I'm so mad at my dood

[Discussing Labradoodles & Goldendoodles]

I just took Bailey for her poop walk and, without me looking, she picked up something from the side of the road.  I knew she had something in her mouth because of the way she had her mouth closed and the look she was giving me. Kind of a guilt ridden look.

I told her to leave it and she would not.  I tried to open her mouth and she had it shut like a locked door. I kept telling her to leave it while I was trying to open her mouth and she growled at me!  My girlfriends garage was open and I knew she had some doggie beef jerkies on the shelf so I put one up to Baileys nose and she kept drooling like a faucet, but would not drop it for the jerky. She had it sideways in her mouth and I could see that it looked about 2 inches long, but again, I could not get her mouth open and she was really mad that I wanted it.  GRRRRRRRRRR

Then within a second she chewed twice and swallowed it.  It was crunchy.  It may have been a bone, but I'm not sure.

Do you think she would have bitten me?  I'm so upset with her...

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Who knows if she would have bitten you, but the fact is, you were afraid she might.  Says a lot. Next time, take a squirt bottle with you. Use a firm voice.    She is warning you with her growl.  But YOU ARE THE BOSS.  You need to let her know YOU are the boss.   I have a dog who started this at 5 months. 
Have you been to obedience training?  This will help. If you have this going on now, you need to nip it in the bud-Now

I will say, I have a dog who growls at everything.  We call it arguing. When I wipe his feet off, when I brush him, etc but he is harmless.   I can take anything from him without a problem.  He just talks a LOT. 

But my other dog, well she means business. Not a good thing.   Go back to training / or attend training and work with Bailey.  See what the trainer says.     Again, who is the Boss?  Who is running your household?

 

 

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

I don't know.  Bexter sometimes does the jaw lock on me too, but I can poke my fingers through the sides of his mouth and pry it open to get what I need to out.  However, there was one time when he was chewing on a knucklebone (and usually he doesn't care at all when I pick them up) and I tried to pick it up that he growled.  It freaked me out because he had never done that before.  I didn't do anything after that because I thought that maybe he would bite.  So...I guess I was too chicken to force the issue and find out.  I'm anxious to see what answers you get on this one!

[Ginny Nightingale]

The trading thing was the way to go and it is too bad it didn't work--you were smart to try it and it would have diffused the situation--they do figure out eventually that they can get their way if they get stubborn and I agree that it is time to re-establish the heirarchy--start small and work up--try taking her bowl away during dinner and putting a good treat in there and returning it. See if you can work on the "drop it" command more with really valuable treats available for a trade. 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Good Roberta,

I would call too.  I hope I did not sound too harsh, that was not my intent.  Those were  words said to me by a trainer once and often times ( I'm a big softie) I have to say them to myself when I am having a  bad day with my dogs.

I know how awful you feel.  Just want you to know, I understand your shock with this event and I wanted you to have confidence to handle this and take control.  It is so important IF your dog wants to start this bad behavior.

Good Luck. I really think, you are going to be just fine.

[Christine & Camus]

I do not know if she would have bitten you but, I have learned how to open a dogs mouth that works really well. Place your hand under their lower jaw and squeeze their lips inward (thumb on one side of their mouth - 4 other fingers on the other).  They do not wan to bite themselves and will eventually open their mouth -- at least more often then using any other technique.

[Bryce P]

Huff never usually swallows anything he pickes up, we alsways manage to get his mouth open. He loves the squirt bottle.

[Bryce P]

One time Huff growled at us, when we were trying to pick up his pork bone. This bone was the real deal, we made the pork that was on it, he didnt want to give it up.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Yuck! You put up a good fight! Chloe does the jaw lock and sometimes she will trade, sometimes she will growl and sometimes when I get it out she will snap at me and try to bite me.  You never know.

[Merrie Lynn & Buddy]

I tried to give Buddy his pill in a pill pocket but he ate the pocket and left the pill.  Then I tried putting it in the middle of a piece of cheese and he ate the cheese.  He has such a strong jaw when he doesn't want to open it.  I have never had a dog I couldn't get the jaw open.  I sure wouldn't want to get bit.  Stubborn is the word for this doodle

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

One of the main reasons why I never used "trading" is that you don't always have a high value treat with you at these times when you need it the most.  I would keep practicing "leave it" with all kinds of things...the higher value the better.  Do you use corrections in your training?  If you do, you can also practice "leave it" on your walks.   If she goes to take any object into her mouth when you're walking, tell her "leave it", and correct if she doesn't.  Of course, I'd praise and reward if she does.  I don't know what your trainer will say, but for me any growl or snapping at a human always results if a very meaningful motivational correction.  I can't say whether or not she would have bitten you, but I agree with Joanne that it's a "slippery slope" if she senses that you were afraid of her.  You may need to go back to some "nothing in life is free" training and even get a little tougher.  I know how upsetting this can be...we went through this with Murph when he was younger and would growl at DH when he didn't get what he wanted.  I put him in "boot camp" for a few weeks and it has not happened since.  We also had to work hard on getting him to understand that DH was just as much a "pack leader" as I am.  Good luck....let us know what your trainer has to say.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I agree with Jane on this one.  I trained very hard with Peri FROM DAY 1 (literally, the day she came home) about "leave it" and "drop it".  99.9999% of the time, the second I say "drop it" she will drop it.  The only time this doesn't work is when she tries to eat poop.  Even then, when I try to pry her jaws open, she will not even growl....she succumbs to me. 

Let us know what the trainer says. this is only my opinion.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I guess I am fortunate in that I can always put things in or take them out of the dogs mouths without fear. The other night I hear Luca chew on something when we were out for a short walk while waiting for something at a take out place. I told him to leave it but then removed it. It looked like some sort of dry food, kibble like but bigger. I got it from him but then I worried that he had perhaps swallowed some and what if it was tainted in some way. There are evil people, accidental toxic things, and who knows. He is no worse for wear fortunately.