Possessiveness.

We have had Colin for a week now and everything is going well except for his possessiveness.
He was eating a bone and i needed him to go to his bed which was in another room, I didn't reach for his bone (i know better than that ) I told him to go to his bed and he bared his teeth and growled and when i repeated the command (not shouting or getting angry ) he nipped at my feet, Now that shocked me but scared the OH to death, she wanted for us to give him back, but i have persuded her to give him another chance. We now give him space and time when he has got a bone etc but i would like to be able to trust him. Does anyone have any advice

Hi Legendaryone possessiveness is not unusual in dogs (compare it to being given you favourite chocolates and people trying to sneak up and take them away,you would probably say 'back off'), Colin may have had a problem in the past with people trying to take his 'prize possessions'. If you give him high value treats like bones it is best to give it to him in a place he won't be disturbed then leave him to it, either that or don't give him bones at all.

If you ever need to remove something from him it is best to offer him a high value object like a loved toy or piece of chicken in return .

What is he like with food ? Maybe try putting down an empty bowl then adding his meal to the bowl in small amounts so he gets used to you approaching his food. This should also help him learn to trust you.

Mini

Great advice from Mini. Hope everything works out for you and Colin x

Ooooo i've a feeling of deja vu

Thanks for the advice, he is ok with his food but will do what is suggested anyway. We had decided since the incident to leave him undisturbed when he has a bone etc so it good to know we are thinking on the right lines

i would also stop him having any bones etc untill you feel you can remove less rewarding objects from him.

An another alternative is to hold the bone whilst he is chewing it so that he learns that you provide the goodies & will not be taking it away. You could start with a chewy or similar so he gets to consume it all showing you have no interest in removing it.

You could also teach him a leave for a treat with a less(in his eyes)valuable object(not food)like a tuggy or toy that you & he hold at the same time & then offer a treat with the commands "leave" & "good boy"(if he does)& immediately treat, when that is sound you can move onto holding the bone & treating for leaving go.

Can be a bit counter productive & holding the bone whilst he chews it(or a chewy so he can eat it all whilst you hold it)usually works, it's a slow process though

we also take our dogs bowls away from them regularly when they are eating (i mean like 2wicea mont x 3 dogs lol)

sothey know we are in control and we are the pack leaders - i also take their chews off them and hold them - stroke them while their eating etc

you wouldproabbl y have to wokr upto that though -

good luck!

I agree with Minihaha, JoedeeUK & Suze, I have no problem taking anything out of my dog's mouth's, you need to start early with this so they learn to trust you . Good luck with Colin, I hope with time you can change his behaviour.

Can you explain the theory behind you removing your dog's food shows that you are the pack leader & are in control ? Are you comparing your dogs to wild wolves/dogs(ie on captive packs) ? If so you are way off the mark & the theory you are using is based on the study of atypical captive artificial packs, which are fed, do not go hunting & have unrelated animals added from time to time

In the wild only the higher ranked animals go hunting if there are cubs/pups the lower ranking animals remain to nanny/guard the cubs & on return the higher ranked animals provide food not just for the very young but also the "nanny/guards"& never take food away from them as can be seen in the artificial packs which are fed by their keepers.

Dogs do not need to be shown that humans are pack leaders, they are aware that humans are not dogs & ergo not members of their pack. They do however perceive humans as a source of good things such as food & will acquiesce(obey/perform exercises)for food or toys etc. In wild packs Alpha pack leaders rarely discipline physically as in captive packs, they show control by body posture(looks & tail carriage for example) & audible rebukes(low growls etc). In captive packs the behaviour is not natural because of the territory restrictions & provision of food & interaction with humans at fairly close quarters

There is no need to take food dishes/toys/treats etc from dogs for no reason it is quite easy to train a swap behaviour if your dog ever has something it shouldn't have