| Consider feeding more often--never let the dog get to the point where he is ravenously hungry (unless you are in no-free-lunch boot camp, and the dog refused to sit or lie down in order to get his food...in that event, you are using his excessive hunger as a motivator to get him to co-operate with you). A dog who frequently goes hungry feels he has good reason to protect his food: his survival instinct kicks in- "If I don't drive off these threats to my food, I will starve to death!!" In addition, a really hungry dog has a much lower self-control factor...he will be desperate to get the food at any cost, and won't be able to force himself to be patient and calm. Some breeds are born naturally protective of their food, so all the more reason to do everything right from the start! With very young pups, ones that are just being weaned, it's best to ignore their ferocious little puppy growls...after all, they still fall under the leniency of the "puppy license" in another dog's eyes. Just laugh, tell them you don't want their yucky chicken, toss a few more tasty bits in the bowl, and walk off. They soon learn not to bother protecting it, and that your presence at their bowl is a good thing because it means more is on the way! Once the pup gets older, you may want to correct for any snarling over dinner--Dogs who snarl at the humans don't eat at MY house! Say "Acck! NO, bad puppy", pick the pup up by the scruff, and remove to his crate (without whatever he was he was snarling over). If picking up the animal and putting him in his crate--or taking the object or dish away from him--is too dangerous or difficult to be an option, keep a leash on him at all times. (If he is a chewer, make the leash out of airline cable.) This way, you can take up the end of the leash, give it a sharp jerk, pull him off the object and lead him to his crate or yard...in safety. This also works for possessions that are being defended. Again, depending on you, the dog, & the situation...you may want to stick to ignoring when he growls, and praising when he allows you to stand near, and later handle, his food or toys. If the dog is already being a problem at dinnertime, there are still ways to turn that around. One eye-opener for a really pushy dog, is to make him sit for his dinner...then set down an empty dish! (Keep a camera handy for this one ;) The look on his face will probably be priceless.) Then, pick the dish back up--odds are, he won't try to defend it if it's empty--and add a small portion of his chow. Have him sit again, and set it back down. Let him eat that bit, take the dish back up, and add another small part of his dinner. This is a very quick way to give him an incentive to have you touch his dish!! Work up to being able to take his dish with food still in it...add an especially yummy treat...and set it back down. (Alternately, you can start by just dropping the treat in his dish while he's eating from it, and work your way up from there.) I like to run my hand through the food in their bowl while they eat, with a treat cupped inside...then release the treat as my hand is on the way out of the bowl. Save that maneuver for a time when you are confident he won't bite you, though...or, once again, it is a fantastic thing to get him accustomed to in early puppyhood. For a dog who likes to defend kibble, scattering it across the floor one handful at a time will make him stop and think--there's no way he can defend it all, when it's going in so many directions! I also eat in front of my dogs, even if they must be tethered or crated to accomplish this! "Trading" is another good way to desensitize a dog to your taking food and possessions from him. Start out by walking up to him while he has a valuable (in his eyes) object...approach in a non-threatening manner: eyes averted or looking partially away from him, smiling and happy, moving slowly and in a slight curving arc towards him. Hold out a treat in front of you, and offer it to him while talking to him in a happy voice. Ignore any growls, or gently discourage them by saying "noooo, you don't need to growl, silly puppy". Praise him when he takes it, and walk away. The first few times you do this, he will be confused...he was probably expecting you to try to take his prized possession. Soon he will be looking forward to you approaching with treat in hand, no matter what he's got. Then you can move on to the next step--trading up. Figure out your dog's value system: the order in which he ranks things. Give him something of relatively low value, perhaps a squeaky toy. Then, obtain something of greater value to him--say, a dog cookie. Approach the dog in a non-threatening way, and say "trade me?" Offer him the cookie. When he drops the squeaky toy, give him the cookie, and while he's eating it pick up the toy...and praise-praise-praise! He just gave you something without a fight...granted, you had to bribe him, but that's only done in the early stages. You'll wean him off this gradually. Then, look the