What are some ways I can break my dogs possessive behavior when it comes to balls and Frisbees.
June 27, 2012 1:57 PM Subscribe
What are some ways I can break my dogs possessive behavior when it comes to balls and Frisbees?
My dog becomes aggressive around other dogs when she "claims" a toy at the dog park or around the home. She learned long ago when she was a puppy that it was her duty to protect any ball that she claims, and she learned that the best way to do this is to snarl and nip at any dog that comes near. What are some ways I can deal with this behavior through positive reinforcement?
Please note, the dog is not aggressive towards people. She will gladly give her ball to any people that come and grab it. She also will drop the ball in front of random people, expecting them to throw it. This is only behaviour that is displayed towards other dogs. She is also not food possessive, this only occurs with balls and frisbees.
Right now, I deal with it by not letting her have balls or frisbees in the park. She generally won't pick up balls thrown for other dogs. But this is a dog park, and people throw balls. Sometimes people pick up a ball and throw it for her. I will usually talk to people about this when it occurs, letting them know she is not allowed to play with balls. She also will bring me tennis balls she finds and will lay them at my feet. I simply pocket these balls and toss them away when she is not looking. Telling her no when she is about to pick up a ball always works, but sometimes she will grab one when I am not looking.
So, in conclusion, I am looking for a positive way to help her become less aggressive when she finds balls. Keeping balls off limits works for now, but I'd like to work with her in the hopes that one day she can get past this.
My dog becomes aggressive around other dogs when she "claims" a toy at the dog park or around the home. She learned long ago when she was a puppy that it was her duty to protect any ball that she claims, and she learned that the best way to do this is to snarl and nip at any dog that comes near. What are some ways I can deal with this behavior through positive reinforcement?
Please note, the dog is not aggressive towards people. She will gladly give her ball to any people that come and grab it. She also will drop the ball in front of random people, expecting them to throw it. This is only behaviour that is displayed towards other dogs. She is also not food possessive, this only occurs with balls and frisbees.
Right now, I deal with it by not letting her have balls or frisbees in the park. She generally won't pick up balls thrown for other dogs. But this is a dog park, and people throw balls. Sometimes people pick up a ball and throw it for her. I will usually talk to people about this when it occurs, letting them know she is not allowed to play with balls. She also will bring me tennis balls she finds and will lay them at my feet. I simply pocket these balls and toss them away when she is not looking. Telling her no when she is about to pick up a ball always works, but sometimes she will grab one when I am not looking.
So, in conclusion, I am looking for a positive way to help her become less aggressive when she finds balls. Keeping balls off limits works for now, but I'd like to work with her in the hopes that one day she can get past this.
Quincy has it. Use positive reinforcement to train your dog that wonderful things happen when she surrenders the object to another dog. And btw "leave it" is a hugely useful command for lots of things, not just letting other dogs play with toys. So I'd also suggest teaching "leave it" separately in many situations, with positive reinforcement for doing so.
posted by bearwife at 4:01 PM on June 27, 2012
posted by bearwife at 4:01 PM on June 27, 2012
I don't know if I would bother correcting this, as long as it's not a full-on attack (and, as you say, she's not biting people). Dogs can't say to each other, "hey, my owner bought this for me and I hardly know you and don't trust you enough to not run off with it" ....verbally. That's where the nipping and snarling comes in.
I mean, does it only happen at the park?
If she's doing it with "trusted" dogs (maybe a neighbor's dog) - if she growls over a toy to keep it away from the other dog, say "no" and take the ball - but don't pocket it - GIVE IT TO THE OTHER DOG.
This will show her you trust the other dog, and she can too.
...I guess you can try that at the dog park, too. I just suppose *I* wouldn't bother with strange dogs.... XD
posted by Lt. Bunny Wigglesworth at 4:01 PM on June 27, 2012
I mean, does it only happen at the park?
If she's doing it with "trusted" dogs (maybe a neighbor's dog) - if she growls over a toy to keep it away from the other dog, say "no" and take the ball - but don't pocket it - GIVE IT TO THE OTHER DOG.
This will show her you trust the other dog, and she can too.
...I guess you can try that at the dog park, too. I just suppose *I* wouldn't bother with strange dogs.... XD
posted by Lt. Bunny Wigglesworth at 4:01 PM on June 27, 2012
This is a difficult behavior to train out,especially between dogs who may have never met before, and a major reason many dogs parks don't allow toys, balls or treats. It's worth considering leaving the toys at home and playing with them there. Or find the times the dog park is empty and play then.
posted by vers at 5:57 PM on June 27, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by vers at 5:57 PM on June 27, 2012 [1 favorite]
This is called prey-possession or possession aggression. If I were in this situation I would try to use extinction. It would be difficult to treat the dog when he is acting the way you want to in this situation, though I would certainly try to treat when the dog gave up the ball to another dog, or be encouraging in a high happy voice.
