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Old March 27th, 2010, 07:20 PM
zoe2010 zoe2010 is offline
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Exclamation puppy agression

Hello,
anyone who has some advice would be greatly appreciated!

I have a 5 month old Border Collie (we have had her 2 months now) and am having some troubles. We got her from a reputable breeder on a farm in our community. We were thorough in making sure that we were buying from a good place, met the parents who were both friendly and well cared for and saw that the puppies were well looked after and healthy. We make sure to give puppy lots of exercise (as border collies are a VERY high energy breed) and have been training her using gentle training methods with much success... however, over the last few weeks she has began to show some agressive traits. a few times she has snarled and snapped at myself and my husband when we tried to take something from her that she was not allowed to have (ie. shoe, remote)! I dont know why she does this!! we DO NOT hit her, yell at her and our house is calm and quiet. Anyone know why she could be doing this or ways to stop it before it gets out of hand?? HELP! we love her and absolutely do not want to get rid of her!!
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Old March 27th, 2010, 08:13 PM
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babymomma babymomma is offline
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Sounds like resource guarding to me.
You need to work on showng her that when she gives something up to you its not such a bad thing. Try trading something of higher value with her . (Like her fav treat or toy).. It will teach her that when she gives somehting up, she will be rewarded for it.
Resource guarding is a defensive behavior, and by trading she learns that she doesn't need to be worried about losing it because she'll get something better out of the deal.


BTW- Welcome to Pets.ca It would be lovely if you could share a picture of your dog
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Last edited by babymomma; March 27th, 2010 at 08:38 PM.
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Old March 28th, 2010, 11:17 AM
LynnI LynnI is offline
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I agree ^^^ make a big game of trade of it, she'll soon learn that giving up what she has works.

Also I would put her on NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free), highly recommended for puppies regardless of whether you are having problems or not.

Good luck
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Old March 28th, 2010, 03:01 PM
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TeriM TeriM is offline
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Not unusual for her to be testing her boundaries as she begins to get older. I agree with the others, start working on lots of positive exchanges and enforcing the basic rules of the house. I would also add working with her around her food bowl as well by walking by and dropping a few yummy scraps in while she is eating etc to help her associate good things with you approaching. If the behaviour doesn't quickly improve then I would try some umbilical training where you basically just attach her by leash to your belt and go about your day. She will then need to follow you and that can help to teach her that you are the leader.

Good luck .
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Old March 28th, 2010, 05:16 PM
shane2010 shane2010 is offline
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I think its a natural game your pup is playing with you. Try sitting besdie your pup when your pup is being aggressive and instead of grabbing the toy just sit beside her and ignore her. She will soon drop the toy beside you. You have to be the leader. Praise her with a treat and pick up the toy and toss it. Let her bring it back to you. It will become a different game.

Shane
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Old March 28th, 2010, 07:21 PM
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luckypenny luckypenny is offline
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Two most important things to remember with a puppy in the house: 1) Put away anything you don't want her to have and 2) never ever chase after her for something .

The first thing we teach puppies here is to come to us by calling their names and rewarding them with the yummiest treats and/or toys when they do. It only takes one or two sessions of a few minutes of repetition before they catch on. This way, if they do get to something they shouldn't have, they come to us, when we call them and readily give up the items for some praise/rewards. It's been so successful with the pups here that they soon voluntarily pick up anything they can to bring to us rather than having us take things away from them.

Give it a try .
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Old March 28th, 2010, 07:47 PM
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Marcha Marcha is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by luckypenny View Post
It's been so successful with the pups here that they soon voluntarily pick up anything they can to bring to us rather than having us take things away from them.
I'm picturing LP as having a treat bag as a permanent fixture on all her outfits, for all those good voluntary behaviours.
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Old March 28th, 2010, 08:06 PM
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luckypenny luckypenny is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marcha View Post
I'm picturing LP as having a treat bag as a permanent fixture on all her outfits, for all those good voluntary behaviours.


Now that you mention it, I should invest in a few of them instead of using pockets...Nukka's chewed the pockets out of my winter jacket and two pairs of my jeans . That's what I get for leaving my stuff laying around .

Actually, once they catch on, you don't have to treat them all the time anymore. I do it maybe once a week for behaviors they already know.
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Old March 29th, 2010, 06:23 AM
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mummummum mummummum is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by luckypenny View Post
Now that you mention it, I should invest in a few of them instead of using pockets...Nukka's chewed the pockets out of my winter jacket and two pairs of my jeans . That's what I get for leaving my stuff laying around .
Whenever LP walks in a room...all noses turn to her and sniff appreciatively in the air ... "Mmmmmmm....baaaacon"
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  #10  
Old March 29th, 2010, 09:45 AM
LynnI LynnI is offline
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One thing I do, is put rewards all over my house (up high) when training a new dog or puppy. This way I can easily capture and/or mark a desired behaviour and reward . Hope that helps
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  #11  
Old March 29th, 2010, 10:06 AM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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Something else to consider is that at 5 months old she may be teething and out of sorts. Does she have frozen things to chew on to soothe her gums? I used those rope bones, wet thoroughly, ring out, freeze. I alternated two and was amazed how they went from white to red with puppy blood. Some folks use old wash cloths.

Ditto to all the other good points above.
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  #12  
Old March 31st, 2010, 04:50 PM
zoe2010 zoe2010 is offline
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Thanks alot guys! all of your suggestions have been great.
I especially like the putting the toy in the freezer one! becuase she is definately teething, ive found several of her little teeth on the floor while cleaning and she seems to LOVE the cold plastic on her gums !
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