A dog that steals resource and guards it, is often inadvertently rewarded for the bad behavior by his owner.
An example that is evoked is a little Jack Russell terrier called Vinnie who used to take socks and rip them up. Vinnie with his thieved treasure would retreat to under a chair and say a small snarl warning each member of the family away from "his" sock. The tiny dog then went on to destroy the article in front of their eyes. His small snarl fast turned into a more convincing snarl then an air snap. Vinnie bit his family twice drawing blood. To their eyes he was out of control.
Vinnie is not such an awful dog. He's a Jack Russell terrier that was under excited and under exercised. He lived in a busy family home and was awfully loved but misunderstood. Stealing things acquired him attention and protecting them maintained that attention.
Any dog that shows resource guarding behavior can become a problem over time. This problem is simply rectified by introducing one or two easy routines into the home and your relations with your dog.
Here are some simple things you can do right now:
1. Teach your dog to swap. Teaching a dog to swap any resource will diffuse stress that may happen when you are making an attempt to take an item from him.
2. Take attention away from the dog if he has stolen something. The dog is more likely to guard an item if he perceives that it has incredible value to you. Ignoring the behavior and thieved item will decrease its value in your dog's eyes.
3. When necessary employ a house line. This is a thin line on the dog's collar that will allow you to bring him from under furniture without confrontation. A dog can respond in a different way when underneath or behind something. It is rarely a brilliant idea to reach into a space to pull a dog out. A house line will enable you to take the line at a short distance from the dog and carefully without talking to your dog remove him from his space.
4. Make your dog's own toys fascinating, activity balls and filled Kong's will give him plenty to do in the home. This can distract him from fighting for your attention by stealing.
5. Ensure that your dog has lots of exercise both psychologically and physically. A dog whose obligatory wishes are met will settle better in the home when needed to. Stealing is sometimes based in attention seeking and if your dog has lots of quality attention he'll be less likely to seek it in unhelpful ways.
If stealing is becoming a problem and your dog has snapped or bitten it may be worth getting into contact with a behaviorist or positive dog coach that has understanding of dog aggression training.
An example that is evoked is a little Jack Russell terrier called Vinnie who used to take socks and rip them up. Vinnie with his thieved treasure would retreat to under a chair and say a small snarl warning each member of the family away from "his" sock. The tiny dog then went on to destroy the article in front of their eyes. His small snarl fast turned into a more convincing snarl then an air snap. Vinnie bit his family twice drawing blood. To their eyes he was out of control.
Vinnie is not such an awful dog. He's a Jack Russell terrier that was under excited and under exercised. He lived in a busy family home and was awfully loved but misunderstood. Stealing things acquired him attention and protecting them maintained that attention.
Any dog that shows resource guarding behavior can become a problem over time. This problem is simply rectified by introducing one or two easy routines into the home and your relations with your dog.
Here are some simple things you can do right now:
1. Teach your dog to swap. Teaching a dog to swap any resource will diffuse stress that may happen when you are making an attempt to take an item from him.
2. Take attention away from the dog if he has stolen something. The dog is more likely to guard an item if he perceives that it has incredible value to you. Ignoring the behavior and thieved item will decrease its value in your dog's eyes.
3. When necessary employ a house line. This is a thin line on the dog's collar that will allow you to bring him from under furniture without confrontation. A dog can respond in a different way when underneath or behind something. It is rarely a brilliant idea to reach into a space to pull a dog out. A house line will enable you to take the line at a short distance from the dog and carefully without talking to your dog remove him from his space.
4. Make your dog's own toys fascinating, activity balls and filled Kong's will give him plenty to do in the home. This can distract him from fighting for your attention by stealing.
5. Ensure that your dog has lots of exercise both psychologically and physically. A dog whose obligatory wishes are met will settle better in the home when needed to. Stealing is sometimes based in attention seeking and if your dog has lots of quality attention he'll be less likely to seek it in unhelpful ways.
If stealing is becoming a problem and your dog has snapped or bitten it may be worth getting into contact with a behaviorist or positive dog coach that has understanding of dog aggression training.
About the Author:
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