The key to this is to reinforce the idea that fun is over when possessive behavior happens. So the dog starts exhibiting prey possession behavior--you will have to take the ball/toy/thing away with little fanfare, clip him to his leash, and ignore him for a few minutes.
Don't call the dog to you to take the ball away. He will stop coming because he will learn that fun ends when you call him, not when he acts possessively. The easiest way to do this, I think, is to work with just one or two other dogs and then extend the behavior to the park. Dogs often think situationally, so their first response is to assume that possession is not ok in the training area, but ok everywhere else.
posted by xyzzy at 10:51 PM on June 27, 2012
The key to this is to reinforce the idea that fun is over when possessive behavior happens. So the dog starts exhibiting prey possession behavior--you will have to take the ball/toy/thing away with little fanfare, clip him to his leash, and ignore him for a few minutes.
Don't call the dog to you to take the ball away. He will stop coming because he will learn that fun ends when you call him, not when he acts possessively. The easiest way to do this, I think, is to work with just one or two other dogs and then extend the behavior to the park. Dogs often think situationally, so their first response is to assume that possession is not ok in the training area, but ok everywhere else.
posted by xyzzy at 10:51 PM on June 27, 2012
This might be a good place to use clicker training. A dog park would be a hard place to treat the dog as needed but a click from the clicker when your dog is doing the behaviour marking that that is what you want the dog to do and a treat is pending, would probably work. You might have to start with small changes, like she lets a dog near her when she has a toy and then as she learns she gets rewarded you can slowly extend it out to, she lets a strange dog smell the toy etc.
The trick is to get the click in before the behaviour turns to aggression. The added advantage is that the click can help distract the dog from aggression as it associates the click with a treat and may well come to you for the treat or look at you at least and it might help to derail the aggression before it starts.
I'd use really high value treats to start with as you have a lot of stimulus at a dog park to compete with, on the same note you'll probably need a loud clicker too. There are lots of good sites and youtube videos on clicker training as well as books.
posted by wwax at 7:19 AM on June 28, 2012
The trick is to get the click in before the behaviour turns to aggression. The added advantage is that the click can help distract the dog from aggression as it associates the click with a treat and may well come to you for the treat or look at you at least and it might help to derail the aggression before it starts.
I'd use really high value treats to start with as you have a lot of stimulus at a dog park to compete with, on the same note you'll probably need a loud clicker too. There are lots of good sites and youtube videos on clicker training as well as books.
posted by wwax at 7:19 AM on June 28, 2012
Dog parks are not for all dogs, I think your dog is one of them (I hate dog parks, personally, I think they are extremely dangerous - properly-supervised play groups are fine, dog parks are not).
You can trade her for the toys when you want them (trade for a treat or another toy), but it is so unlikely that you will be able to usefully stop this behavior with other dogs that personally, it would not be a battle I would choose to have with my dog. Either take her to a dog park with a no toys rule, or just set up play dates with dogs she likes where you can have a no toys rule. This is a potentially dangerous situation, and I think simply avoiding it is the best option.
posted by biscotti at 7:46 AM on June 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
You can trade her for the toys when you want them (trade for a treat or another toy), but it is so unlikely that you will be able to usefully stop this behavior with other dogs that personally, it would not be a battle I would choose to have with my dog. Either take her to a dog park with a no toys rule, or just set up play dates with dogs she likes where you can have a no toys rule. This is a potentially dangerous situation, and I think simply avoiding it is the best option.
posted by biscotti at 7:46 AM on June 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
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What I would recommend is working with another dog in a safe, leashed environment. Particularly you may want to see if you have a friend whose dog isn't interested in balls or toys and is calm. What you can do from there is present the toy/ball to your dog while the other dog is present. To set them up for success you'll want to start with them far away from each other, and click or praise and treat your dog for calm, relaxed behavior. Then slowly decrease the distance between the dogs, until you can have your dogs calmly playing with the toy in the presence of the other dog. This will help your dog associate positive things with having other dogs around while they have a toy, and if you stick with it regularly should help reduce that pesky guarding behavior.
posted by Quincy at 2:27 PM on June 27, 2012 [3 favorites]