I have an adorable 11 month old Schnoodle puppy who has begun to growl
and snap at us, for instance when we need to take his chewy or put on
his Gentle Leader collar. Any suggestions about how to deal with this
behavior?

wrote:
I have an adorable 11 month old Schnoodle puppy who has begun to growl
and snap at us, for instance when we need to take his chewy or put on
his Gentle Leader collar. Any suggestions about how to deal with this
behavior?

It's really hard to say without being able to actually see the dog.
Have you seen a trainer who can help you in person? It could be a
little glitch. It could also be the start of a serious problem. Have
you worked with this puppy on giving things up to you and trading as an
exercise (not just when you need to do it?) Have you taught the dog to
dress himself, and allow himself to be handled and restrained (as an
exercise - not just when you need to do it?) I would start with a good
training regiment that involves doing these things as well as teaching
him other things that he needs. For one thing, I'm not absolutely sure
why you would need a gentle leader to walk a small mixed breed. Much
better to actually teach him that walking on a loose leash is his
responsibility.

On 26 Dec 2006 09:01:09 -0800, wrote:

I have an adorable 11 month old Schnoodle puppy who has begun to growl
and snap at us, for instance when we need to take his chewy or put on
his Gentle Leader collar. Any suggestions about how to deal with this
behavior?

Is he neutered, yet? I hope so.

Assuming your puppy has no health problems, he is merely showing you who
is in charge: he his. It appears your puppy is very head strong and
quite intelligent. [I like a dog with spirit!] He knows what he wants,
and doesn't want. He has already figured out that ample protest will
allow him to get his way.

"...How to deal with this behavior?" Yes. When he says, "No!," you say
"Yes!." And you make the desired action happen. Whatever it takes! If
you want the chewy, take it! If he growls, let him know that's
unacceptable: a light smack [with a couple of fingers] on the top of his
nose will help convey your message. Don't let him get away with snapping
at you. You must make this dog submit to you, but that is very different
from breaking his spirit, which would be a serious error. Training him
to submit does not involve any action in anger, or any more than the
most fleeting physical pain. It doesn't involve much more than applying
the element of surprise. The smack on the nose will be a real surprise;
especially since it will come from someone he is used to pushing around!
:-)

Your dog will be much happier, once you take charge.



________________________
Whatever it takes.

Michael A. Ball wrote:
Don't let him get away with snapping
at you. You must make this dog submit to you, but that is very different
from breaking his spirit, which would be a serious error. Training him
to submit does not involve any action in anger, or any more than the
most fleeting physical pain. It doesn't involve much more than applying
the element of surprise. The smack on the nose will be a real surprise;
especially since it will come from someone he is used to pushing around!
:-)

Of course, you CAN teach a pup to allow you to do things with him and
take things from him WITHOUT hitting him. I'd prefer to teach a dog
what is expected. And I don't teach by smacking him. For some dogs,
violence begets violence. The more force you use on them, the more they
use back, until you've either broken them or created a monster. JMO

On 26 Dec 2006 14:48:17 -0800, "Sandy in OK" wrote:

Michael A. Ball wrote:
...The smack on the nose will be a real surprise;
especially since it will come from someone he is used to pushing around!
:-)

Of course, you CAN teach a pup to allow you to do things with him and
take things from him WITHOUT hitting him. I'd prefer to teach a dog
what is expected. And I don't teach by smacking him. For some dogs,
violence begets violence. The more force you use on them, the more they
use back, until you've either broken them or created a monster. JMO

I knew that wouldn't sit well with everyone, but I'm not an expert.

Some of the dogs I work with growl and snap at me. I [or any visitor]
can report them, have them removed from the public viewing area and
killed in the morning. Or, I can convince them to be nice. Nearly 100%
of the time, gentle words are sufficient. I've never missed a minute of
sleep because gentle words were not sufficient for a certain dog.

If I encounter a dog that behaves badly, but is otherwise an attractive,
adoptable dog, I will usually do whatever it takes to help it have a
fair chance. I realize that a lot of dogs don't respond well to force,
but the right combination of force, respect and love can do wonders. I
often think, "I love you dearly, but we're going to do this my way."

I realize the OP's dog is not going to be killed in the morning, but
that family is in over their head. I glad that they are getting help.

Your post did remind me of something I meant to say to the OP. It is
okay to sit down and "practice" taking away the chewy. Make the dog wait
to receive it, and then take it again. That will teach him to submit,
but also that if you take something from him, you'll probably return it
sometime.



________________________
Whatever it takes.

"Michael A. Ball" wrote in message
...

I knew that wouldn't sit well with everyone, but I'm not an expert.

I am with you on this one. You didn't say anything about really hitting the
dog or forcing the dog. A couple of fingers on the top of the head will get
the dog's attention. It's not the first step you take and I don't advocate
escalation in that same vein.

Your post did remind me of something I meant to say to the OP. It is
okay to sit down and "practice" taking away the chewy. Make the dog wait
to receive it, and then take it again. That will teach him to submit,
but also that if you take something from him, you'll probably return it
sometime.

One of the best suggestions I've heard is to start with *adding* food. As
the human, you should be able to reach into your dog's dish - literally
putting your hand between his mouth and his food. Start with adding food,
not taking away. Or even start with taking the dish slightly away and
showing the dog that you are *adding* a special thing to the food already
there (for my dogs, this can even be just one more piece of kibble). Or
just reaching in alongside the dog's face and adding the food.

Obviously, this is not a reasonable suggestion for a dog who is truly
attacking - but for a dog who is* just* going over the edge to resource
guarding, I like it. You can start with food or with toys - I'd start with
whatever was the less desirable.

Judy

On Wed, 27 Dec 2006 08:19:38 -0500, "Judy"
wrote:
...
One of the best suggestions I've heard is to start with *adding* food. As
the human, you should be able to reach into your dog's dish - literally
putting your hand between his mouth and his food. Start with adding food,
not taking away. Or even start with taking the dish slightly away and
showing the dog that you are *adding* a special thing to the food already
there (for my dogs, this can even be just one more piece of kibble). Or
just reaching in alongside the dog's face and adding the food.

Obviously, this is not a reasonable suggestion for a dog who is truly
attacking - but for a dog who is* just* going over the edge to resource
guarding, I like it. You can start with food or with toys - I'd start with
whatever was the less desirable.

You have some very logical views on this topic! The "adding" food
approach is very sound, I use it; and yes, [for shelter dogs, too] a
simple piece of kibble is usually sufficient.

Whenever I spot a shelter dog that seems food aggressive, I take their
food bowl. Then I hold it out to them, to see how they respond. The more
aggressive they act, the longer I keep the bowl. I have time, and wait
them out. As they relax, I offer the bowl again--except for a handful of
kibble, which I return to them, one piece at a time.

In most cases, my goal is to become able to hand feed the dog. The fact
that we achieve this goal doesn't mean the dog will cooperate with
anyone else. So, I alert the shelter staff that this dog has a potential
problem, and a note is put on his paperwork. I double check our progress
for the next day or two, if the dog is present.

Not long ago, I met a little terrier that guarded *everything* in his
run: food, water, toys, even bedding. It took about three days, but we
worked it all out. :-) By the time he was adopted, I couldn't even
persuade him to bite at me. He wasn't a bad dog: he just needed some
guidelines. I see almost zero toy guarding. Due to the nature of the
shelter environment, and their predicament, toys are just not worth
guarding.

A lot of new shelter arrivals seem food aggressive, but they are merely
starved. :-(





___________________
A dog's life is too short; their only fault really.