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Dog custody fight is over
Tampa Bay's
10, FL - 11 hours ago
She entered the room, followed by the
original owners of her dog Noah: Steve and Dorreen Couture and
their grandchildren, Stevie and Cassidy. ...
Dog Leash Law Goes To Governor
KLTV, TX -
11 hours ago
The Texas House just approved a bill,
saying dog owners can be charged with a third degree felony if
the dog makes an unprovoked attack and seriously ...
Man Arrested For Neglecting Own Dog
Dog Flu Diet and
Diseases, Canada - May 21, 2007
A man has been arrested this past
Sunday for dog neglect as he let his dog starve and paid
little attention to him. The 31-year-old man by the name of
...
'Scout' The Dog Getting Revolutionary New Leg
WNBC, NY -
16 hours ago
Taylor first tried this procedure on a
dog named Triumph in 2006. The prosthetic implant was a
success and now more and more people are hearing about this
...
A Gere and his Dog: Richard's next project
Orlando
Sentinel, FL - 15 hours ago
Hachiko: A Dog's Story is the title.
It's based on a Japanese film. And that, in turn, was based on
a true story. There's a statue to the dog in Tokyo. ...
3-day-old baby mauled to death by stray dog
NewKerala.com, India -
9 minutes ago
Kottayam, May 23: In a gruesome
incident, a new born infant was mauled by a stray dog at
Manarcadu here yesterday. According to the police, the local
people ...
Dog saves piglets
Ananova, UK -
1 hour ago
... away because I thought they were
dead. "But my dog Lola found them and realised they were
alive. She fed them and took care of them along with her
puppies."
Does Your Dog
Get Aggressive When You Take Toys Away from Him?
This weeks’ newsletter is about dog
possessiveness of their toys, food or other objects. What I
mean here is that the dog gets aggressive when you try to take
away the object, so much so that they may snap at, or bite,
you. This is a problem I get emails about, especially with
regard to food, and one that I was asked last week to comment
upon. So, Rita, this one is for you and Charlie – I hope it
helps!
People complaining that their dog or cat guards his food or
toys is common – you will hear it from owners walking their
dogs when they speak about them. I also hear complaints that
their pet will guard their favorite sleeping or resting place
as well. Some people tend to view this as an acceptable aspect
of animal behavior, but I can tell you that its not. It can
and should be stopped because you will never know how far that
animal is prepared to go to defend his prize – if a child
tried to take it away the consequences could be tragic. So,
this is one aspect of bad behavior that must be dealt with.
These problems can be serious if not addressed properly.
Unfortunately, many people attempt the wrong approach to
solving these problems. They often unintentionally make them
worse.
When people get a new pet, especially a puppy, they often
listen to advice to show their pet that it's okay for them to
approach his food bowl, or remove a toy from his mouth. They
believe that every time the puppy is eating, it is a good
thing to go over and take away the bowl for a moment, just to
prove to the animal they can! They will attempt the same
tactic with a toy, by approaching the puppy that is quietly
chewing on his bone, and take the bone away. Of course, they
always give the bone back, but the damage has already been
done.
This approach will surely create possessiveness in the animal,
as he becomes more and more fearful of someone taking away his
stuff permanently. Eventually, he hits his threshold, and
fights back. Often he will only give you a warning growl, but
often the dog will lash out with a bite. These bites can be
very serious. This in turn causes the owner to either become
frightened of the pet, or extremely angry. If they are afraid,
the pet will sense this and feel as if he now has a way of
gaining control of situations by acting aggressively. He will
apply this strategy to other situations, because it was
perceived to be effective. This evolves in to an aggressive,
and sometimes dangerous pet.
This doesn’t just happen with puppies and younger dogs, it can
also happen with rescue dogs of any age – you simply do not
know how that dog has been treated (in most cases) so for
those dogs its essential to curb this bad habit. They may
particularly show this possessiveness as a way of adapting to
their new home, whilst they are still feeling insecure and
finding their feet.
If the owner becomes angry at the pet for growling or biting,
then he may attempt to correct the animal. This makes the dog
even more defensive, as he feels he needs to fight back to
survive. The problem snowballs in the wrong direction. The dog
or cat will begin to be afraid any time the owner approaches,
and may act aggressively. This animal is often labeled a
"fear-biter".
If you look at it from the animal's perspective, it is easy to
see why this happens. Your dog is happily chewing his bone, or
eating his food, and all of a sudden, for no reason, you come
over and take it away. The first time this happens, it isn't a
big deal, but after a few times, it becomes annoying. And
after a few more times, it becomes an aggressive act toward
the pet. You are doing to your pet the very thing you are
trying to prevent him from doing to you.
We call this type of behavior ‘possessive aggression’ and
there are better ways to deal with it. It is best done
preventively, but it is also quite effective as a corrective
measure. You will aim to create a scenario where your pet
actually loves when you take something away from them. He will
invite you to come over and share their food bowl! He may even
bring his possessions to you, rather than hiding from you in
fear of losing them, this is how it works.
To begin, wait until your dog's feeding time. In his bowl,
only put in half the amount of food he normally eats. The
other half is either in your hand, or in a small bowl you'll
hold on to. Put his food down and stand next to him. As he
begins to eat, get his attention by calling his name, or
making a strange sound. As he looks up at you, praise him, and
offer him a small amount of food from your hand. Keep praising
him as he eats this, and then let him go back to his own bowl.
Repeat this process several times until you have no food left
in your hand. Then let him finish his food. Repeat this
process for one more feeding.
The next step is similar, but instead of standing next to him
while he's eating, you'll walk up to him to put food in his
bowl, and then walk away. Each time you feed him, you'll walk
up to him. Do this for the next two or three feedings.
The next step is the same, except, put the food in his bowl,
so he sees that you are adding food to his dish. Do this a few
times during his feeding, and for three or four feedings. By
this time, he should welcome you any time you come near his
dish when he's eating. To maintain this, once or twice a week,
while he's eating his usual portion of food, walk up to him
and put a special treat in his bowl. You can even pick up his
dish to add the treat.
A similar process is done for treating and preventing
possessiveness of toys. Begin when your dog is happily chewing
a bone, or playing with a toy. Stand next to him and begin
praising him, so he feels no threat from you. Then, offer him
one of his favorite treats from your hand. He'll have to drop
the toy to get it, but make no attempt to pick it up. Repeat
this a few times each session for a few days in a row.
The next step is to hold out your hand and ask your dog to
"drop it", as you show him the treat. If he does, and eats the
treat, immediately give him back his toy and praise him. If he
won't let go, then gently take it out of his mouth, give him
the treat, then the toy back, and praise him. Repeat a few
times for a few days in a row.
To maintain this, once or twice a week, just go over to your
dog when he's playing or chewing, offer him a treat for his
toy, then give him the toy back with lots of praise. If you
are consistent with this process, this is all you need to do
to get your dog to feel as if he benefits from you taking
something out of his mouth, or going near his food. He will be
eager to let objects go, because he is getting something in
return. You will successfully increase his level of trust for
you through these simple steps.
If your dog is possessive of locations, such as his favorite
sofa, the same method will apply. Just approach him and offer
him a treat the first few times. Then ask him to come off the
sofa (or away from the location), for the treat. Maintain by
doing this once or twice a week.
Many problems can be avoided by looking at it from your dog's
perspective. Think of how he feels each time a certain event
happens. Remember that the overall goal is to create and
maintain a successful relationship with your dog, one that is
based on trust and respect rather than deceit and
intimidation.
for future "