[Jackson23]

Sorry for writing so much, feel free to comment without reading if you have a suggestion!

I don't know where I went wrong with her, but my little Pomeranian mix has this vicious streak that I'm really not enjoying. She's the cutest dog ever and most of the times she's very friendly and loves to play and kiss and so on. I've trained her well (or so I thought) and yet there are times when she seems like she'd kill if she could. I know she doesn't hate me because of the way she is around me, yet during these bouts she seems to be possessed and would harm anyone (even myself).

Here's some instances of when she will try and hurt:
-When she's under a bed with something she shouldn't have
-When she's laying down late at night and is 'comfortable' and you try and move her or pick her up to take her outside
-Sometimes when she's laying down I touch her feet and notice she tries and bite me to get her to stop touching (I realize this may not be comfy for her, but she should never snap at me)
-On one strange instance my younger cousin (10 years old) came to say hi to her and she snarled and tried snapping (HIGHLY unusually instance since she normally gets shy and quiet yet happy when new people are around)

I really hope you don't tell me 'well you should have done this' because I'm here to correct the problem NOW and not in the past. I thought I raised her well being firm and disciplined yet rewarding, yet she can't shake this. People seeing my dog for the first time think she's the cutest thing ever, yet I tell them that she has a mean streak and they laugh thinking I'm joking.

Today I went to pull her out from under the bed and she exposed her gums and latched onto my hand (she applied pressure, but nothing serious enough to induce blood or harm). She made these weird noises as I pulled her out while trying to hurt me. Since we've been doing clicker training with her I've been told by my dog trainer not to yell at her but to simply put her in her crate for a few minutes of silence. Sure she's fine when she comes out, but she'll be at it again the next day. Please suggest something, this seems like it will never end!

[TxRider]

In my experience a dog does this because it works.

They get a reaction that reinforces it.

I experimented once with dog I had on this. The dog had no issues with aggression and I shouldn't have done it but I wanted to see what would happen.

I gave him a bone, like normal, and I could normally reach over and grab it and just take it away. This time I tried reaching slowly for it, and pulled my hand back quickly as soon as he looked at my hand like I was afraid he might do something.

Within three or four times he was growling as I moved my hand toward him, and snapping at my hand.

What I did was simply reinforce to him that if he did this, he was in control of the bone and didn't have to nicely give it to me. Food aggression took him about 10 minutes to master, and it ended almost as fast when I stopped behaving that way.

What you have to figure out is what reaction from you or what behavior from you is reinforcing his behavior. He's gaining something in his mind from doing this, and it's reinforcing him to do it again.

He knows when he does this it has been succsesful in the past. If it is no longer successful for him he will eventually stop doing it.

[Jackson23]

Makes sense TX. Though, every time she does it she knows she goes to her crate. I'm confused. I guess though if I dropped a piece of delicious food on the ground... why wouldn't she want to take it and hide with it? I can't figure this problem out.

[TxRider]

It may be more of an immediate thing, the crate may not play into it at all.

It's a natural reaction for her to take something she knows you will take away into a hiding place and try to keep it.

She must be thinking what she's doing is working to some degree.

My dog will also use her mouth sometimes if I hold her foot, not in a snapping way though. If she did I my first reaction would be to hold her foot until she stopped and gave that tactic up, and to do it often until that behavior was no longer what she tried to do to get me to leave her alone.

There are other ways to deal with it as well, such as blocking access to her getting under the bed in the first place. Boxes or something she can't get past to get under there. It might be easier to deal with if she can't get into that safe space she knows you can't follow.

At any rate if you do what she wants (flinch back, leave her alone, whatever) it'll likely only get worse.

Examine your body language and behavior when she tries this, modify it and pay close attention to her reactions.

[TooneyDogs]

A big part of the problem is the way you approach the problems....you use force to drag her out from under the bed....force to move off the couch.....forcing her to endure unwanted touching of her feet (forget about the never biting for the moment).
Those are not training techniques. Hiding under the bed and getting off the couch and go outside with you is the Come command.

Alot of dogs don't like certain parts of their body to be touched....feet are especially sensitive and nail clipping can be a real chore. That's where the desensitizing comes in....high value treats while you slowly get her used to a slight touch at first, then perhaps a brush stoke, moving eventually to holding the feet and nail clipping.

All of these have a common element...she's afraid so, you'll also need to take away those fears.

[Jackson23]

Originally Posted by TooneyDogs

A big part of the problem is the way you approach the problems....you use force to drag her out from under the bed....force to move off the couch.....forcing her to endure unwanted touching of her feet (forget about the never biting for the moment).
Those are not training techniques. Hiding under the bed and getting off the couch and go outside with you is the Come command.

Alot of dogs don't like certain parts of their body to be touched....feet are especially sensitive and nail clipping can be a real chore. That's where the desensitizing comes in....high value treats while you slowly get her used to a slight touch at first, then perhaps a brush stoke, moving eventually to holding the feet and nail clipping.

