Odin has been with us for a few months now. When I went to get him from the woman who took him off the streets she was very honest with me and told me he had issues about being possessive with bones when it comes to other dogs. She literally told me and within 2 minutes he went after one of my dogs who got too close to a treat that had fallen to the floor. Days later an employee at Petco gave Cheyenne and Odin a cookie each while I had them in the store. Odin ate his as quick as possible (he was very grabby as well) and Cheyenne is weird with food so she dropped hers. The second it hit the floor (her head was still down) he went for her. Because of the cookie. I straightened him out and that was that.

Since then (this was all within the first few days of having him) we haven't had an issue with food. He eats with the rest. He stays to his own bowl. I give cookies to them as a group. They have bones around the house. There isn't an issue. I've worked heavily on that since the Petco incident. When he is fed... he is fed last. I feed everyone in the same room and they each have their own space. He is the last to get his bowl and he has to sit and he's instructed to wait before he's allowed to leave his sit. After about 20-30 seconds I release him to his food. I have total control over the food and can remove it if necessary as well as put things in it. Basically when it comes down to me, he respects me and doesn't dare guard or protect anything from me.

A few weeks ago my gandmother and aunt were over. My grandma dropped a napkin and Odin had gotten it. He was standing over it chewing it or something. When she tried to reach for it, he growled at her and became stiff. I came outside when I saw her trying to take it from him using a stick. I walked into his space to which he backed off and I took the napkin. Yesterday morning someone had puked outside. My dad was here and he tried to get the dogs in. Odin didn't come in because he was eating the puke. Dad said he went up to him to bring him inside (I assume by the collar) and Odin growled at him and wouldn't move. Dad said he turned the hose on him to which Odin took off and then he sprayed away the puke.

What is this...? And what can I do? My family has a good relationship with Odin but at times when he does this... i'm not going to lie it makes me nervous. Have I done something wrong? Have they?

Well I'm nobody to give advice on this subject because to be totally honest Mya is a B**CH! She'll be cool with me and with strangers she's so sweet! Now, if she has a bone or something that she "shouldn't have" and somebody tries to take it...she will growl. Honestly, don't trust her with that. She's such a nice dog, but transforms when she has something that she's protecting. Pretty annoying! Odin was found in the streets, right? Maybe he has some baggage and that's where this behavior comes from. He won't do it to you b/c you're the mommy and he respects you, but maybe he feels that he can "test" other people. Doubt you family did anything wrong! My parents ABSOLUTELY LOVE MY DOGS like their grandchildren and I'm sure yours are the same.

Now, Mya LOVES THEM!!! If she has a rawhide or something that she knows she shouldn't have you better believe she'll growl at them. Never snapped. Doubt she will, but I can't be 100% sure. I wish she wasn't that way, but she is. I've tried correcting it with no success =(

Same.... I don't know if he'll snap... but I can't 100% say it's just a growl. Which is why it makes me uneasy.

He's off the streets and I don't think he really had any manners taught to him at all before here... He has been very grabby with treats since the beginning. I've worked on it since the first day he was here. He now takes things from me gently... but other people he just turns off his brain!

I wish I could work with them more but they don't have the commitment like I do. They'll allow him to take treats from them when to me he's being way to grabby. They let him get away with a LOT that he really shouldn't. That's probably where the issue stems from. I think i'm going to have to have a big talk with them next time they're over. He just can't get away with this sh*t anymore.

I totally understand! For example, last weekend I had my parents and brother over for the Super Bowl. When it was time to eat Mya was begging my mom for food and I caught her slipping her some. I told her "Mami, don't do that pls, she shouldn't be eating that...she's on a diet...she's fat (lol)". Fine... a few minutes later she's going it again b/c Mya was being very annoying with her begging. I know that it breaks ur heart the way they beg and they give in. I got so mad that I told her "listen mom I love you, but this is my house , my dog, so either do what i tell you or i'm putting her away". She"s like "well I'm your mom so I overrule" WTF..LOL! Needless to say my poor Mya went in the room till all of the food was gone!

Nikki has possession issues as well. I have worked a long time with her and she trusts me and respects me so I can take anything I want from her. She actually bit my roommate over a rawhide while he was messing with her (i don't blame her, he really picks on her and it gets on my nerves). He knew he was at fault and accepted that but it was still embarrassing. I didnt raise her from a pup nor do i know anything about her background before I got her so its hard to know why she is so possessive over objects (mostly food and rawhide bones). I wish I had more insight to give you...would love to hear other people's advice

Remember my boarding husky, Alistar, she has slightly better, showing more trust in me. However, she is extreme possesive when it comes to toys, so I have kept all toys away from her and my other 2 dogs. She also doesnt seems to like people to pull the collar to get her moving, so everytime, i have to put the leash on her to get her moving.

I will love to hear more advice on how to overcome this issue.

