Protective rottie

[Brian&Elise]

I have noticed Tyson will now growl and bark and even attempt to make a move towards family members..it seems to be when he has a bone..even when they walk down to the basement(when he doesnt have a bone) iam nervous that something might come out of it..i know thats obvious that he would but he wont do that towards brian or I..any ideas to let him know thats WRONG..

[Judi W]

Are you talking about family members he lives with? What is your response when this happens? In otherwords, what message have you given him when he is threatening someone? If you are communicating VERY clearly with him this should not have repeated itself.

Again, age, amount of and if currently in formal training information please.

yes family members he lives with..may even see them more than us..brians response is negative..he gets the point hes not to do it..but tonite for example tyson went into a bedroom and then the little brother goes into the room tyson will growl(he had a treat)..hes 5 months..iam looking into getting him into obedience classes...i didnt get the pm could u resend if possible..i just worry in case he actually might attack..

[Judi W]

I'm less kind than Vicki about dogs issuing threats, bones or no bones (especially snotty little pups). (I do agree with Vicki where you are dealing with a rescue of unknown background and experience) Also, from your comment about the basement and bedroom, it appears as though he is guarding territory not just items. Personally, I'd scare that idea out of his head so far it wouldn't be able to find its way back. When I asked what your response has been, "negative" is not an answer. Obviously he has not gotten the message that he is not to do it because he's repeating it. What exactly do you do when he issues threats? Are you saying "bad bad dog"?, are you putting a leash on him and dragging his little butt out of "his" area?, are you continuing to allow him to own posessions?

First, don't just look into obedience, get in a class. Second, he should only have treats or toys under supervision or in his crate. Do not allow him to take his treat, bone or toy and run off to establish an area to guard. Give him his treat and have him eat it near you or better yet from your hand. If his idea is to save it and run off with it so he can guard it, take it up. Discontinue the bones for now as they are much too yummy for his little pea brain to learn on at this point. With a boy like this, toys should be interactive with people toys and not his posessions. He won't die if he doesn't own stuff, but dogs that threaten to bite sometimes do bite, and then their lives can be the price.

[Burnsway]

Originally posted by Judi W:
<STRONG>Personally, I'd scare that idea out of his head so far it wouldn't be able to find its way back.

He won't die if he doesn't own stuff, but dogs that threaten to bite sometimes do bite, and then their lives can be the price.</STRONG>

AMEN!!!!!

[Vicki]

Bones evoke primal responses in dogs, and can cause a problem. For the time being I would not give any bones.

As for other behaviors, I can't tell you what is causing it, but if is behavior that is unacceptable, you must make that clear to the dog. One way to extinguish an unacceptable behavior is to train an incompatible behavior, since the dog can't do two things at once. For example, if he is starting toward people, have him sit.

Go back to the basics in training. No matter what his current level is, train as if you are beginning. Have the family members involved. Try for several short sessions a day, and keep it very upbeat, rewarding with treats and praise. When he is consistently performing, add distractions. First try training in a different room, or training out in the yard. When he's consistent in different locations, add distractions like someone throwing a toy, a dog coming by, things like that.

There are also some good books, The Culture Clash, by Jean Donaldson, Purely Postive Training, by Sheila Booth, and Turid Rugaas has a wonderful video seminar on Calming Signals.

While a growling dog is very serious thing, I can tell you that I've had many fosters who successfully learned that was not acceptable, and are now beloved family pets.

I've sent you a PM.