Re: Dog is being aggressive. Need help. I was reading the raw feeding articles on the site yesterday (as continuing tummy troubles here make me think about feeding raw). One of the articles said it's best to allow a dog to eat bones and meat in private as they can get anxious - much more than other food - that you are going to take it away. It also said bones best fed as part of a meal, and leave the dog to eat the whole thing. Sorry, no experience myself, but from that it sounds like the bone is much more valuable to the dog than normal food, and he wasn't at all keen that you were taking it, so tried to guard it. I don't think that is hugely unusual by the sound of it.
Re: Dog is being aggressive. Need help. My 16 week old pup had to have cage rest for a month and then in a room for a month etc etc. I gave him a bone and he was like a savage beast, I was truly shocked. I phoned a friend who is very good with dog behaviour and she said "swop it for another one" and he has been fine ever since, like a little angel/
Re: Dog is being aggressive. Need help. Pmack, I would not worry This is not the start of a problem. Had almost the exact same experience with my first Lab as a young boy - I came near him when he had a bone, he growled, I was so shocked that without thinking I marched up to him and grabbed it and threw it in the bin. Was the first and last time he ever growled at a person in his 14 yrs. But, in future, swapping for something else is the way to go. Don't give him bones with kids around or with kids around who don't understand that a dog needs to be left alone with a bone.
Re: Dog is being aggressive. Need help. i have been very lucky,....i have never heard a growl off jasper, think i would freak if i did ???
Re: Dog is being aggressive. Need help. Lilly had a bone today - spent most of the day outside "nursing" it. : Would be out there rain or shine, then buries it in a shallow grave until her next visit to check on it. Yes.....dogs get very protective of their bones. jac
Re: Dog is being aggressive. Need help. A couple of questions for the OP. How much training have you done with your pup? How much daily excercise does he get? It seems to me he does not respect you and is starting to be dominant. Young dogs are a bit like children, they do not like to be told to do something, but a nice word and a reward works wonders.
Re: Dog is being aggressive. Need help. Pmack, this is resource guarding and not related to dominance or general aggression. It is very common for young dogs to guard food, and especially raw food. Many perfectly nice tempered, obedient dogs that would never normally dream of growling, will growl if someone approaches them with a bone. You can treat resource guarding by teaching the dog that people approaching his food is a 'good thing'. Check the link for more info, however, this process is a little harder with raw food as there is not much that the dog would rather have If the dog only guards bones, and not regular food placed in a bowl, your best bet is to stop feeding bones unless you can ensure that he can eat them undisturbed. You can teach him to swap the bone for something else that he really likes - cooked roast meat might do the trick - but you will need to decide whether or not it is worth the effort. Taking a bone away from the dog simply teaches him that you are not 'safe' to be near his food and can make guarding worse. If you teach him that he will get into trouble if he guards the bone (ie through correction or force) from you, he may still guard his bone from other people. This could make him a risk to children or visitors. It is important to approach this the right way as dominance based training methods for teaching dogs not to growl, are responsible for escalating the problem and often result in dogs being rehomed or put down.
