Puppy Growling With A Pigs Ear

[clayton.lee]

I have a 12 week old puppy.

Last night we tried him out with a Pigs Ear, as we are looking for something to occupy him while we are out.

It definitely occupied him - he loved it!

When it came to bed time, he was in our bedroom on the floor (he sleeps in a crate by the bed) chewing on the remains of his pigs ear. I went to pick up his pigs ear to put it in his crate for him - he dropped it when I bent down but then growled and had a little snap at my hand when I went to pick it up.

Later, in a very similar situation with him chewing on the pigs ear on the floor, I decided to pick up the pup instead of the ear to keep my hand out of sharp puppy teeth territory - when I did so he was very similar - a very low aggressive growl.

This is the first real sign of aggression/food guarding he has shown, but I want to nip it in the bud before it becomes a problem.

I already hand feed him a lot of kibble/treats (lots of click training).

I am thinking of spending more time with him while he is eating from his bowl (wouldn't be hard - he only takes about 20 seconds)

I am also thinking that it would probably be the go to give him something good, like a bone or a pigs ear, and then offer him a better treat (liver, chicken jerky) etc to get him to associate putting down his thing to get something better - maybe after a while associating it with a word to release whatever he is eating.

I would love to hear any suggestions, I want to get on top of this before it becomes an issue.

Clayton

[Mushaka]

Try the triangle of temptation...i swear this is such a useful tool..

I find that this simple practice can resolve many behaviour issues,..or at least helps to reinforce your commands etc.

[~*Shell*~]

If he goes to bite you gently (so not to hurt him) but firmly give him a 3 finger poke in the neck to redirect his attention back to you and then take the pigs ear. If he goes for it while it's in your hands say no and take it anyway. If he's growling he thinks he's in charge of his food and if you nip it in the bud now it shouldn't be a problem later! Some people have a problem with a punishment when the dog is a puppy, but the reasoning that was given to me was that if you do it when they're little you don't have to do it later!

We also started doing a "sit" "stay" "leave it" and "okay" command with dinner with zero so he knows that that food is mine, and he can only have some when i say so. This is a little too advanced for a puppy, but i would start doing it as soon as you think the puppy is able to learn it!

[grotty_rotty]

strangely enough pigs ears are the only time our Rottweiler becomes obsessive about food....

[Tatelina]

I will not tolerate any of my dogs (my own or temporary foster dogs) not allowing me to take food out of their bowl or mouth.

If any of them growl when I'm patting their jaws whilst they're eating/chewing I usually stomp next to them straight away growling 'NO!!' and then pat them again.....take their food/bone away and if they let me I give them a different peice of food (roast chicken usually) from my other hand which they didn't know about...praise them and then give them back their bone/food.

I find I only have to do this once and the sudden growl/unhappy mum usually suprises them enough to know that food protection is not allowed.

ETA: haven't tried pigs ears though!

Edited June 4, 2008 by Tatelina

[Aidan]

Pups growl because it works for them. You both want the pig's ear, pup growls, he gets to keep it - problem solved as far as pup is concerned. It's very normal dog behavior, regardless of rank.

So your options are to:

- make it stop working by either putting up with the bites and always taking the ear or punishing the growling and any subsequent escalations in aggressive behavior

- give him an option, show him a different, more polite behavior so that he gets what he wants, then ease him onto a schedule where he gets what he wants some of the time, but not all of the time

At this early stage it's such a simple thing to teach them to "give" anything simply by presenting them with something of equal or greater value - say, another pig's ear.

Give him a pig's ear, let him chew it for a few seconds, then present another pig's ear. Don't give him the second pig's ear until he has dropped the first pig's ear (might take a while, or you might need to start with two mismatched items so that the item in your hand is preferable). Repeat several more times, then leave him alone with ONE of the pig's ears. Do this every so often, you might want to cut a pig's ear in half or even into 3 strips so that you aren't over-feeding pig's ears, or do it with small raw bones or frozen mince blocks - something practical.

When he reliably gives up the ear, put the cue on - "give" or "spit it out" seem appropriate.

Triangle of Temptation seems popular on this forum and from what I can see it looks like a useful exercise. The "Doggy Zen" exercise is an old stand-by that you should probably do regardless of anything else. Sue Ailsby's Training Levels (found on her website, google it) has an excellent progression for Doggy Zen. Doggy Zen is essentially "to get the good thing, you must give it up".

[Guest Willow]

I am also thinking that it would probably be the go to give him something good, like a bone or a pigs ear, and then offer him a better treat (liver, chicken jerky) etc to get him to associate putting down his thing to get something better - maybe after a while associating it with a word to release whatever he is eating.

Clayton

you answered your own question ;)

remember to build in very short steps.....give him *every* opportunity to get it right, and don't rush onto the next stage.

well done for thinking it through, instead of panicking (it can be really distressing when your beloved baby puppy does this)

remember that if at any point you feel as though you are unsure, contact a respected trainer in your area for professional advice.