Stuffie Aggression

[AEB]

Last night we brought home a stuffie that my parents gave Kevin for Christmas. By way of background, we have taken all stuffies from Kevin except the really huge bones. He kills stuffies when he starts to play with them. He goes right for the squeakers and may ingest some plastic and he starts the pull the stuffing out of the holes created. As far as I can tell he doesn't eat it or the appendages he rips off, but I haven't waited to find out. He was horrified that they have been confiscated. Big bones appear to be safe- he treats them more like pillows and has yet to kill them. I say yet- and I of course watch him.

 

New Stuffie seemed tough and not stuffed with much. So we gave it to him. Made him lay down for it. He was thrilled. He had a hole opened and was going to work on a squeaker within 45 seconds. My husband went to take it from him (I was making his dinner) and Kevin growled at him. He did this once before with a stuffie. My husband that time grabbed his snoot and said "no" firmly. This time he did not get to really grab his snoot because Kevin pushed his nose into the ground (I guess guarding stuffie). I heard the commotion and I walked over with his food and showed Kevin his food and lured him away while Husband snatched the toy.

 

If it were me, I would have offered a chew toy in exchange and Kevin likely would have stared because he would not have valued it like the stuffie. But maybe it would have been a distraction. But, that's not what happened.

 

Any tips on stuffie/toy aggression? He has no bed or food aggression issues at all. No animal or people aggression issues. He is a very mellow guy otherwise.

[turbotaina]

My dog growls when playing, but if you're sure that's not it, then your instinct to trade a chew toy is on the right track . Work with your pup "trading up" (if you search "trading up" here, you'll get tons of info). The idea is you start with something low value and trade it for something high value (i.e., say a sock for a piece of hotdog) so that your dog learns it's good to give you stuff. Make sure your husband is involved in the training, too!

Edited January 10, 2011 by turbotaina

[maggiespet]

So right from the start, I'll tell you that my dogs think that I am no fun at all. Neither has ever growled at me over stuffie/chewie possession, but they have at each other and i don't like vet bills. So, like at your house, I hand out stuffies and basically watch them play with them. (same for a pig ear) And when I've decided that they are done, I take them away. However, I make the dog move away from the stuffie and pull it towards me with my foot (not in a fearful way). I know I'm making it sound like I have Cujo and Cujo, Jr. here - and I do not. I am blessed with sweethearts. But I don't go looking for trouble.

 

I'll bet you get lots more advise and get sweet Kevin's stuffie craze under control. Good luck!

[AEB]

However, I make the dog move away from the stuffie and pull it towards me with my foot (not in a fearful way).

 

I'll bet you get lots more advise and get sweet Kevin's stuffie craze under control. Good luck!

 

Ha, Ha! He is stuffie crazed! I'm not sure if I should allow him to have them at all in the house because he does go to destroying them immediately. Literally seconds and they are toast. And now with the growling . . .

 

I don't think it was happy growling (which he does ALL THE TIME when greeting). But then again, I did not hear it. I will ask hubby though, but I think he could distinguish.

 

I will work with him more and get Husband to as well.

 

BTW- Maggiespet- how do you move the dog away so that you can grab the toy with your foot? Also, I am no fun either. My mother used to call me a Nazi because I am so rigid with my rules.

[Guest zombrie]

Doolin had toy aggression (only with dogs, not humans) when we first brought him home, but fortunately that was part of the "settling in" process and he hasn't shown aggression in awhile. The trading up is a very good solution. I also like to do "leave it" training. All of my dogs know "leave it" and it is helpful in many different situations

[inugrey]

Do a search in this forum for "resource guarding" and you will get lots of tips. It may be semantics to some but referring to it as aggression isn't really accurate.

[Guest Sunset123]

My dog growls when playing, but if you're sure that's not it, then your instinct to trade a chew toy is on the right track . Work with your pup "trading up" (if you search "trading up" here, you'll get tons of info). The idea is you start with something low value and trade it for something high value (i.e., say a sock for a piece of hotdog) so that your dog learns it's good to give you stuff. Make sure your husband is involved in the training, too!

