Behavior Issue

[Kim]

Our Allie (9 months) enjoys her rawhide everynight. Just recently when anyone gets near her while she has a rawhide, she start growling. If we get brave enough to put our fingers near her face, she violently reacts in attack mode, while snarling and she tries to bite. This only happens with rawhides, she doesn't act aggressively with her food, or toys. We have been trying to correct her by petting near her face to let her know that we aren't going to take it, but she still growls. I'm very worried that if she is ever chewing a rawhide near a child, she will attack. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Ginny Nightingale]

Oh boy--nip this one in the bud! There are others on this site who are better at dog training than I am and i am sure they will have good suggestions--but this is a start. I use positive reinforcement and it works well and quickly. Get a really yummy treat that she likes and trade her for the rawhide. Say "leave it" when you present the treat and if she drops the rawhide, give her the treat immediately and praise her alot. i would take the rawhide from her a few times each time she has it using this method. She will eventually learn that there is something better coming when she has dropped it.
(By the way, rawhide can be a very dangerous treat--my sister-in-law's dog almost died from a large piece that was obstrucitng his intestine--but lots of people on this site seem to use it, so i guess it doesn't always cause problems.)
If she won't give up the rawhide, even with this trading method, I would stop giving it to her. My trainer calls this "reserve guarding" and a dog can be trained out of it, but I am not sure what to do besides this suggestion. It has worked well for me.

[Kim]

Thank you! I just said the word "treat" and she dropped her rawhide and came running to me! I guess the treat thing will work.

Regarding the danger in rawhides... That worries me a lot - because she keeps really big chunks in her mouth until it gets soft and then swallows it. I think that we are better off maybe NOT giving her them anymore! I have never heard of this. We were giving her the long thin rawhides and she would swallow it whole. So we got scared and then started giving her the big rawhides so that she can't fit them in her mouth. I think after your response, Ginny she will have to find another 7:30pm hobby!!!!

Thanks again!

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Instead of rawhide, try pizzles, braided bully sticks, pig ears. They are all digestible, but rawhide is not. I never give rawhide, because of the intestine obstruction issue. Supposedly if you really want to give rawhide (it is cheaper and tougher) it is better to give the rawhide that has been mechanically chopped into very small pieces and pressed into the shape.

When you trade the rawhide for a treat, pick up the rawhide and put it in a baggie and then into the freezer for later chewing. This is particularily useful for large braided bully sticks and pig ears that you may not wish your dog to finish in one session.

[Ginny Nightingale]

Great! And I agree that bully sticks are much better! And freezing them is the best. I get the 12 inch ones from my local Agway store--But Dr Fosters and Smiths has them online. They are expensive, but usually last. I take them away after 20 minutes of chewing and put them back in the freezer for another time. You can take it away for good when it gets to be about 2-3 inches long. I also give my dogs cow hooves, they are cheap and the dogs love them. My little mini-doodle has a powerful jaw and can break them, so i watch her with them, but the bigger doodle just gnaws on them. I could swear my little doodle has terrier in there somewhere!
You can also get shank bones from the grocery store--an inch or so in diameter, remove the marrow and put a little peanut butter inside them. (Just coat the inside) The dogs love that.

[Chris & Boys]

Why do you put the bullysticks in the freezer?? Have you bought your bullysticks in bulk before?? I have, it is much cheaper in the long run.

My vet has always told me not to give the dog anything that you wouldn't want to get hit in the knee with....if it is that hard, it will break their teeth. Any chance the shank bones would do this?? I have two and have taken them away because they are soooo hard.

[Wendy and Eddie]

Another suggestion to help with food aggression is to approach the dog while eating (or chewing on a rawhide) and drop more food into the bowl, (or drop another treat right next to the dog) BEFORE the dog starts growling. That way they start to associate people approaching THEIR stuff as a good thing, not a threat. One time won't do it, but over time it helps.

Another I've done is to take the rawhide away like you did with the command "treat" and then give it right back if the dog doesn't growl.

[Kim]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions! I have never even heard of rawhides being dangerous. I will check into the Bully Sticks, and NOT let her have any more rawhides!

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

OHhhhh wow... you have been given a lot of great advice about not feeding rawhide (just an FYI Flossies and Greenies do the same thing).

But the really issue is this growling and guarding.

I would start over by feeding her regular meals from your hand, not a bowl. We have made a game out of food control with our dogs. We started by teaching them Mine & Yours. When a dog gets something that is not hers, I say MINE and take it, I give lots of praise and treats along with a toy and say YOURS. If we drop food on the floor and can say MINE and the dogs turn and walk to other way! My husband can give a cracker to a dog and I can say MINE and they will drop it in my hand. We practice often even though our dogs know this concept. We take food out of their mouths often, we always give it back but this has established trust it is never negative. She needs to learn to trust you.

It also sounds like she needs a strong dose of Pack Leadership too~

[Kyoko]

What can I do when the dog is not aggressive toward any human with their food, water, etc, but towards the other dog? My almost 4 months old puppy is never aggressive with her food, treat or anything towards any human. But today for the first time she barked at her Shih Tzu friend that try to drink out of the bowl she was drinking out of. ( They play together often, and play well together) And later on she did the same thing to him when she found a piece of rawhide. She knows the command and anytime she has something in her mouth, all I have to say is " Show me what you got " and she drops whatever it is.... I got a little concerned when she did this to her friend despite of the fact they continued to play well after words.

[Doodle Kisses]

Dogs don't typically 'share' so I wouldn't worry if she's telling another dog to give her space. For me as long as my dogs give things up to me...they can be a little more snarky with each other (to a point).

[Kyoko]

Oh, OK. I wasn't sure if this is something I should be concerned about.
Funny thing is that, at the dog park this morning, she was with this big male black lab. They played well, but everytime when he went for Charlie's toy / tennins ball she was after to fetch, she just let him have it. And if he came over to get a drink of water, she moved and let him drink first.
I guess they work things out themselves to figure out the ranking order...

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

I agree, dogs normally dont share... dont confuse them with humans.

As long as there is no scuffle and it is just a vocal warning she was ok. Dogs who growl first (before they bite or lung) are good dogs; they are just communicating that they dont like what is happening.

As for rawhide~~~ throw it away, it will kill you dog!