Guest amanda3784 Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 First of all, it looks like I have an escape artist on my hands! He somehow got out of his crate while we were at work. Second, he showed a little aggression. . We gave him a new squeak toy and when my husband went to take it away he snapped at him and growled a little. He did the same to me a minute later. I said NO very loudly and he seemed startled and dropped the toy. He puttered around apologetically but it was kind of scary. Should I have done something different? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShebasMom Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 It's resource guarding,, and the experienced owners here will tell you how to handle it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambuca Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Try "trading up" offer him something better and tell him to drop. When he drops what he has, give him the better goody. He'll learn drop and give you the toy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greysmom Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Remember, he's never had anything of his own before, so he's not going to want to give them up once he realizes it's *his.* Trading up is always a good way to go. Quote Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora) siggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mld Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Trade up with something better, like jerky, dried liver, boiled chicken, or another toy. And praise him for the good behaviour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KickReturn Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Why not just leave the toy with the dog. It's his afterall. I would never take a toy from my boy. I would only take away things that the dog should not have. Interestingly when they know it's yours and you really want it they always give it up with out resistance. Sensitive and clever animals I must say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambuca Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Why not just leave the toy with the dog. It's his afterall. I would never take a toy from my boy. I would only take away things that the dog should not have. Interestingly when they know it's yours and you really want it they always give it up with out resistance. Sensitive and clever animals I must say. It's important that a dog is trained to give up it's toys for a few reasons. 1. If a kid comes over and tries to play with the dog (very preventable, but still ease of mind knowing the dog won't get possessive) 2. If the dog starts to ingest a toy that isn't supposed to be ingested, you need to be able to get that toy. 3. If the dog finds something like a chicken bone ob a walk, this will train them that "drop it" covers everything, not just the things around the house. Also if you have a yard and the dog tries to take am inside toy out, then they can just tell him to drop it before he goes outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a_daerr Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Why not just leave the toy with the dog. It's his afterall. I would never take a toy from my boy. I would only take away things that the dog should not have. Interestingly when they know it's yours and you really want it they always give it up with out resistance. Sensitive and clever animals I must say. It's important that a dog is trained to give up it's toys for a few reasons. 1. If a kid comes over and tries to play with the dog (very preventable, but still ease of mind knowing the dog won't get possessive) 2. If the dog starts to ingest a toy that isn't supposed to be ingested, you need to be able to get that toy. 3. If the dog finds something like a chicken bone ob a walk, this will train them that "drop it" covers everything, not just the things around the house. Also if you have a yard and the dog tries to take am inside toy out, then they can just tell him to drop it before he goes outside. Agree. Learning "drop it" and "leave it" are extremely important in emergency situations. As for the OP's question, try not to get too freaked out. This type of behavior is very common for any dog, not just greyhounds. In this situation, your hound was displaying a dominance-based signal to communicate that the toy was HIS. It's very easy to correct. "Trading up" is the process of using another toy or treat (same or higher value) to distract your dog so that you can take the other object away. You will get his attention with the second item, and give it to him while taking the first item away. Say "trade" in a calm and friendly voice. Always make sure you give the second item to the dog and give him sufficient time to play with or eat it. Simply distracting him with the second item and not giving it to him is counterproductive and will create mistrust. The goal is for your dog to learn that a human hand near his food or toys is positive and indicates something better is coming his way. Try this exercise with him for about five minutes a couple times a day. Pretty soon he'll realize that it's no big deal when you take something away. I would also work on establishing roles and rules in the house. Your dog should look to you as the alpha and leader. This is achievable through positive reinforcement training, NOT Caesar Millan style pain and punishment. You may want to think about an obedience class to help you with this. I like the NILF (nothing in life is free) approach for dominant dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest amanda3784 Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Thanks everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roo Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 I use a spoonful of peanut butter to trade with Eli - he's never shown resource guarding since I've been doing this since he came home. I always offer the treat before reaching for his toy - that way he gets a yummy snack and I get the toy that he was previously ripping the insides out of. I'm sure it won't take too long for Henry to realize that giving up the toy means tasty treat Quote Mom of bridge babies Regis and Dusty. Wrote a book about shelter dogs! I sell things on Etsy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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