Adopted dog tries to bite at treat time
My 94-year-old mother adopted a 1-1/2 year-old Chihuahua cross from the humane society. Cute little thing, so friendly and sweet.
I encountered a serious problem, however, when I gave him a treat. He dropped part of it on the floor, and I reached to pick it up and give it to him again. He responded by lunging at me and trying to bite me. Fortunately, he is wearing a cone to keep him from licking his neuter stitches. He startled me so badly. I responded the only way I know how. I gave him a little swat to the side of his cone and said "no." My mother gathered him to her and said, "Oh my poor baby. Don't hit my baby." Aww geez, positive reinforcement for bad behavior.
I have never had a dog do this before and am stumped as to what to do to teach him it's OK if I touch his food. It won't be easy with my mom's attitude. Afterward, he did come back over to me and I reassured him that it was OK now. She told me not to touch him again. OK, so part of my problem is training mom -- not easy. But how do I get this dog to know nobody's going to steal his food? We don't know if he was abused or what, but it's not acceptable for him to try to bite me. Am I right in this? Help!
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