Help please... Advise needed

Suffolkangel

Suffolkangel

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I have had my new rescue dog a week. He is very cuddly and loves attention.
To give a bit of history before my problem. He's a Beagle x Pointer between 15 - 18months old. I'm his 6/7th owner so we believe, could be more, he was passed around an RAF base before arriving at the rescue centre. He has very little to no training, I've been working on the basics with him, so we now know sit, and bed. we're currently working on recall.

The problem I have is with food, if you go to take his food away from him and a bone etc he growls or bares his teeth. Now this is something I want nipped in the bud asap so am after some advise as to what to do. He doesn't show any aggression at any other time. Apart from the little we know from above his short history is a guessing game, so we wander if he's been teased with food maybe or starved... (he is a little under weight).

Ideas please as I really want to get this problem sorted....
 
my friend solved this problem with `swapping/exchanging`one treat for another.it took time but is never an issue now.

also when teaching the `leave it ` command always take the leave-it-item away and treat with another from your other hand.

avoid confrontation and work on praise and positives x
 
Why are you taking his food away?

If you took my food away, I'd be a bit annoyed also.

With a dog like this, always start with an empty bowl and add the food from your hand. So you are the person who gives him food, not swipes it away. Teach him that all food comes from you and if he wants food, he has to be calm and quiet and listening to you.
 
Thank you, will try that. I have been working on taking away and giving back if he didn't growl, but your technique sounds a lot better. :-) It's frustrating as its the only thing I can fault with him at the moment :-)

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CorvusCorax said:
Why are you taking his food away?

If you took my food away, I'd be a bit annoyed also.

With a dog like this, always start with an empty bowl and add the food from your hand. So you are the person who gives him food, not swipes it away. Teach him that all food comes from you and if he wants food, he has to be calm and quiet and listening to you.
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He's good when receiving food, he sits quietly and waits until he can have it. The concern is if he has a bone he'll growl when its taken away, and he cant have the bone the whole time as its quite big...
 
If you're getting the bone from the butcher then ask him to cut it into a smaller size with the bandsaw. A bone is a really high value item so to be fair to the dog and avoid conflict, I'd either leave him with it or not give him a bone at all at this stage. He doesn't really know you well enough and if he's been through so many homes already he won't know if he is coming or going and won't know that you are his mum yet, just another person coming to give him grief and take his stuff.

With a bowl of food I see no real reason to mess about while he is eating or trying to take the food off him and just leave him to eat. Mealtimes are not a time or place to create stress or conflict as you may want to use food later on for training.
 
Why does the size of the bone mean he can't have it for as long he wants?

Our pup has a bone, and leaves it of her own accord once she's had enough, or is bored of it. It then gets put away.

Not having a go, just genuinly curious.
 
amymay said:
Why does the size of the bone mean he can't have it for as long he wants?

Our pup has a bone, and leaves it of her own accord once she's had enough, or is bored of it. It then gets put away.

Not having a go, just genuinly curious.
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It's just something I've always been taught, not saying I'm right hence asking for advise. Other reason is I have another dog, so don't leave bones lying about as don't want to cause a fight. they have separate areas for bones so there is no competition or conflict.
 
amymay said:
Why does the size of the bone mean he can't have it for as long he wants?

Our pup has a bone, and leaves it of her own accord once she's had enough, or is bored of it. It then gets put away.

Not having a go, just genuinly curious.
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This...and a bone can be a great tool for stress relief for the dog during this phase. I would just be feeding the dog and leaving him to it. Give it a few months and then see how he is with it. I always leave feed but it is important to be able to safely take a possession away and the swapping for something else and positive does work. That said, a dog that growls at me is famn well told instantly that it is not on. You just can't be combative with dogs. Try to see things from his perspective...he doesn't know if he's coming or going so give him.time to feel secure. Xx
 
Thank you for all the advise, I appreciate it and am taking it all on-board. its all new to me as my other dog was already trained and had known me for several years before I took him on full time. :-)

I a also enrolling to do some obedience classes with him, more for me than the dog, as he's picking everything else up really well :-)
 
I wouldn't be taking food away from him. Once you have given it to him it's his. If someone kept taking my dinner away from me I'd be cross too! It's old fashioned and unnecessary to do this. Leave him too it.
 
Ive never had a problem with food with dogs, its their food and they are entitled to eat it in peace just like you or I. As I dont make a big deal of it when on the odd occasion theyve had stuff Ive never had a problem getting them to give it up, Ive always taught them the leave it command very early on.

This poor dog has been passed from pillar to post, all you are doing at the moment is further unsettling him, leave him be, let him settle and learn that he is going nowhere, this is his home for life. When youve had him a while and you think he is settled try teaching him leave it, just start first on low interest stuff and reward when he gives it up, personally once a dog of mine has a bone its his and so my dogs dont resource guard, perhaps Ive been lucky but my laid back approach and lack of interference does seem to work and Ive had dogs for many years including foster dogs for rescue.

Taking food away from dogs has rather been debunked now with the whole dominance thing where you have to impose your will on the dog at all costs otherwise they will take over your home and start running up the phone bill ringing their friends.

He is a very handsome lad op so relax and dont push him to react.
 
Lovely boy.

As others have said, it's all very new - he doesn't really know you, and now you keep giving him something nice then taking it away? Well I don't think so, he's saying, get your own, you bone-napping stranger! It's good to be able to take things away from your dog, but starting this with a bone is a bit like giving a human a huge suitcase of cash, saying 'here you go, this is yours' and then expecting them to just give it back. Better off starting with a two-pence piece!

I think taking him to a class - so long as it's a fun, relaxed one - is a great idea. Teaching him new things will help the two of you bond, and help him to see you as a source of fun things. Hopefully over time they can help you to build-up to a retrieve which in turn will help him to see giving things up as a good thing. But that is something for down the line - right now, get to know each other and build up your bond. If you need to keep him occupied, rather than a bone you could try getting a kong and putting his dinner into it - you can soak kibble in water to make it mushy, then even freeze it overnight so it's like a lolly for him, which will last for ages. At this stage, let him have it and relax with it rather than try to take it off him.
 
Thank you, you're all so right I am trying to do too much too fast. We've just had a lovely walk, and as I reward he got his bone back. I have left it with him as had to go sort the ponies out, (my naughty colt had got through his fence). Bless him he's buried it in his blankets so have left it for when he wants to find it again. :-) He just wants cuddles right now :-)
 
Aww little sweetie! He sounds like he has landed on his feet!

I have a rescue lurcher in at the mo for fostering and he is just so bewildered with everything bless him :(
 
Fides said:
Aww little sweetie! He sounds like he has landed on his feet!

I have a rescue lurcher in at the mo for fostering and he is just so bewildered with everything bless him :(
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Thank you :-) This little man is certainly going nowhere, I just want to make sure I do what's right for him from the start :-)
 
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