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Posted by Arianwen on February 25, 2003 at 18:01:29:
In Reply to: Re: He\'s still young isn\'t he... posted by mommacude on February 18, 2003 at 16:12:25:
Hi
I had this problem with my dog, a male Rottie. When I contacted my local trainer I was told it was a problem of the dog trying to establish himself as pack leader.
When your Bichon brings the toy to you but growls at you for trying to take it, you leave him keep the toy. This reinforces his belief that by exerting control over you in the form of growling that he is the boss because you are backing down in his eyes. This obviously could be bad for your children because whereas you are big enough to stop him really hurting you, if your children oversteps the boundaries the dog has set and really insist on taking the dog's toy, he may discipline them.
You need to show the dog that the toy is yours and he has to earn it. Does your dog sit to command? If not, gently press him into the sit position - holding a toy or treat above his eye level will help. Say the word sit as he does the action, then when he is sitting properly (not bouncing or anything) give him the toy. But after a minute or two, take it back. If he growls, ignore him. Even offer him a treat (cheese usually works well) and when he releases the toy say a word like drop so he associates the word with letting go of whatever he holds in his mouth (eventually, with a little practise!).
This may sound harsh but if he refuses to let you take the toy, hold him down by the scruff of his neck. He will struggle but be firm. Don't hurt him. This is behaviour he will understand and it is far better to do this than risk your children. I had to do it to my dog. My brother was about 5 at the time and it was not on for the dog to growl at us, even in play. No matter what game you play you should always win ie by being the one to end up with the toy. The dog will still enjoy play time as much as ever. But by you winning all the time he will understand that you are the boss and he cannot hope to change that and that the toy is yours to take whenever you like - this will make him eager to stay in your good books without breaking his spirit and it will retain his playful nature.
This is a serious problem, but not difficult to correct and in ten weeks (well, less now I guess!) you can acheive so much so don't be daunted. If you need any help feel free to email me at thesnorkmaiden@msn.com. I would hate to see others suffering with a problem I had; especially when so many were helpful to me.
Incidentally, after some work with my dog he went on to get his KC Good Citizen and had many fans. He never stopped being a playful, dopey bear! =)