toy over, squeak it once or twice, and give it right back to him. Do this sort of thing repeatedly, until he will gladly drop his toy for the cookie. Graduate to picking up the toy first, then giving the cookie. Work your way up to more and more valuable objects--for example, to get his bone, you may have to offer a pig's ear chew. Start hiding the goodie before he trades you (but still give it afterwards of course). This way, he is always expecting something better, and one day when he has something ~really~ important, and there is no more valuable object (or you have none with you), odds are he will automatically give you what he's got regardless. If this happens, make sure you praise him generously the instant he gives it up, "wow, Gooooood boy!!! Thank you!!" and reward him later (as soon as possible) with treats. You don't have to reward every time, as you get further along...in fact, a random system of rewards will play into the "gambler" in him (yep, this applies to dogs, too) and make him even more reliable. Keep him guessing...you want it to always be in the back of his mind that even though he really wants what he's got right now, it is in his best interests to give it up when you ask for it. The presence of other dogs helps a LOT when dealing with an extremely alpha pup--you will find that they do much of the work for you, in teaching the newcomer his place in the pack. With wolf crosses, some people advise keeping the pup separate from other dogs for the first six months, to increase his bond with humans. However, other wolfdog owners have found that this is not at all necessary, and it may actually do more harm than good. Human socialization is critical, but so is the time spent with other dogs...others of his own kind can teach him things that we humans just aren't physically equipped to pull off. Also, you don't want him to believe that he's a human just like you (or that you are another dog)--it's possible that this can open the door for him to practice his normal growing-puppy interactions, testing, dominance, jockying for position, & all other coming-of-age rituals on the HUMANS, instead of reserving such behaviours for other canines. That can be an inappropriate and uncomfortable relationship, especially if the pup has a strong alpha personality. It also makes it harder for him to relate to other dogs, and you may be facing dog-aggression issues further down the line. Now, on the other hand, tossing a wolfdog pup outside to be raised mainly by the existing pack can easily land you an animal who is afraid of human contact (!)...a big problem for wolf crosses, since the wolf's natural tendency to be shy of humans is a dominant trait and usually carries over into those animals with recent wolf ancestry. So, the old advice on keeping them separated does have some basis in fact: heavy human contact--preferably as an "inside dog"-- IS essential in the pup's formative weeks. Failure to socialize the pup properly to people in its first two months is likely to result in an animal who is fearful of humans, possibly even including its owner. The best scenario for the well-being of any pup, is for him to grow up with a great deal of interaction with both humans AND other dogs, from the moment he joins the family. Most animals soon realize that being snarly and threatening to get their own way, only results in losing the object and being shunned. Some rare animals with extreme alpha tendencies (or with a fear of their human) will fight back if physically corrected; if it gets to a battle of wills, they insist on winning at any cost...and use of force triggers their survival instinct rather than making them give in and be submissive. If you have one of these, you must find an alternate way of dealing with him...escalating your level of correction will only escalate his. Now, there are other animals who will only listen to you if they think you are willing to back your command up with a <minor> physical correction. Just like human children, they are all different in their personalities, and their reactions to various situations...so you'll need to find out what your dog responds to and plan accordingly. If you realize you "can't find a harsh enough physical correction", then it's time to find another route!! Don't hesitate to change gears if your current methods are not working...no matter how well they've worked in the past. Overall, the keys to turning around a dominant/aggressive pup seem to be consistency, training, being a firm and clear "alpha", staying calm, developing a good non-confrontational rank-reduction program, appropriate use of "time-outs" or banishment, giving him time and space to outgrow his testing phases, seeing that he is well socialized with his own kind during puppyhood, and using the "human advantage": being able to out-think a dog! In time, persistence pays off--and he will learn that he doesn't need to fight for a rank that is rightfully yours. |
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