What should I have done differently? -PIPs in replies

[slcjess]

Hi, I've been lurking a little since I adopted my dog a couple of months ago.. I don't see anything about this in the FAQ's, so forgive me if this is a stupid question. Also, I've never had a dog before, so be gentle, ha. 
So, about 2 months ago we adopted a 3 year old Shih Tzu mix (mixed with Bichon, I think). It probably sounds lame, but from the moment I saw him, we were like BFFs. He jumped right up next to me and snuggled for like 2 hours while I filled out all of the paperwork, etc, and since then he has pretty much been attached to me. 
This morning, I woke up to plastic rustling under the bed, and saw that he had dragged a tampon (sorry, TMI, I know) out of the bathroom garbage and was gnawing on it. (He's never done this before, obv. we will be closing the bathroom door going forward). As soon as I lifted up the dust ruffle, he started growling and snarling. I reached under a little and he snapped at me. I tried distracting him with toys, treats, walk.. nothing could get him out of there, and I was worried that if he ate it, the sharp plastic would hurt him, and I had to go to work, so I reached my hand in again and he grabbed my pinkie and held on to it for probably about 3 seconds, so not too terribly long, but he bit hard enough to draw blood in about 3 spots on my pinkie. Ugh. My husband is livid and I'm so sad. Should I have let him have it? Help a new doggie owner out.

[Deleted]

I'm sorry that happened . I never adopted an adult dog, so I don't have much experience with this. It would be really worrisome for me too though.

In that situation, once the dog started acting possessive (ie growling and snarling), I would avoid sticking my hand under the bed again. Instead I would make a really loud noise that would startle the dog enough so that he would drop the tampon. I find a metal can filled with coins very effective for this. Dogs usually hate the noise of change rattling against the metal, and it should serve as a distraction long enough to stop them from doing what they were doing.

In the future I would contact a behaviorist for this kind of issue. I'm not sure a trainer would be sufficient. Has your dog shown any signs of resource aggression in the past, like when chewing on a bone? I would work on reducing resource aggression in the future by taking away the dog's toys, in a very casual and non-threatening manner, while he is playing with them. For instance, while he chews a bone and you guys sit on the couch watching TV, I'd stroll by and just pick up the bone and put it away. Then I'd reward with a treat. The dog should (hopefully...I am not a dog behaviorist) learn to associate you taking away a toy, with something good happening - the treat.

[slcjess]

I can definitely try that. He sometimes goes into what I call 'Beast mode' when we are playing, where I'll shake the ball or whatever while its in his mouth and he makes little growly noises, but that's about it.
I did think about waiting him out to see if he would leave it, but I was already late for work, honestly, and I just wanted to know he was safe so I could finish getting ready and go. Now that I'm out of the situation, I guess I should have used a broom or something to sweep it out.
Also, I don't know if this matters, but when I reached in, it wasn't in his mouth, just laying next to him, so I thought I could grab it real quick. I'll try the coins in a can next time and see if I can get him out.
Thanks for your reply.

[redheadbaker]

It's called resource guarding. He found something that he considered valuable, and didn't want you to take it from him.

While resource guarding can be handled at home, since you've never had a dog before, I'd strongly recommend working with a trainer that utilizes positive reinforcement techniques. I saw PP's comment, but I think a good, certified trainer (will advertise as CPDT or APDT) can handle this issue. A good trainer will recognize if they can't handle it, and refer you to a behaviorist. 

[cmeon]

It's important to note that resource guarding is a completely normal canine behavior, it's not something to be afraid of. It's simply not a behavior we humans like, and of course, it can be dangerous.

I completely agree that good positive reinforcement trainer is the place to start. There are plenty of very useful things you'd learn in a basic obedience class that would help with this issue, but, I'd go for some private hours (in addition to the group obedience class if the trainer agrees) due to your inexperience and the fact that you were nipped.