 

I agree about making sure it's not play-growl. Arrisa's absolute favorite game is "Stuffie Keepaway," where she'll put the toy between her legs and put her nose on it or her mouth around it when I come to grab it. Sometimes she does a play-growl, too. She's THRILLED when I grab the toy because she loves chasing it, and she never actually tries hard to keep me from taking it, it's just bluffing.

 

The play-growl scared me the first time and I scolded her. Now when we're playing with a stuffy I growl right back! I can tell by her face, tone, and posture that it's not actually aggression.

Edited January 10, 2011 by Sunset123

[greyhoundlov]

My dog growls when playing, but if you're sure that's not it, then your instinct to trade a chew toy is on the right track . Work with your pup "trading up" (if you search "trading up" here, you'll get tons of info). The idea is you start with something low value and trade it for something high value (i.e., say a sock for a piece of hotdog) so that your dog learns it's good to give you stuff. Make sure your husband is involved in the training, too!

Agreed.

[AEB]

My husband reports that he put at least one paw on top of it and his mouth on it as well and growled. He doesn't believe that it was play. But does believe it is odd that he would not guard food at all (and food is his reason for being!).

 

Worked with him a bit on it tonight. when the food comes out he couldn't care less about the stuffie.

[TheFullHouse]

I have several who destroy stuffies. I quit getting them and switched to balls and kongs instead. I had a couple who decided to swallow them and I don't want a dog with a blockage so we switched toys. You may find if you give him a different type of toy that doesn't squeek, the guarding behavior goes away.

[fourofem]

What IS IT about the name Kevin?!?! My Kevin sounds very much like your Kevin!!!

 

 

[AEB]

When we changed our boy's name to Kevin we were told they once had a Kevin in the group that went to VA. Perhaps that's your boy??

 

Too cute! If I could figure out a way to post pictures without already having to have them on the internet, I would put pics of my Kevin up (not a fan of FB and like sites).

 

As for kongs and buster cubes, chews and antlers he's fine! If it involves food it's ok. But if it squeaks . . . But he did well with trading-up training tonight.

 

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions!

[Guest Giselle]

Do a search in this forum for "resource guarding" and you will get lots of tips. It may be semantics to some but referring to it as aggression isn't really accurate.

Yeah, I don't quite consider this "aggression". I'd call it resource guarding, too.

 

Resource guarding, luckily, has a very simple solution: Trade Up! Trading up teaches the dog to enjoy giving up items. My dogs have stolen REALLY high-value items before (think...chicken bone on the streets...), and they give it up without a care in the world because of their past experiences with trading up. They know they're going to get something better and/or get whatever the heck it was back (by the way, this is the foundation for the "Give" behavior) Good luck and keep practicing!

[fourofem]

When we changed our boy's name to Kevin we were told they once had a Kevin in the group that went to VA. Perhaps that's your boy??

 

Too cute! If I could figure out a way to post pictures without already having to have them on the internet, I would put pics of my Kevin up (not a fan of FB and like sites).

 

As for kongs and buster cubes, chews and antlers he's fine! If it involves food it's ok. But if it squeaks . . . But he did well with trading-up training tonight.

 

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions!

 

 

I just noticed where you were from. I can almost guantee that's my Kevin. What group did you go through?

[Guest LindsaySF]

Agreed with the advice on trading up. Especially if he's a food motivated hound, should work like a charm.

[AEB]

When we changed our boy's name to Kevin we were told they once had a Kevin in the group that went to VA. Perhaps that's your boy??

 

Too cute! If I could figure out a way to post pictures without already having to have them on the internet, I would put pics of my Kevin up (not a fan of FB and like sites).

 

As for kongs and buster cubes, chews and antlers he's fine! If it involves food it's ok. But if it squeaks . . . But he did well with trading-up training tonight.

 

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions!

 

 

I just noticed where you were from. I can almost guantee that's my Kevin. What group did you go through?

