[race8680]

Hi all, hoping someone can help me with a shih tzu training problem. She was the runt, is now about 6 months old, and generally very well behaved. Still learning to come the FIRST time she's called, but otherwise making progress in all areas of training. Except one.

She's very aggressive about her treats and her food, particularly the former. If you give her a rawhide bone or similar and later try to take it away, she'll growl in a shockingly ferocious tone and eventually snap at you if further provoked. If you scruff her and take away the treat, it's as though nothing ever happened; totally normal once that stimulus is removed.

I grew up with retrievers and this was NEVER an issue for more than a couple repetitions - but those dogs responded very well to negative reinforcement and scolding. Everything I've read on Shih Tzus and my own experience indicates that rewarding good behavior is much more effective than punishing bad behavior. So what is the remedy for bad behavior? I can't think of a way to reward her for giving up a treat, and I can't have her potentially biting people when disturbed with her treat.

Any advice, suggestions, or similar experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Nathan

[Curbside Prophet]

Originally Posted by race8680

So what is the remedy for bad behavior?

The remedy is instruction. If your dog was taught the command "drop", you wouldn't have to fight the dog for the rawhide.

I can't think of a way to reward her for giving up a treat, and I can't have her potentially biting people when disturbed with her treat.

How about trading the rawhide with something more valuable. Perhaps a stuffed Kong is more valuable. Practice trading one item for another. use the command "drop" and reward the dog with the second item upon dropping the first.

You'll also need to practice NILIF.

Do you feed her out of a bowl? Put the bowl away and hand feed her. Every piece of kibble that you put in a bowl is one lost opportunity to ask for and reward a sit.

If you don't want your dog to guard resources, you have to reach the dog that all resources come through you.

Don't take this the wrong way, but I find it frightening that at 6 months of age your dog hasn't learned "come". If I were you, I'd enroll your dog in an beginners obedience class. It could be a life saver.

BTW, welcome to our forum!

[race8680]

Thanks - no offense taken. She does come, but likes to think about it first. The "drop it" command is one that we've just not been able to get through -- it's like a filter when she's got food (mostly chews though) there. It doesn't happen with toys or anything else, only food. Your suggestion about feeding is a very good one and we'll certainly take it. I also like the idea of a more rewarding treat to try and reinforce the "drop it" command.

As it is, with her treats, whether milk bones or rawhide, whatever, she knows that she has to sit before getting the treat. Actually, it's a two-step "Sit" and "sit pretty" where she first sits and then rises up on her haunches.

Any other suggestions are welcome.

[opokki]

Originally Posted by race8680

So what is the remedy for bad behavior? I can't think of a way to reward her for giving up a treat, and I can't have her potentially biting people when disturbed with her treat.

Jean Donaldson's book "Mine!" will guide you through this much better than I ever could over the internet so you might want to consider picking up a copy of it if you can.

Right now your dog feels threatened when you approach and she has a high value item in her possession. Taking the item away from her can actually increase her aggression as this only proves that you are indeed a threat. Over time she may learn to react more quickly, with more intensity and might even start to guard the space around her when she has such items.

When it comes to resource guarding, one of the most common approaches seems to be management coupled with desensitization and counterconditioning.

Very breif description of this process -
Using management, you prevent the dog from rehursing this behavior. She will no longer have access to high value items which she is likely to guard. Then using desensitization and counterconditioning, you gradually build a positive association with your approach when she has valuable items in her possession. You start out with low value items and gradually work your way up to high value items. Then you repeat with different people so that she generalizes.

[TooneyDogs]

In a good puppy class, they will teach object exchanges, which was mentioned earlier, so that you never have to take things away...the dog willingly gives it to you. Come is not the most important command. The important, life saving command is DOWN...done instantly, without hesitation or thought.

[newman]

I left my Shih Tzu behind when I went to NY to visit fanily he however instead of being kennelled went back to the breeder to be babysat. The breeder has his two parents and at the time had another Shih Tzu that was 9 mths old at the time (Newman is the only dog in our home, then had to compete w/ 3!. When I returned (which was not his normal character growled at m 3 yr old daughter when she was trying to pet him while eating a treat not raw hide.) I rose my voice and strongly say'd NO!!! I immeaditly removed the treat from him ( he did not act aggresive towards me) I then asked my husband since he has been training dogs forever what to do.) Rich simply told me to reward good behavior (privatly at first w/ out distraction) take the trreat away from him, but when doing so cup your hand inward with thumb facing u take treat away.. Make sure that u tell him/her good (name) while doing so. this stratigy should work well then I began letting the children give him treats and slowly worked my way to letting them take it from him ( under supervision) . This method only took 2 weeks!!! and that is the truth.. Good luck unless someone tell u different.


Angelina...

[Durbkat]

It may be hard to do since you didn't teach the dog to be nice with food at a young age. Snoopy is 3 months old, he is a shih tzu, and I can pick his food bowl up and he will sit and look at me and then I can continue doing this and I have taught him to sit when he wants something. I can take toys away from him and high valued treats because I started doing it since I've had him and asked him to do something for me, like sit or speak and sometimes he will do both at the same time, before he gets what he wants. But just do what has been suggested and enroll him in some puppy classes to teach him to give things up easily. To get him to come when called the first time, give him a highly rewarded treat everytime he comes to you so that he will associate coming to you with a good thing, thats what I did with Snoopy and he now comes running when I call him.

[race8680]

Thanks everyone, some great suggestions here. We worked on some of them last night and saw some improvement even after one session. It appears it's down to specificity in training and we missed the boat a little when she was younger (though the agression around food didn't start until recently -- opokki hit it on the head I believe).

Thanks again,

Nathan