All of these have a common element...she's afraid so, you'll also need to take away those fears.

I hear what you're saying, but the problem comes where if I was to offer her a treat to come out from under the bed then she will think she gets rewarded for bad behaviour. As for telling her to come, like I said... as soon as she gets something she shouldn't all reasoning goes out the window. She sometimes won't even come for 'chicken' (which she goes nuts over) because she enjoys what she has instead.

[TxRider]

I see a couple of different problems.

When she gets something she knows you want to take away, it's probably possessiveness, guarding behavior.

When it's handling her feet it's likely different, likely fear based.

When you want to move her it could be either of those two. Fear of being handled or guarding of her "spot". Hard to say without seeing it.

She has likely learned though that by being violent she gets her way in some fashion that works for her and it can expand to other situations where she wants to exert her preference over an issue.

For the feet you can offer a treat, only if you can touch her foot, then gradually start handling them a little more to earn the treat. Before long she'll be shoving her feet at you or at least very tolerant of handling them.

For the guarding I would first try blocking access to under the bed, and work on handing the item to her, but not letting go, and just holding it until she lets go peacefully or something similar, maybe a treat when shes lets go and working from there.

Hopefully some others will give even more ideas. And you can read around about guarding behavior and desensitizing etc.

[Cracker]

Originally Posted by Jackson23

I hear what you're saying, but the problem comes where if I was to offer her a treat to come out from under the bed then she will think she gets rewarded for bad behaviour.

This is where it is backwards thinking..you are not rewarding her for taking the item under the bed (the unwanted behaviour) but you ARE rewarding her for coming out from under the bed (the wanted behaviour). You are rewarding the LAST thing she has done. Just like when you teach a sit and mistime the reward and give it when the pup is getting UP from the sit and the sit doesn't "click" because the pup is rewarded for the getting up, not the sit.

As for telling her to come, like I said... as soon as she gets something she shouldn't all reasoning goes out the window. She sometimes won't even come for 'chicken' (which she goes nuts over) because she enjoys what she has instead

Your dog is resource guarding. Confrontation is not the way to deal with this behaviour. Resource guarding in canids is a necessary behaviour in wild animals and is still evident in domesticated dogs. A dog that does not "protect" his resources from another will starve. It has nothing to do with ranking or pack order, they all do it. The problem is that a dog resource guarding from PEOPLE is inappropriate and dangerous and often does not get better without good management and even better behaviour modification.

Management equals making sure that there is nothing for her to grab and go with. Puppy proofing plus one.

Behaviour mod includes training with positive reinforcement a "give" command using low value items and very very gradually increasing the value of the item she gives to you. You MUST always reward the give AND if the object is a safe one GIVE IT BACK TO HER. This teaches her that giving up to you is 90 percent of the time only a temporary thing and that she does not lose the item. Trading for items over time means a dog will eventually give up most anything ON CUE. This prevents you being bitten and prevents her getting anxious over her items when you or anyone else is around.

As for the bed. No bed priveleges (management) and if she gets up on the bed LURE her off, ask for a sit and reward her...repeat repeat repeat. She will learn that off the bed is a more rewarding place for her which will increase the frequency of her being "off the bed" and will also instill a cue "off" that does not require you forcing her off the bed and putting you at risk of being bitten. Better for you and better for her. Also better for your relationship and trust with your dog.

If you can, get a copy of "MINE" by Jean Donaldson from www.dogwise.com and I highly recommend you get a good trainer in that understands resource guarding from a behavioural perspective.

[Elana55]

Everyone has made excellent suggestions. You need to also put this dog on a STRICT NILIF program. Nothing In Life Is Free.

Feeding. Don't do it in a bowl. Hand her one kibble at a time and have her do something for it first. Sit, kibble. Lie down, Kibble. Stay, Kibble. Come here, Kibble.

She gets nothing she wants until doing something you want.

I would also put her on a leash INSIDE. Yup. Block her off from going under the bed. Eliminate opportunity for her to Resource guard. No toys unless you are interacting with her on the other end. Teach her to "give" with a toy and some good food and the dog on a leash. She has the toy, you offer food and when she drops the toy say, "Give."

If she is on the couch toss food on the floor and as she gets off the couch, say "off." The couch is not hers. No dogs on couches, chairs, beds etc. She did not pay for those things. You control them and you need to have her understand that without resorting to any sort of force (or grabbing).

Do not use the Crate as a "time out" area. Use a room and ISOLATE her there with NO toys etc. That is her time out area. Most dogs hate to be abandoned in an open room.. they want to be with you.

Jean Donaldson's book on Resource guarding is very good. You might also want to teach your dog how to play with you. Dogwise has a good DVD by Wendy Pape on playing with your dog. You also should get a pamphlet called "Really Reliable Recall" and follow those instructions.

Good luck. Use a leash. Don't get bitten!

[Jackson23]

Originally Posted by Elana55

Everyone has made excellent suggestions. You need to also put this dog on a STRICT NILIF program. Nothing In Life Is Free.