 

 

 

CT Greyhound Adoption-GPA. Wouldn't that be funny? Small world.

[silverfish]

Do a search in this forum for "resource guarding" and you will get lots of tips. It may be semantics to some but referring to it as aggression isn't really accurate.

Yeah, I don't quite consider this "aggression". I'd call it resource guarding, too.

 

Resource guarding, luckily, has a very simple solution: Trade Up! Trading up teaches the dog to enjoy giving up items. My dogs have stolen REALLY high-value items before (think...chicken bone on the streets...), and they give it up without a care in the world because of their past experiences with trading up. They know they're going to get something better and/or get whatever the heck it was back (by the way, this is the foundation for the "Give" behavior) Good luck and keep practicing!

 

Yep to the above.

 

I'd just add that if there's a history of Kevin having exciting things that he loves taken away from him and not given back, you can't really blame him for growling. I totally understand that you need to get dangerous things away from him but you have to realise that to a dog this is incomprehensible and just seems like mean 'monkey' behaviour (we call ourselves 'monkeys' in relation to our dogs since our behaviour patterns are far closer to primates than canines).

 

If it were me, I'd make sure that 1) I had some really, really tough stuffies, and 2) I always had one in reserve.

 

Try Go-Dog stuffies which have 'chew guard technology', or Tuffy Toys, which have multiple layers of tough fabric and seven layers of stitching, plus squeaker protection pockets.

 

But be wary of toys which are 'skinnies' with no stuffing. During my research into dog toys I came across several stories of dogs swallowing them whole!

 

I'd also teach 'drop it' as a matter of urgency, but this still includes trading up. Trading up is an excellent way to deal with resource guarding since it's a win/win result.

[fourofem]

When we changed our boy's name to Kevin we were told they once had a Kevin in the group that went to VA. Perhaps that's your boy??

 

Too cute! If I could figure out a way to post pictures without already having to have them on the internet, I would put pics of my Kevin up (not a fan of FB and like sites).

 

As for kongs and buster cubes, chews and antlers he's fine! If it involves food it's ok. But if it squeaks . . . But he did well with trading-up training tonight.

 

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions!

 

 

I just noticed where you were from. I can almost guantee that's my Kevin. What group did you go through?

 

 

 

CT Greyhound Adoption-GPA. Wouldn't that be funny? Small world.

 

That would be my Kevin!!!

[AEB]

Do a search in this forum for "resource guarding" and you will get lots of tips. It may be semantics to some but referring to it as aggression isn't really accurate.

Yeah, I don't quite consider this "aggression". I'd call it resource guarding, too.

 

Resource guarding, luckily, has a very simple solution: Trade Up! Trading up teaches the dog to enjoy giving up items. My dogs have stolen REALLY high-value items before (think...chicken bone on the streets...), and they give it up without a care in the world because of their past experiences with trading up. They know they're going to get something better and/or get whatever the heck it was back (by the way, this is the foundation for the "Give" behavior) Good luck and keep practicing!

 

Yep to the above.

 

I'd just add that if there's a history of Kevin having exciting things that he loves taken away from him and not given back, you can't really blame him for growling. I totally understand that you need to get dangerous things away from him but you have to realise that to a dog this is incomprehensible and just seems like mean 'monkey' behaviour (we call ourselves 'monkeys' in relation to our dogs since our behaviour patterns are far closer to primates than canines).

 

If it were me, I'd make sure that 1) I had some really, really tough stuffies, and 2) I always had one in reserve.

 

Try Go-Dog stuffies which have 'chew guard technology', or Tuffy Toys, which have multiple layers of tough fabric and seven layers of stitching, plus squeaker protection pockets.

 

But be wary of toys which are 'skinnies' with no stuffing. During my research into dog toys I came across several stories of dogs swallowing them whole!

 

I'd also teach 'drop it' as a matter of urgency, but this still includes trading up. Trading up is an excellent way to deal with resource guarding since it's a win/win result.

