Aggression when try to remove something from mouth

[JenniferDyson]

We have a 1 year old cavapoo, Van, who is generally a lovable little lap dog. However, when he gets hold of something he shouldn't have he turns into a vicious attack dog. He is never possessive over his food or toys. We also have a 3 year old mini goldendoodle and they are great together. But let Van get his jaws on something he shouldn't have and you wouldn't know it's the same dog! Here's a couple of examples:

• while putting up Christmas a pine cone fell on the floor and before anyone noticed, he grabbed it and ran. Van took it to a rug where he proceeded to shred it. When my husband tried to take it away from him, Van began growling and snapping, eventually jumping up and biting my husband.
• a supplement pills rolled off the counter and Van grabbed it before we even saw it was gone. When I tried to remove it from his mouth he repeatedly bit at me, barking and growling. I couldn't remove the supplement. Fortunately it was nothing harmful to dogs but what would we do if it were? He gets absolutely vicious when you try to take something away from him like that and that could cause serious problems if it were toxic. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there!

Welcome to the forums,

Glad to hear that he's not possessive over his food and toys, that helps make the issue more manageable, although we need to use great caution, because sometimes, possessive behavior over certain items, left untreated, may generalize to others (for example, it may carry over from a pill to food accidentally dropped from the table or new toys). 

I hope that  in both bite instances, Van's didn't cause any injuries, and that Van has demonstrated some good level of bite inhibition.

In cases like this, it's best to avoid any "hands-on approaches" like chasing the dog around, getting upset and manually extracting something from the dog's mouth and instead training these two very important cues, that is the "leave it and drop it."

In the meanwhile, extra care will be needed in managing the dog's environment preventing access to anything that can be potentially harmful if ingested (like in the case of pills taking them in a bathroom with the door closed or while the dog is out with another person going potty). 

"Leave it" is needed when you are actually seeing your dog approach something that he shouldn't have. To start training this, you will need to practice with safe items that are low in value, and that you know don't evoke any possessive, resource guarding behaviors. Then, you gradually add more and more challenges. The fundamental rule is always rewarding with something that is higher in value than the item left so that your dog becomes more and more compliant because "great things always happen when I leave something and look up at mom."

Here is the guide on training "leave it": https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/

Here is a video demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwbbAeEZPaU

 

"Drop it" is needed instead when your dog is actually in possession of something and you likely missed telling him "leave it" on time. As with leave it, you will need to train this starting with items that are very low value from your dog's perspective and then gradually practice with things that are more and more valuable (yet safe to practice with). You will also need to use rewards that are higher in value than the item dropped. 

We can't practice this obviously with items that can pose a danger to our dogs, but we should practice enough to obtain a fluent, almost reflexive response that will carry over to those items because of such a strong and positive rehearsal history. With lots of practice, dogs will become more and mor compliant because 'when I drop something from my mouth, I always get something that is  far better!"

Here is the guide on training "drop it:" https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/

Here is a video demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUnItd7OEmw

 

Now, there is training involved here and time involved, so what to do in the meanwhile? You said "I couldn't remove the supplement. Fortunately it was nothing harmful to dogs but what would we do if it were?" That's a very good question. 

In such a case, we need to take a multi-tiered approach. 

Firstly, as mentioned, we would need to take extra care to prevent access to potentially harmful things as much as possible at least until we haven't obtained a fluent, knee-jerk response.  The goal is to obtain what's known as a positive conditioned emotional response where the dog enjoys dropping thing because of so many positive experiences. More about this here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/conditioned-emotional-response-cer/

As a secondary measure, we should always keep something very valuable to the dog always handy. Like some bully sticks (with some kept in a crinkly package) on a tall shelf. With dogs I am training, I keep always something handy on a shelf, but also in my pockets so I can access them immediately just in case.

The moment you notice your dog in possession of something, determine what it is and if it poses any imminent danger to your dog. If it's a pine cone, you know you don't have to be super alarmed, you may have a bit of time before he carries it around and decides to lie down and start breaking it apart. At that point, you can calmly walk towards the shelf, and get your dog's attention by opening that crinkly package with the bully stick.

Many dogs at this point, upon hearing the crinkly sound will voluntarily drop what they have and rush towards you, in anticipation of the treat. If not, they may look at you and watch what you are doing and will rush towards the bully stick once you have tossed it. For safety, toss it the opposite side of the room so that your dog is away from you and you have time to recuperate the pine cone or whatever object Van has taken. 

With dogs I don't know well, and who have a history of biting, I will add in an extra measure. I will toss the bully stick *past* a door, so that once the dog is past the door to get it, I can close it and go safely gather whatever the dog had. 

More about this is covered here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/overprotective-of-toys/

If it's something that is possibly dangerous for a dog to ingest, we can try the above approaches as well, but if it's something really life threatening we need to think quickly and evaluate risks to the dog and our safety. This often takes a judgement call and quick thinking. 

How dangerous is the item to the dog really? Our vet and websites such as Pet Poison Control/ASPCA poison control center can educate us on some essentials. Knowledge about these can help us in our decision making. 

How good is the dog's bite inhibition? How is the dog's owner's relationship? Are there trust issues?

Does the dog have any health issues? In dogs prone to pancreatitis ingestion of something fatty may cause severe digestive upset. 

There are many factors to consider. 

On a personal anecdote (this is not a training/behavior modification tip or recommendation)

I once faced a situation where I had to manually extract something from a possessive dog's mouth. Fortunately, we had done some exchange exercises prior, so he wasn't much defensive. But when I tried to open his mouth, he knew exactly what I was trying to do and his jaw was shut tight like an alligator, almost impossible to pry open. I luckily managed to open his mouth, right when I thought I heard a little vibration as the start of a growl, removed the item while simultaneously my other hand I held a stinky liver treat to his nose and placed it on his tongue to replace the extracted item. I felt this latter action sort of "buffered'" the potentially aversive experience of forcibly opening his mouth, and therefore felt little damage was done there. 

I then proceeded to continue working on strong responses to leave its and drops and then as a backup felt confident enough to work on teaching him a 'softer mouth" by removing low value items from his mouth and replacing them with higher value items. No more alligator mouth after that. However, I don't recommend working on the above exercises without the help of a professional considering the risk for bites.

I hope this helps, happy training!

Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques (no shock, prongs, or physical corrections) for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others.