Need advice on Sequoia

We have had our husky girl for about 3 years now and she has ALWAYS been the sweetest natured dog. Especially when taking treats. We have even felt comfortable in allowing friends children to hand her a treat because she has always been so gentle and ladylike.

Just now we came home from the store with some chicken jerky treats. She is on the porch which is elevated and things drop through the floor of it. I took her some of the jerky treats and gave her the first one. She chewed it and some of it dropped where she can't get to it under the porch. So I took the other one to the end of the porch to give it to her there.

I handed her the whole treat and she retreated back onto the porch where she can lose it again by just a step or two. When she crunched it half fell onto the porch and I reached for it to pick it up and she darted forward and snatched it in a very aggressive manner. I was so shocked!!! :eek: :eek: This is NOT our girl! I was also very annoyed with her but didn't really know how to respond. I said her name in a very annoyed shocked voice and told her how unhappy I was with her. Her whole response was to go into play bow. :rolleyes:

I was just curious as to how you all would deal with this. I want to nip this behavoir in the bud. I think we have been much too permissive with her and spoiled her rotten. I just don't ever want her getting grabby with food for any reason. I should be able to take that food right out of her mouth if need be. We certainly haven't ever deprived her and since we have now had her longer than she was in her abusive home and this is the first time we have seen this I don't think we can blame it on her past.

Perhaps we are just going to have to start being stricter with her.

Denyce

Have you ever tried to take food from her before? If you have without any problems, I wouldn't worry too much. Maybe she's just grumpy today! Dogs have bad days too.

If you haven't or this is a regular occurance, this is what I would do. Hand feed her everything for a few days..works better if you feed kibble! Feed a few pieces at a time from a cupped hand--like you would offer sugar cubes to a horse. Keep your hand closed if she seems grabby. Open it and let her take the food when she's being good.

I also do trades with my dogs. If I want to take something from them, I offer them something else. That way they learn that it's not a bad thing to let me have stuff. Eventually I give them back their treasure, if it was something safe for them that they are allowed to have. This works well not only for food, but for getting them to give up something that could hurt them or your favorite shoe!

Make Sequoia work for her treats. She doesn't have to run the I-rod to earn a jerky treat, but she needs to put her little butt on the ground, or lay down, or do a trick. Whatever, she just needs to follow a command! It's part of a nothing in life is free training program and it works!

Good luck!

I've noticed that some treats seem to get a more aggressive response than others. Sequoia may view these as pretty special.

My experience: Sherman is very gentle, but if he really really likes something, he can get nippy, but I dont think it's aggressive, just enthusiastic. He never growls or snaps or shows aggressive behavior.

Star on the other hand can get downright evil about anything that squeeks. When she starts getting possesive/aggressive (IE- snarling or growling at ME), I have to be dominant right back. What works for me is to grab her collar & lift her slightly away from the object so I can kick it out of her reach & pick it up myself. She doesn't get it back until she settles down and follows a few commands. (Sit, shake, now down). I play with it in front of her before giving it back, too. I only had to do this a couple times before she dropped the aggression bit entirely. I occasionally take favorite things away from her just so she stays clear on who's in charge of "things". (However, I don't give them to another dog, she woud turn her aggression on them.) Some huskies can get pretty pushy. :rolleyes:

I also trade them treats for things they have that I need to look at. that works well. And, they always have to sit before they get anything.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cyber-sibes

I've noticed that some treats seem to get a more aggressive response than others. Sequoia may view these as pretty special.

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OR she may hvae been a bit hungry?

Maggie is my one who gets nippy with treats sometimes. So I go back
to saying "easy" before I give it to her & she remembers to take it from my
hand without getting my fingers. If I just stop & say clearly"easy" before
I give the treat, she slows down enough to take it nicely.

I've never taken food from her (no reason) but I can take any chew treat
anytime, usually by trading for something else.

We have always been able to take ANYTHING away from her before. She has never had a problem with toys or bones or other treats. That is one of the reasons why I never thought there would be a problem. This was a treat that she hasn't had often so perhaps she does view them as something more special. It was a dried piece of chicken tender. She knew she had done badly because after I posted on here, Brian went out to have a talk with her and took one of the tenders with him. He made her sit and stay and then handed her the treat to see what she would do. She wouldn't even close her mouth on the treat until he said ok.

I think there might be two issues here. One is she and I are always in a bit of competition for dominance. And it is funny because I am the one that demands more obeidence from her than my husband does. But I am the one that she challenges more often. I am the one that makes her do flippy nose. I look her straight in the eye and won't let her have her treat until I day ok. It just has to sit on the end of her nose. Then she sometimes flips it and sometimes doesn't but she always gets HUGE praise from me. I am the one that makes sure I go through the door first. I am the one that insists on her wearing the seatbelt and walking like a lady beside me. My hubby lets her get away with all sorts misbehavior and she respects him more. I guess it is a male female thing.

The other is the special treat thing. So I guess from now on I will give her those special treats only when she has done something to earn them.

We had company over tonight who just love to spoil her rotten. But we wouldn't let them just feed her. She had to work for it. *L*

Thanks so much for your advice. I was sooo shocked by her I just couldn't believe it.