I don't disagree with what has been said, and I too do not tolerate snarling and any attempt at biting the hand that feeds them, but I do believe there are certain instances where I would simply avoid such a confrontation, and the protection of their very special treats is one of them. I don't have any trouble with aggression, but something like a knuckle bone can take them back to another time, another place in their instinctive behavior. I've seen it happen with even the most docile dog. When it comes to taking away such a treat, I would distract them with a dog cookie. Once I get them a good distance from the bone, they seem to come back to their senses. In other words I would rather avoid these types of confrontations than use them to prove my status.

Ktreva and Barbiro, I am glad to know that someone else believes in the philosophy of "time out in the crate". It was the one thing that worked in my difficulties in raising Hannah. I discovered it quite by accident as one day I was so upset and angry with her, I knew I was at a breaking point and I just put her in there for her own protection so to speak. As I get over being angry fairly quickly, she didn't stay in there long, maybe 20 minutes to a half hour, but it seemed to "get through to her" where other things I had tried had not. She is not in any way afraid of her crate because of it. She seems to understand the meaning and purpose of a time out (probably by my demeanor) as opposed to going in her crate for any other reason. Now I use a time out very, very rarely and never use it with Tucker who came to me with severe panic at being crated.

[ December 02, 2001: Message edited by: RachelJ ]