There is so much involved in these situations that I can't even find a place to begin. Topics like this make me wish we had an academic/theory trainer on the forum. Putting this training into words is impossible for me, and my approach would depend on several tests of the dog's reactions. One thing I can tell you is that the way I extinguished this behavior in Coco WILL NOT work for 99% of the people out there. The only way I can describe it here is; I have a presence that dogs instantly respond to, and my voice/posture always gets a submissive response to build off of. I have never had any dog (loose, not mine, mine) act that way towards me. It's in my head before it ever happens that I am in charge and for now I have the reflexes to back it up. My policy is ZERO (±0) tolerance and severe intervention from me. But I believe my all around relationship with the dogs I handle permits me to be this way.

The collar tension is easy though. Remember that's one of the only spots on a dog that makes them vulnerable. You just need to increase the number of times that a collar area touch means nothing. For every time you want to move a dog like that by the collar, you need dozens of times that you don't move him. Simply put, start gently (very gently) pulling on the collar whenever you pet him. Also make a point to start touching him and petting him more specifically in that region. Quiet time one on one and lots of massaging are key here. Ideally other people need to do this as well but from a much different starting point. I would avoid the collar pull entirely for weeks and use one of those slip leads or something similar to move him, and then always approaching with something enticing to him.

I may think of something else later, and if I can put it into words I'll post the hell out of it.

I just wish the problem was more focused on me rather than other people. They are so difficult to manage it's incredible. He let's me do anything to him.

Yeah. That's the tough part with it being so specific to others. I've used the same general tactics when Coco didn't know I was there. Having one of my more courageous helpers approach her while I hide and wait for the undesired reaction. But this depends on said dog really taking direction from you instead of continuing to guard. I would say the dog must be able to "drop it" by voice command alone before you ever try working with another person, no matter how brave they think they are.

It really sounds like the boundaries are blurred with the rest of the family. He is able to elicit very different reactions from them versus you. My zero tolerance policy also applies to what humans do with a dog that I'm trying to train and integrate. It is after all YOUR pack and YOUR rules. This needs to be addressed before he decides that "low ranking people" aren't reacting the way he wants.

Going to tell them this Saturday that he's no longer allowed to have anything besides his own treats (periodically they sneak food off the table to him) and when he takes the treats his teeth must not touch skin at all. Ever. Maybe i'll have to threaten them with me "giving him away"... that may help them get with the program.

Perhaps i'll have them serve his dinner following the same routine...

The biggest issue is they think the behavior is allowable for a dog so they see no problem. They think i'm just some big control freak who needs to relax and "let dogs be dogs."

arooroomom wrote:

Going to tell them this Saturday that he's no longer allowed to have anything besides his own treats (periodically they sneak food off the table to him) and when he takes the treats his teeth must not touch skin at all. Ever. Maybe i'll have to threaten them with me "giving him away"... that may help them get with the program.

I don't have time to respond yet (I'm not ignoring this thread, I just want to be able to respond properly), but I have to say, that would ENRAGE ME. One rule in my house, you do NOT feed my dogs from the table or at ALL unless I say so. I would flip y sh*t on someone that did that in my home. If we're at someone else's home, I get angry, but not nearly as indignant as I would be if someone fed MY dogs, from MY table. Bah. One of my pet peeves (pun intended ).

It drives me up the WALL. I tell them to stop. Every time I catch them. But they don't care! They think the dogs have like a freaking right to bed fed from the table or something!!!!! I don't know... maybe I should wait for him to bite them... LOL No... That's not nice...

I have the same problem with my husky. He is extremely possessive over any bones or chews that we give him. He will snap at my other dog if he comes near him with one... and he'll snap at him if he gets near his food bowl. With me I can get near his food bowl but he will tense up, and if I put my hand in the bowl sometimes he'll growl, but hasn't bit me... yet. With the bones and such even I cannot get near him, he absolutely flips. I don't know how to make him stop this. With my husband he does the same thing only my husband doesn't care and will just grab the thing away slap him on the nose if he tries to bite him. How do I go about getting the power and respect from him to be able to have him accept me coming around those things?

Hey Kristina,

Mischka, my 1 year old, used to be the very same with us, and even bit me a couple of times when I would try to get napkins or pieces of paper off her. I found that 3 things helped, and she is now great, we can take everything we want off her.
1) We would entice her with a treat and ask her to DROP. When she dropped, we would reward her.
2) We would tell her off firmly, and ignore her for 45 odd mins, if she growler or snapped at us.
3) The single best thing we did was through play - we would take her toys out of her mouth to throw them, and she was delighted! That way, she got used to us handling things that were in her mouth. Over time, she realised that our us trying to take things from her were not necessarily a bad thing.

Hope this helps!

This has actually since ceased. Combination of required eye contact before he's given anything and using of commands to communicate with him such as "give" when people are approaching him to take what he has and "drop" to get him to drop it. For me I can still just take whatever it is. Thanks though.

arooroomom wrote:

They think i'm just some big control freak

Odin allows you to control him because he see you as the Alpha dominate. Everyone else in his eyes comes after him.

I wish I could help beyond that because I have a similar problem with Biko thinking he is my bodyguard. If I tell him to cool his jets and relax he's fine but if someone approaches and I'm not aware of it he has that low tone growl that get their attention and call out to me. I don't worry about any harm from his way but it can be annoying for others.