 

I will look at these. We have been looking for tough ones. We do give him stuffies sometimes and then take them immediately when he starts doing something dangerous if "ah-ah" doesn't get him to stop the dangerous behavior ( that works for a few seconds). We hoped he'd learn to play nice with them. He does respond to "leave it". We had a huge plastic tote filled with stuffies when he came. It probably, without exaggeration, had more than 25 toys in it. We have more "unharmed ones" in a bag in the basement. A decade of Sadie's toys. But he took them out within days. He got more and more proficient at destruction. We even bought 12 new cheap ones. Within 5 minutes they were toast. All of them. I saved most of the wounded hoping it was a phase and I could patch them up. We bought one allegedly tough one. It lasted a minute. His goal with them isn't to play now but chew a hole and get out the squeaker and kill it. I just can't imagine a fabric that will stand-up to his jaws of steel. But I will try them. He does, BTW still have his big bones- the ones that are about 2 feet long. He doesn't kill those stuffies.

 

Also- Fourofem-What a small world!

[Guest Giselle]

What kind of dangerous behavior do you exhibit with Kevin and his toys?

 

To be honest, my dobermutt has jaws of steel and destroys everything I give her, but I don't really sweat it unless I see her ACTIVELY trying to swallow material. Otherwise, I let her destroy toys at her own will. It's okay; it's natural! I just take it as a fact of life that nothing is truly "indestructible" (except, maybe, Kevlar... but I hear a ton of dobies/pitties tear it up like tissue paper anyways). If swallowing is an issue with Kevin, however, you may just want to stick to non-squeaky toys so that there aren't little pieces and parts prone to swallowing.

[Guest Giselle]

Also, does Kevin enjoy fetch?? For some dogs, you have to teach the game, but it's easy and enjoyable You can curb his destruction by only bringing out stuffies for fetch games. Then, throughout the day, you can give him a knotted up kitchen towel as a chew-thing. You can also hide treats within the knots to make it more appealing. This is our system and it cuts down on the money I throw away on stuffies.

[AEB]

Also, does Kevin enjoy fetch?? For some dogs, you have to teach the game, but it's easy and enjoyable You can curb his destruction by only bringing out stuffies for fetch games. Then, throughout the day, you can give him a knotted up kitchen towel as a chew-thing. You can also hide treats within the knots to make it more appealing. This is our system and it cuts down on the money I throw away on stuffies.

 

As for dangerous behavior- He chews-up the plastic of the squeaker and even pieces of stuffing and then i see him chew-chew-chewing. Like he's going to keep masticating it until he's satisfied that he likes the texture and then will swallow it. By then it's in small pieces and I'm fishing it out of his mouth not waiting for him to swallow. Is it possible he might spit it out- I suppose but I'm not sure if I want to find out. He's had some chew toys that are supposed to be "tough" rubber or plastic and then I find missing nubbins or that he chewed the top off and i grab it from him but am not sure that what I have in my hand it all it. So I think he will swallow plastic, etc. He chews the wads of my hair that have come from the lint trap he found in the garbage in the laundry room (gross, I know!). I try to get treats to him as soon as possible when i pull something out of his mouth or give him something else.

 

I'm trying to remember if his foster family said he plays fetch. I think that was another dog we considered. My husband throws a stuffie for him in the backyard sometimes. But Kevin hates the cold (being from FL New England is quite a change) and doesn't like to be outside much. We named him Kevin after the character on "The Office" who loves food and hates exercise.

 

Also, question about the kitchen towel chew toys- does your dog ever go after good towels (i.e., taking license to chew all towels)?

 

Thanks for the suggestions!

[silverfish]

How is he with the 'grunters', as opposed to the squeakers?

[AEB]

How is he with the 'grunters', as opposed to the squeakers?

 

He's the same, I think, although we haven't kept them out long enough for him to do anything aside from chew the appendages off. That was before he learned to go right for the kill!!

[Guest ChasesMum]

have you looked for the toys made out of firehose? Maybe that might work for a little while?

 

my sis' Brittney Spaniel is a destructor as well. She gnaws with her molars to get a hole then destuffs it and kills the squeeker too.