If you are stuck in a situation where you absolutely have to get something away from a dog who is guarding, absolutely protect yourself- thick work gloves, a big fluffy towel or quilt. Oven mitts work in a pinch (no pun intended- little bites can really hurt)! Stay calm, don't exhibit any anger. First try to trade up- unfortunately, he thought his "awesome thing" was better than what you were offering. Go for the big guns- a hot dog (have some on hand for obedience training, anyway)? Scoop of peanut butter (in a bowl)? Every dog has a different "thing".

It can really help to hand feed for a week, too- kind of a PITA, I know, but, it does help reinforce the whole "I get food from PEOPLE, it doesn't just pop up in bowls!" thing.

[slcjess]

Thanks for the replies- We are in a basic training class- partly for him and partly for me. Ha. I will talk to the trainer and see what she thinks of a behaviorist. He does eat treats out of my hand, and he has never been weird with his food, he shares his toys at the dog park and hasn't ever gotten all bitey when I've taken them away, so its odd to me that he would decide to get all weird all of a sudden. He has been perfectly normal since this...event, so I'm hoping it was a weird one off situation, but if it (or anything like it) happens again, I will definitely get more serious about more intense training for him.

[Deleted]

Glad to hear you're taking a training class! It really helped me to learn how to communicate with my dog. Hopefully the trainer has some good ideas for you.

[dexteroni]

It does kind of sound like a weird one off situation. You probably startled him a bit, and I'm guessing the room was dark and he might not have been able to get a good look at what was going on. While of course it's good that you want to prevent it from happening again, given his other well-adjusted behavior, I don't think this is necessarily a sign of a larger problem, and I don't think your first step needs to be a behaviorist. Asking your trainer for idea sounds like a good place to start, and I would try @moonbeam's suggestion of randomly trading toys for treats. Good luck! Also, he sounds adorable. Can you post a photo?

[dexteroni]

Nov 6, 2014 13:09:10 GMT -5 slcjess said:

We are in a basic training class- partly for him and partly for me. Ha.

Yes! Training is so much more for the human. It teaches you how to teach them. We've been able to train all kinds of new things using the techniques we learned from our trainer.

[slcjess]

oh yes- the training has been so helpful- we are only 2 weeks in, but I actually think he has done this training before because he seems to always know what to do next, haha! I guess he was just seeing what I would let him get away with! I will try to post a pic- he pretty much is the cutest thing alive-I don't really know how but it cant be that hard, right? Haha. Hang on.

[slcjess]

Oh no- it says this: Error: This forum has exceeded its attachment space limit. Your file cannot be uploaded.
Ehhh.. Help.

[Deleted]

Don't worry, it's a forum-wide issue with the photos. Proboards is probably working on it now.

[slcjess]

:: Crosses fingers that these won't be enormous::



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[Deleted]

Cute pup!

[4speedy]

I only have a moment so this is a real quick reply without much explanation. The two things I would start immediately is hand feeding your pup. Your dog will learn that everything comes from you and you are his #1 resource to guard.

At the same time, work on the command "leave it" (your trainer will show you how)

In the future, command your dog to leave it rather than taking it away physically. Your dog will should obey you because again, you are a more valuable resource than whatever he has.

[dexteroni]

omg. She is absolutely darling. I love the one of the two of you - she's smiling! And you can tell that she's absolutely smitten with you, which I bet made this incident even more shocking.

Oh and yes, ditto 4speedy - we teach "give it" and "leave it." Sadie was a little growly with toys when she was a baby pup and "give it" helped a lot. Jeez I forgot all about that. And "leave it" is handy for when she discovers gross new things to eat when we're out on walks, lol. In fact, once you get past the basic training class, both of those commands should be part of any decent intermediate class.

[slcjess]

Ha, thanks guys. I'm a big fan but I might be biased. dexteroni, it was a total shock when he bit me, I was like, 'dude, you sit outside the bathroom door and cry when I pee, and now you are biting me??' Especially because it wasn't a little nip, it was like a legit 3 second-left-4-punctures-on-my-pinkie-and-made-it-bleed style bite. Haha. He's a stinker, but he does love his mama. (usually)

'Leave it' is part of his basic training class, I'm pretty sure, so hopefully this class makes our lives a little easier. Haha.

