stopping aggresive behavior

[momto3]

I am new to this board and hope to get some ideas on how to stop my dog's aggression when he has something he knows he isn't suppose to have. He is a 4 1/2 year old Chocolate Lab and can be very sweet, but if he has something he isn't suppose to have he will growl and snarl. The only one that can get it away from him is me and lately he is starting to show the aggression towards me too. When he does this I remove him from the rest of the family for awhile and he barks the whole time to come back to us. I will also ignore him when he is no longer separated from us. When I ignore him that really bothers him and he will brush up against me and nudge my hand to try and get me to pat him. Does any one know of a good book or video that may work. We have also begun to watch the Dog Whisperer on TV and are trying some of the things there. This is the first dog that I have had that has ever shown these behaviors.
Thank you for any input.

[Dekka]

How was he trained to give up objects previously? Did you just chase him down and take his 'prize' away?


If so then you need to go back and teach him to trade items, and work up to 'valuable' items. And don't do the stuff Milan does, unless you want to get bit. (its a horrid show, don't get me started on it. Ceasar Milan has been credited to putting dog training back 20 years on this continent)

[inspector16]

First of all, I wouldn't take cues from the Dog Whisperer to solve this problem. Or most problems for that matter

Have you tried trading him a treat for whatever he has in his mouth? You should never try to just take something from a dog without offering them something in exchange, whether it's a treat or a toy or a quick game. If you don't, then all you do is teach him that he needs to avoid you or keep things from you, because you always try to take them away, for no apparent reason.

Dogs, at least healthy dogs, don't just force another to give something up. They'll use their "leverage" to get it from them, by acting "submissively", or even tricking them by making something else look more interesting than what they've got. A trick I've witnessed many times with my own dogs. But they don't just go over and grab something that another dog has already claimed and already has in their mouth. Which is why I say to not pay attention to the Dog Whisperer, because in the dog world, dogs don't just give things up to another dog just because the other dog "said so".

So give that a shot and see what happens. I bet he'll give up whatever he's got pretty fast if presented with something better

[bubbatd]

I'm sorry that you are having these problems ..........it really needs to be corrected . It will only get worse as he gets older .............Does he have growling issue other than giving something up ??

[momto3]

When he was a puppy I would trade items with him, but then it became a game for him and he would take things and the trade would become a reward for taking the other items. He will sometimes take things and make sure I know about it and try to start a chase for it. I began ignoring when he would do this so he wouldn't see it as a game (my vet agreed with how I was handling this), but when he takes the item and doesn't try to make a game out of it is when he will be aggresive. As long as he isn't being aggressive and he won't get hurt with whatever he took I try to ignore it and when it is of no interest to him anymore I take it away. He knows what he is doing too and will not make eye contact with me when he is misbehaving. I feel bad that we are having the issues because he can be sweet and big "baby". He loves to sit in my lap and snuggle (yes he is an 80 pound lap dog, so he thinks anyway). It is kind of comical seeing a dog as big as it's owner sittingin her lap.
As for the Dog Whisperer I have not really watched it or tried it, but my 13 year old son did and there definately was a challenge between them. The was really the last time we watched it or tried it.
Thank you again

[momto3]

Originally Posted by bubbatd

I'm sorry that you are having these problems ..........it really needs to be corrected . It will only get worse as he gets older .............Does he have growling issue other than giving something up ??

Usually his growling is centered around him having something he is guarding and doesn't want to give up. There are times where he will have something and I walk into the room and he will give it up without me havingto say or do anything. The things he growls the most about is if he takes the kids snack food or my daughter's "blanky" and sometimes a stuff animal.

[bubbatd]

Does he have his own stuffed animals ????

[momto3]

He had a couple of stuffed animals when he was a puppy. I know this could have made him think that all stuffed animals belonged to him, but by the way he would act with the toys that were his and those of the kids I think he knew the difference.

[bubbatd]

Retriever's love their own Woobies !!!

[inspector16]

Originally Posted by momto3

When he was a puppy I would trade items with him, but then it became a game for him and he would take things and the trade would become a reward for taking the other items. He will sometimes take things and make sure I know about it and try to start a chase for it. I began ignoring when he would do this so he wouldn't see it as a game (my vet agreed with how I was handling this), but when he takes the item and doesn't try to make a game out of it is when he will be aggresive. As long as he isn't being aggressive and he won't get hurt with whatever he took I try to ignore it and when it is of no interest to him anymore I take it away. He knows what he is doing too and will not make eye contact with me when he is misbehaving. I feel bad that we are having the issues because he can be sweet and big "baby". He loves to sit in my lap and snuggle (yes he is an 80 pound lap dog, so he thinks anyway). It is kind of comical seeing a dog as big as it's owner sittingin her lap.
As for the Dog Whisperer I have not really watched it or tried it, but my 13 year old son did and there definately was a challenge between them. The was really the last time we watched it or tried it.
Thank you again

What kind of activities and games to do you do with him normally? Do you engage him much in other types of games, or does he spend a lot of time on his own to entertain himself?