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Old March 26th, 2006, 12:23 PM
Rottimom Rottimom is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 135
Agressive or Possessive?

Hercules has recently adopted this behaviour that I want to nip in the bud, especially before the baby comes.

Twice while chewing a rawhide he has snarled at a person. Once at our 8 yr old nephew, once at me.

The time with the 8 yr old I was actually pretty angry at the child, because for 3 years (ever since we have had Herc) we have taught the kids "LEAVE THE DOG ALONE... LEAVE ANY DOG ALONE..... WHEN HE IS EATING OR HAS A TREAT." And as Herc was lying on his own bed with his bone, the boy reached over and covered Herc's eyes. Herc responded with a lunge/warning snarl.

The time with me I truly think I startled him. He was lying at the foot of my bed chewing his bone. I was watching tv and I drifted off to sleep and I guess I unknowingly reached out and touched his paw. He did the same lunge/warning snarl.

Both times our immediate reaction was to remove his bone and discipline with firm verbal reprimands. He was instructed to lie down until we allowed him to get up. We followed up with reviewing simple commands like sit, stay, come, etc. Once we do decide to return his bone, we practise 'drop it' and 'leave it' to ensure that he will follow these commands with his most valued treat. He is doing well with these exercises and we have him to a point where he will allow people to take his bone away. He will actually toss it to my husband then sit politely and wait to get it back.

The other day my parents dropped by. Herc had a bone and after his excited greeting he laid down on his bed with his bone. My Dad was absent-mindedly petting his head and didn't notice that Herc was becoming tense. I said to my Dad "Watch Herc because his body language is telling me that he is not liking that." So Dad stopped and Herc visibly relaxed.

I'm not trying to excuse Herc's behaviour (its unacceptable to me) but in each of these incidences I can find fault with the human. Herc has a history of being agressive/possessive around other dogs with food or treats, but towards humans, this is new.

I'm confident that our discipline techniques have been working well. The only thing he still does which concerns me is lower his head to cover his treat as someone walks by him. (More so if its me, he doesn't seem to do that with my husband) My husband defends him when I say that I don't like that he does that. I know he didn't do anything but I don't like that he seems to feel the need to protect it! I feel that he should be o.k. with the fact that I may take it from him. I feel that he should allow that.

Whenever he does have a treat, we remove it from him periodically (to ensure that he continues to allow us to do so). We give it right back with lots of verbal praise. But by doing so, are we teaching him that he does have a REASON to protect his treats?
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