I was just reading earlier today that nearly all pet behavioural problems are caused by some combination of the owners's ignorance (lack of knowledge about the animal's needs or basic nature, an inability to read body language or a misunderstanding of appropriate training methods) and poor nutrition.
I would suggest that the puppy be enrolled in an obedience class as soon as possible (preferably a motivational one) to help the puppy establish that her owner is alpha. Diet should also be looked at as it may be something as simple as food allergy that is making her aggressive. Is the pet owner reading the body language correctly i.e. is it fear or dominance aggression? Perhaps something happened in the Terrier home that made her feel threatened. What is the body language of the new owner when she is taking the toy from the puppy? Is she inadvertently bending over the puppy in a threatening manner? I like the sound of Terrie's game. It's very upbeat and non threatening. If an obedience class is not immediately available, try the 30 minute down. This is an excellent way to establish who is the boss. It can easily be done while watching TV or reading. Sit in a chair or on the floor. Put the puppy on leash in a down position. If you sit on the floor, you can put the leash under your knee to hold the puppy in place. If the puppy tries to get up, gently push the puppy back into the down position without saying anything. Do this as many times as is necessary until the puppy stays down. At the end of the 30 minutes, release the puppy and big, big, praise. If she does this once a day for a week, her position will be established as alpha. Good Luck. Jean K. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Terrie & Disney" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, May 10, 2002 7:27 PM Subject: Re: [CKCS-L] Training to stop aggression > Why not speak to her in her own language? If she growls, firmly grasp the scruff > of her neck (without lifting her or hurting her) look her in the eye and growl > back. That's what her mother would've done and the message would be clear. I think > I read that in "Mother Knows Best." As for training, this has worked for my > Goldens, an incredibly oral breed that will stick anything in their mouth and > initiate a chase game woo wooing the whole way LOL...try play/training a give and > drop game with a toy or chewie. Give the puppy the chewie, wait 2 seconds and take > it back out of her mouth by grasping the top of her muzzle and gently opening her > jaws with your fingers. While taking the chewie out say, "Drop" in a normal tone > and as soon as it is out say "Yaaay!" in a high voice and give it right back to > her. Keep playing the game for a few minutes and do it several times a day and > with different toys. I guess it worth a shot. > > Terrie:) > > ========================================================= > "Magic Commands": > to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL > to start it up gain click here: > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL > > E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. > Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html > > All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author. > ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author.