[awick14]

slcjess- such a cutie!

You have gotten some great advice here. I hope that working with the trainer helps things.

The resource guarding is defiantly normal, and working with your current trainer will help a lot. I would also let her know about what happened and ask her for some advice. Most trainers will give you a few extra tips at the end of the training session, if you ask for them.

Another resource that you could use is the rescue/organization that you got the pup from. We got our pup from a local rescue when he was 10 weeks old so it was a little different as we know his history. (They got the mom before they knew she was pregnant) but they have helped us figure out some training problems with him.

Dogs are work and I hope with some training your H will see that this one incident doesn't have to predict the future.

Can your H come with you to a training night where you talk to the trainer so he can get a better understanding of your pup and how dogs work.

[dexteroni]

Oops - he! I don't know why I said she.

[slcjess]

I actually do know that he was surrendered by his first family because he bit their kid. But, I wasn't ready the condemn him for that since we didn't know the circumstance behind the biting, but we know that his family had a lot of little kids, so we decided to just get him some additional training before we have kids. He's actually been around mh's nieces a little and has been totally fine with them. I'm trying to get h to go to our training class because he gets mad when jazz doesn't listen to him, but he hasn't ever worked with him on anything. They are currently snuggling and watching the office, so I guess that's a good sign. Haha. awick14
dexteroni no worries! People call him a her frequently, I think the bow tie throws people off. Haha

[Michelle]

slcjess , Hi, I'm a regular on the CEP board but don't come here often. I was searching here on information about Bichons and Shichons (the shih tzu bichon combo) in case anyone had any advice because we are thinking about adopting a rescue for my 9 year old daughter. I am concerned about why so many sites say the dog should have another small dog at home or not be home along for long periods and am curious if it might create some negative behaviors between territorial behavior and separation anxiety.

We work full time jobs but my daughter would be attached at the hip to the dog after school and on the weekends. She is a very mature 9 year old (to the point that people have taken time to remark about her to others without solicitation). She has been in her own training on caring for our labrador (an older, calmer lab these days, but still playful when she wants). But she isn't a latchkey kid quite yet.

Anyway I was wondering if this behavior was repeated, and if you have learned any more about these mixes since taking yours to training?

I appreciate any advice you have about this breed mix.

Thanks!

[slcjess]

Hi michelle! im happy to help out in any way that I can! I'm not really a 'dog person' (I pretty much just like my dog. Lol ) so I can't really speak to if most of this is normal or just my weirdo dog, but I'm happy to share our experiences! Ha.
As far as this behavior goes with the resource guarding or whatever, it's still kind of a thing, but from what I've heard here and other places it's pretty normal. We handle it by first just doing our best to keep him away from anything g we may not want him to have- we close bathroom doors, keep food put away, etc. we also have recognized some of his triggers-like being under the bed- and give him space. We have a kennel that we use for only when we need him to not be in the room and for his 'safe space' if for example my nieces are over and he's feeling overwhelmed. (They have a dog at home that they're allowed to crawl/tug/love on however they want and don't realize that getting in his face or pulling his ears or whatever scares him). I think with a kid like your daughter he would do very well.
He's really pretty good with kids, especially older ones. He gets a little stressed if they're in his face or crawling on him too much, but he always gives a 'warning' bark or growl.
He does get lonely, I think, because we were both working full time until recently. I just had a baby last week so we've been home but it's too soon/too many changes in his life to see how that will impact him/his territorial behavior. Lol.
One problem we do have is that he is very very protective of his 'person'- me (and now the baby, he freaking loves my baby. Lol ). I don't know if that's a breed thug or just a weird Jazz thing, but could be worth noting.

I don't know if any of that is helpful, but please feel free to let me know if there's anythingelse I can try to answer. I think the most important thing is to take your daughter with and be super honest with the rescue/fosters about how long the puppers will be alone, oftentimes they will know if that will make it a bad for or not.

[slcjess]

Oh! Ask about marking, too. That's a problem with my dude. It is sometimes alleviated with lots of exercise, and I'm hoping me being home more with the baby will help too.