
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| catsx11 | 30 Mar 2017, 11:20 PM Post #2 |
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"...it's a dog's life!"
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| Heambro | 31 Mar 2017, 09:10 AM Post #3 |
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GSD Annointed Member
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I've never had a problem with possession which is why I didn't post, maybe I should have so you wouldn't feel it had fallen on deaf ears. Sorry BP Sounds like good advice given, might keep it myself for the future xx |
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| Big-Paws | 31 Mar 2017, 02:54 PM Post #4 |
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GSD Puppy
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The day Bud chooses not to eat will be the day hell freezes over - LOL when he first arrived with us you couldn't even get near him while he was eating and he would of eaten half his dinner before the bowl had been put down We didn't want him to think that growling or showing his teeth will get him what he wants We started by holding his bowl when it was meal time so he knew we were the provider Then we moved on to putting his bowl down and leaving him to get on with it The next step was to gradually got closer and closer until we could touch him Its been a long slow process but We can now make a fuss* of him while asking him if he is enjoying his dinner and now while dinner is put down he will sit and wait till he is told to go get it. If we did need to take it away he will leave it when told to We feed Bud and Molly side by side and they both get told off for eating from the others bowl now they are both very good at keeping to their own bowl even if the other is not eating but eventually temptation gets the better of them when that happens, they just need to be told NO "that's Bud's" or "that's Molly's" and they will leave it. With treats its much the same, we don't follow him to make a fuss of him but if we need to go past him or of he comes back near us we often make a quick fuss asking if he likes his treat with treats he sometimes goes to find a quiet place to nibble and he is left alone but sometimes and depending on what we gime him we hold on to it while he is eating it such as an ice cream - we would hold on to it til it was finished so he doesn't eat the stick We have made many attempts at getting Bud to play but he really has showed no interest it was only after he had been with us for 4 months that he started to learn to play Now he thinks it playing chase is hilarious with him tearing about like a furry missile and me chasing him saying "gunna getcha" He like to play chase when he is called in from outside so I need to chase him round the garden but he does know when that game is over and that I am serious and that he should come inside. While we occasionally do play tug-of-war with just one specific rope toy we mostly avoid tug-of-war games so that he does not think we are taking anything from him He does like to play fetch and he actually lets you know when he wants to play he will bring toys to you but will not yet give them to you getting the toys from him take a little time and patience we do not pull the toys from him but hold on to them until he lets go of them if he pulls back we let go, we dont want to take the toys from him we want him to give them to us We considered not playing if he does not let go of the toys but we do not want him to feel rejected since if he feels rejected that could be a step in the wrong direction when he does let go of the toy and throw it he will tear after it and bring it back then the process starts again.
Getting close to bud while he has had a chew has been a long gradual process but when he started bringing it to us we saw it as a sign of trust that he no longer felt so threatened by us but trusted us and that he felt he could come to us without the worry that we would take it from him When he gave me his chew I made a big fuss of him, gave him a hug, told him he was such a good boy then gave it back to he telling him that I love him but its Bud's treat
This is not something we had thought about, but it is a good idea We do not want to take away all the toys as this may cause one or the other (specially Molly) to find other things to play with, such as our toys but we could try putting away the tug-of-war rope and favorite fetch toys. the only concern then is that he then may not tell us when he wants to play and we don't want him to play ONLY when we want to we want him to know that we will play when he wants to too - (Hope that makes sense) but we also want him to understand that whoever wants to play when WE say play time is over, then play time is over here is a video of him playing fetch it's usually a little different but then I'm not usually trying to make a video showing what he does *when I say make a fuss - I mean a quick stroke or a pat on the back Edited by Big-Paws, 31 Mar 2017, 03:14 PM.
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| pangolin | 31 Mar 2017, 09:56 PM Post #5 |
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GSD Addict
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Don't have time for a long reply, but I really wanted to say that growling is good and should never be discouraged. It's doggy language for "I'm uncomfortable, please give me space". The food guarding may not be the most ideal of behaviours, but the growling itself is not a bad thing at all, and not the behaviour you want to stop. Addressing the guarding will stop the growling, but stopping the growling will not address the guarding! Never, ever punish this natural expression of discomfort, because you end up creating a dog who is uncomfortable but does not warn you - and when they go over their threshold, the next step is a warning snap or a bite. Food guarding is certainly a behaviour you can deal with, but you want to deal with it by teaching him that he doesn't need to guard, rather than just trying to stop the symptom of his discomfort. Fab article here: https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/treatment_of_food_possessive_dogs_is_about_finesse_not_force/ And this is also a great book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mine-Practical-Guide-Resource-Guarding/dp/0970562942 |
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| Big-Paws | 3 Apr 2017, 10:06 AM Post #6 |
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GSD Puppy
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Buds been playing great today he found an old hair brush and got me chasing him round the garden like a wally he thinks that's hilarious my sore knees don't thinks its so funny though So I decided to play fetch instead he still growled while giving me his rotten old brush but he is giving it rather than me taking it from him and it was much easier today than it has been before it seems to be slow but positive progress |
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| Patlucky | 28 Jun 2017, 08:38 AM Post #7 |
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Would like to stay in bed like the other Pat does
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Sounds like you did all the correct thing including fetch in stead of chase. Dogs often talk by growling just knowing the difference. Sounds like he is talking to you not being nasty My daughters Cocker Spaniel does this. I must say though I would not allow chews if kids are about Bud looks a lovely dog and beautiful face |
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