Feeding. Don't do it in a bowl. Hand her one kibble at a time and have her do something for it first. Sit, kibble. Lie down, Kibble. Stay, Kibble. Come here, Kibble.

She gets nothing she wants until doing something you want.

I would also put her on a leash INSIDE. Yup. Block her off from going under the bed. Eliminate opportunity for her to Resource guard. No toys unless you are interacting with her on the other end. Teach her to "give" with a toy and some good food and the dog on a leash. She has the toy, you offer food and when she drops the toy say, "Give."

If she is on the couch toss food on the floor and as she gets off the couch, say "off." The couch is not hers. No dogs on couches, chairs, beds etc. She did not pay for those things. You control them and you need to have her understand that without resorting to any sort of force (or grabbing).

Do not use the Crate as a "time out" area. Use a room and ISOLATE her there with NO toys etc. That is her time out area. Most dogs hate to be abandoned in an open room.. they want to be with you.

Jean Donaldson's book on Resource guarding is very good. You might also want to teach your dog how to play with you. Dogwise has a good DVD by Wendy Pape on playing with your dog. You also should get a pamphlet called "Really Reliable Recall" and follow those instructions.

Good luck. Use a leash. Don't get bitten!

Good suggestions Elana, though I have another scenario for you.

This evening I let her outside where she was chewing on fertilizer on the grass. Not wanting her to (obviously) I called her, told her to come, and so on but she would not stop the digging and eating. Of course as I went to pull her away she viciously snapped at me. I did not flinch or move away and I brought her to her confined area immediately. She seems to now know not bark when in there, so after 2 minutes of silence I take her out and do it again. She goes back to the fertilizer and we repeat this problem about 6 times with no success. My trainer told me to put her there, and it's just not working. Please help, I'm so confused and it's getting bad, very bad.

[RedyreRottweilers]

WHY let her go back? Why not control her BEFORE the problem? Let her drag a line so that you can help her make better choices, and YOU can avoid having to get too close if you need to interrupt her.

Reading through your several posts, here is some advice.

Put up baby gates so that she can NOT get under the bed with things.

Keep a very light line on her in your house when she is loose with you so that you can get her and control her if you need to.

STOP taking ANYTHING away from her without trading something HIGH VALUE for it. You must teach your dog that a hand approaching is not to take away, but to give.

Work on this every time you possibly can. ANY time she picks up something, go offer her a delicious treat. Don't try to take what she has. Just give her the choice of dropping it to eat the treat. If she does, fine. Once she is cheerfully spitting things out when she sees your coming, start naming this behavior. I call it "out". You can call it "drop it", or "cookie" or whatever you like. What you are doing is reconditioning the dog that when you approach and she has some object or treat, etc, that SOMETHING GOOD IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.

I would combine this with a reward based obedience class, and daily sessions of body handling.

Do the body handling on a raised surface like a table. Put down a towel, or etc. After you put her on the towel, take a small smear of peanut butter, show it to her, and as she opens her mouth to take it, smear it on the roof of her mouth. This will keep her busy for several seconds. As she is licking the peanut butter, touch her feet briefly. Then give her a different regular treat, and put her back on the floor.

Work up to longer touches and less peanut butter. Space out body handling with plenty of treats. Ignore any verbalization or growling behavior. If she does this, stuff her mouth with food to stop her doing it, go back to something she tolerates for just a second, and then put her down. What you are trying to do in both these instances is push her tolerance levels just slightly each time you work with her. If you accidentally bump up against it, and she growls, or etc, back off just a little, let her be successful, and quit.

Your VERY smart little dog has learned just how to run the show in your house to suit her. It's up to you to use your primate brain to take back the power peaceably.

You control the resources. Control that, and control the dog with a little light line, and your problem will be over in due time. Many times you EMOTIONAL ATTITUDE is a big contributor to the problem. Don't let the dog upset you. She is just being a dog. Don't take it personally. Work the resources, and let them work for you with the dog.

In this way, everyone wins. The dog thinks she is winning because she has learned to make you give her treats. You win because the dog's behavior changes for the better. Plus the dog loses any anxiety that is associated with people coming up if it has resources.

[Cracker]

Great post Redyre. I agree completely.

Two things I want to add regarding the OP's last post.

Do not ask your dog to come when she has competing distractions (you'll ruin your recall command)..use any other word noise silly dance a long line whatever you have to but don't use COME. If your dog has not been fully recall trained under gradually increasing distractions now is not the time to use the recall word. Also, don't use COME when she's in trouble...come should always mean good things are happening.

Two: Setting her up to practice her resource guarding behaviour (letting her back out to guard the fertilizer, which is obviously very high value to her) just so you can test or punish the behaviour with the time out is a dangerous thing. The idea is to PREVENT her practicing the behaviour as much as possible while working on the behaviour mod discussed in Redyre's post. This keeps you both safe.

Good luck.