BrittanyMay Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 So I used to play tug with Lacey when she was itty bitty, but recently she started to pull really hard, almost pulling me over sometimes so I would just let go whenever she started to pull. Now when I try and take a toy or item she has randomly picked up that she isn't allowed to have, she started growling and trying to play tug. How should I stop this? If she has something bad for her, I need to be able to get it off her ASAP. If I throw another toy for her, the dope runs over there with the thing still in her gob and trys to pick it up with it still in her mouth, she doesn't drop it. And also I was just feeding her and dropping ham into her food and patting her and stuff, as a request from mum to get her used to being handled while eating, even though she probably won't ever be in a situation where someone else will be touching her while she is eating. I've managed to get her to be fine with someone handling her body and was working on her head. Well I was dropping ham into her kibble, I had my hand in front of her face and could pat her on top of her head, and she was fine, wagging her tail slowly when I was just gradually moving my hand around the side of her face when out of nowhere she barked and whipped her face to the side where my hand was, it was so fast I couldn't even tell if she snapped. As soon as I moved my hand away she was wagging again. What should I do? Seriously rattled my confidence, I could've easily been bitten like that little girl with the Lab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 To be able to touch your dog's food/treasured items.. your dog needs to be able to have complete trust in you and to BE TRAINED to do swapping /giving etc. so I would just let go whenever she started to pull. You trained her to win. You let her take control of the game, and the toy. Training is often VERY easy ... especially when the training is done by the dog She now knows if she pulls hard enough- she gets the toy. If she snaps- you stop annoying her when she's eating. PS - why does your Mum want to let people handle the dog when she's eating? May I suggest you use the TRIANGLE of TEMPTATION to feed your dog...and don't muck around with her bowl/food :D CLICK here When my puppies are new and open minded and trusting..THEN I teach them 'swap'/give. While they wobble around with a toy, I play with them.. then say give/swap, take the toy and immediately praise and return it, or give a treat .. repeat, repeat, until it second nature .I never abuse the privilege ..and if I must take away something forbidden/dangerous, I try & replace it with something ..if no treat/toy, then a little game May I also suggest you use the services of a professional- just to assess you ,your dog,and the relationship- and perhaps give you some strategies to help get things back on track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keira&Phoenix Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Hey Brit, I just asked a similar question today here is the link. This might also help http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=212542 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diva Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 (edited) .As soon as I moved my hand away she was wagging again. What should I do? Seriously rattled my confidence, I could've easily been bitten like that little girl with the Lab. Really? You are not even sure if your dog snapped at you but you believe you could easily have been badly bitten? Sorry to sound harsh but it sounds like you may be creating a problem where none existed before and she's telling you she is sick of being hassled while she eats. The triangle of temptation exercise linked to in an earlier reply is a very good one to teach deference around food and other resources. But really she should be able to eat in peace without being physically handled at the same time. As for the toys, you need to teach her a reliable 'give' command but it sounds like you have inadvertently taught her the opposite. You can do an object exchange - give me that and I'll swap it for another toy or treat, which is what I do with young pups - or teach her that the tug game only happens after she gives up the toy on cue, that the act of giving it up is what causes the good game. If you aren't taking her to an obedience class or trainer, I think that would help you both. Edited January 5, 2011 by Diva Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 you're sneaking your hand up on a dog eating .. even the most tolerant dog will throw a wobbly at that. As for the tug of war she's playing and loves it. A good way to control toys is have one in your pocket, get her to come to you with the toy and say 'OUT' and show her the other. When she spits out the toy in her mouth give her that one, repeat until she understands and quickly spits toys. Then you can start tugging saying 'OUT' and hold the toy very still. You will still need the second toy for a while but eventually she will understand out means let go of toy and settle down. This way she wont be posessive but understand that OUT means a break in the game, not toy dissapears! As for the food, hand feed her, dont tease her with food otherwise dogs develop anxiety around food. Put her food bowl where she has a good view around her and doesnt feel like you may sneak up on her and you will find her anxiety will ease up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrittanyMay Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 Okay so for the toys - Call her to me, but before she grabs hold of the toy, say out and offer the other one before she grabs the first toy. And then for the tug... in the middle of the tug game, say out and offer another toy? I have done some TOT when I first got her, I tied her up, put the food down and wated unil she looked at me and sat, and then I gave it to her. No she waits for the command to eat, off the lead. I tell her 'sit' and 'wait' and then I set the food down, and make her wait for a few seconds, somtimes 30 seconds, usually only like 5 seconds, I tell her 'okay' and walk inside. She gets fed outside when no one is there usually, this was the first time in a while I have worked with her while she was eating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrittanyMay Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 Okay, so I am halfway through the TOT article I and I've realised that what I'm doing isn't TOT at all... I'll start the proper TOT when I give her breakfast to her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 So I used to play tug with Lacey when she was itty bitty, but recently she started to pull really hard, almost pulling me over sometimes so I would just let go whenever she started to pull. Now when I try and take a toy or item she has randomly picked up that she isn't allowed to have, she started growling and trying to play tug. How should I stop this? If she has something bad for her, I need to be able to get it off her ASAP. If I throw another toy for her, the dope runs over there with the thing still in her gob and trys to pick it up with it still in her mouth, she doesn't drop it. Teach her the "out" (or "give") command. She trying to tug because you've taught her it's fun, she pulls harder because you've taught her that tugging harder is the way to win the game - winning the game is rewarding big time. The harder you tug and the more you yell and dance around the more excited she will get and the harder she will tug to win. Try offering the second toy (or food treat) to her calmly rather than throwing it, then as she drops/releases what she has in her mouth to take it and say "out", give her the second toy/treat and continue the game. And also I was just feeding her and dropping ham into her food and patting her and stuff, as a request from mum to get her used to being handled while eating, even though she probably won't ever be in a situation where someone else will be touching her while she is eating. I've managed to get her to be fine with someone handling her body and was working on her head. Well I was dropping ham into her kibble, I had my hand in front of her face and could pat her on top of her head, and she was fine, wagging her tail slowly when I was just gradually moving my hand around the side of her face when out of nowhere she barked and whipped her face to the side where my hand was, it was so fast I couldn't even tell if she snapped. As soon as I moved my hand away she was wagging again. What should I do? Seriously rattled my confidence, I could've easily been bitten like that little girl with the Lab. Don't muck around with her food. How would YOU feel if someone kept poking you and dropping bits in your plate while you were eating? Annoying much? In short you are not only making her feel insecure around her food you're pissing her off! Her reaction wasn't "out of no-where", it was leading up to that and is the only way she can tell you that she is uncomfortable with what you are doing. Tail wagging slowly side to side is not necessarily a friendly or welcoming gesture either. Try TOT for sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrittanyMay Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 Onto day two of the TOT. First meal - Whined and yelled and then she settled down to just watching it. After a while I said her name, marked it and let her go. Second meal - much the same. Third meal - looked at the food for a few seconds, no whining, then looked at me. These Danes are quick learners. Day two - this morning she looked at the food for a second, then up at me. She is sitting on her own now when she looks at me, I assume because of the 'wait' training I did with her before I started the TOT. Second meal - she looked straight at me, didn't even look at her food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Good start Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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