Having been saying how absolutely wonderful our 14 week old cocker puppy is we had a bit of a tricky one this afternoon.

We were at my parents house and i had given Oscar a pigs ear to keep him amused.

He had shown some guarding tendencies with this particular treat at home and had really growled at me when i went near him with it so i had been offering him some ham while he was chewing on it.

As i went to offer him the ham today he went for my hand, i told him off and removed the ear from him and as i was taking it to the bin my 2 year old went over to him. I told her to come away but she is 2 and ignored me and before i could get to her he bit her.

This was not a warning nip but a proper bite.

I told him off and put him in the lobbly for a few minutes and he was fine when he came back.

He does not display this behaviour with his dinner and the children can approach him without a problem during mealtimes it is just the pigs ears.

Obviously i wont be giving him a pigs ear when the children are about in future but should i be worried by this outburst.

Pigs ears are like bones to dogs,they become very possessive and aggressive if you go near them.Your pup is still very young and should learn if you guide it right.My dog used to snap if I went to touch his pig ears/bones or other dog treats,now he growls rather aggresssively but wont bite me if i take it.
I wouldnt worry about it too much,just let him/her know biting is wrong and the pup should learn.

My pup did this to me,i took it away pretended to eat it myself in front of her and gave it back,i repeated this a few times and in the end i could take it without any growling or problems,this behaviour needs to be nipped in the bud early

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(formally clare7577)

At Lilys puppy school they taught us a technique cos apparently it is quite common for any pup to become possessive of something ie a favourite toy, king, food etc.

This is what you need to do.

Make sure the kids are somewhere safe ...

Give the pup the pigs ear....stand by the pup and offer the pup another treat.

The pup should stop what they are doing and look for their treat. Whilst u have the pups attention take the pigs ear and say MINE. GIve the pup the treat and praise. When pup has finished treat give back pigs ear. Keep repeating this several times a day.

Thanks, don't want to over react but he really bit her and that's very out of character.

At home I had been taking it from him and dropping a piece of kibble in front of him then giving the ear back and thought he had improved.

Maybe its because we were away from home and he felt apprehensive anyway (still no excuse).

I think I would refrain from giving the pup such treats for the time being. you need to establish being is charge of the treats giving and taking when you feel fit and with a toddler about I would refrain from this type of treat until confident that your dog accepts this

One thing I have done from an early age with my dogs - not recommending you try it now but may be useful to others - I may get shot down for being stupid!!!!

From the day my youngest came home I put my hands into her food bowl whilst she were feeding, taking out what I wanted!!!! She is now 14 month old and I can take anything out of her bowl or her mouth, not saying this is the right way but it's something I have always done from an early age.
DT

i do that with Lily to. But mainly to stop her wolfing her food down. I put my hand in her bowl whilst she eats her din dins.

he might have felt a bit more insecure because he wasnt in his own home although this is no excuse, he needs to learn now that you or anybody else can take anything away from him including your daughter.
he is the bottom of the pack,
i think you need to spend some time with him without your daughter being around and give him the pigs ear or whatever else he can be posessive about including any toys and every few mins keep taking whatever it is from him and then offer it back to him,
somebody i know had this problem and never tried to sort it and now cant take anything from their dog without it going for them so it now spends most of its time in an out-door kennel so is no longer a family pet,
hope this helps, please keep us informed, ju xx

Totally agree here,i have done this also.

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(formally clare7577)

Yes intend to knock them on the head for a bit and see how he goes.


I have done the opposite with Oscar and added food to his bowl while he was eating, have made the children do this too and he is bomb proof with his dinner, no guarding at all. Just the damn pigs ears. What a shame he does love them but my toddler is rather attached to her fingers too.