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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on March 17, 2009 at 9:27am

Freya needs to have her own safe and peaceful place for her treats, dogs can get food possessive and the safe and fair way is to feed and treat them in the crate, protect her, let her know that she has a refuge. By taking away the treats for the both of them does not solve the problem. when Freya is having "her time", keep Cloud away, treat them both equally. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by MagnoliaFly on March 17, 2009 at 9:52am

This is classic resource guarding. Taking things away from her when she begins growling or biting is making it worse (because she sees it as "Oh! I was right they WERE going to take that stuff away from me! I need to growl more and bite harder next time"). Stop doing it. If you need to take something away from her trade her for it. Get another treat or something else and exchange it.

You need to get and read the book Mine! - A guide to Resource Guarding by Jean Donaldson.

Using domination techniques and force will not ever solve the problem and will make it worse. The book I've linked above explains how the behavior starts, why it is there and how to fix it in a step by step manner. It is invaluable and I recommend it to many of my clients that complain of resource guarding behaviors.

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Permalink Reply by Ollie and Dinah on March 17, 2009 at 1:31pm

Our puppy school gave us a great solution for this. Whenever you get the chance, be ready with a bunch of small treats and grab Freya by the collar and say,"Gotcha!" and give her a treat. Get back up, and do it again. Do it about 10 times per session, and Freya should forget about having her collar being grabbed, and be concentrating on the possibility of getting food.

They describe this as "Putting money in the bank", meaning that by rewarding the puppy for cooperating with a collar grab, when you need to "Make a withdrawl" (grabbing the collar for disciplinary purposes) Freya should not freak out. It worked for Ollie! They say that it's good to say "Gotcha!" or whatever word to decide on whenever you need to grab ther collar.

They also said to me (because I'm a new Corgi owner too, in seemingly constant need of wisdom!) that being able to grab the dog's collar is important, as one day you may encounter a dangerous situation (possibly with an aggressive dog) where you'll need to remove your dog from the situation as fast as possible. If your dog is resisting the collar grab, it could put his/her life at risk.

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Permalink Reply by Corgibyassociation on March 17, 2009 at 2:09pm

I didn't think about that...I need to work on her collar. She only freaks out sometime and I think most of it involves her crate but I could be wrong. I need to pay more attention to it if it happens again.

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Permalink Reply by Sam on March 17, 2009 at 1:42pm

I agree with what Sam and Magnolia have said. I would also be weary of how your b/f is acting towards her when you aren't home. I don't know why he would take the treat away from her instead of taking the other dog away so that she could enjoy the treat. That just reminds me of the whole class being punished for the one bully acting up in elementry school.

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Permalink Reply by Corgibyassociation on March 17, 2009 at 2:08pm

I'm honestly worried that he's Alpha rolling her. I've seen him do it with his dog. I've already learned my lesson as well as researched the whole Alpha roll deal so I understand that it is a faulty technique--and quite honestly something totally against the grain for me anyway.

Since I stopped doing it, she'll readily show me her tummy and let me give her raspberries and rubs. I guess I'll have to talk to him about it.

I just don't know what to tell him about the whole dominance thing. He's a stubborn man at times.

But is she wrong for barking at Cloud if he's just in the room minding his business? Who would I take out then? Would that be the time for the blanket?

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on March 17, 2009 at 2:52pm

It is important to have a united front when it comes to doggies, sit down with your bf and go through the list, to make sure that you two are on the same page. This will help reinforce the rules in the house, what is appropriate and what isn't.

Because of what happened in the past, Freya barks to give a "don't you dare" to cloud, it is normal, however, it can escalate to an undesirable stage, so try and nip it in the butt before it starts, preventing things from triggering the event. you will pick up the gesture and the look, as soon as you see what's coming, stop it, remove it, practice and make it a habit, eventually it'll become a part of life.

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Permalink Reply by Ross on March 17, 2009 at 5:41pm

Well the fact your dog is still acting up is a clear sign that his "dominant" behavior isn't doing any bit of good. It shouldn't take much explaining beyond that.

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Permalink Reply by Sam on March 17, 2009 at 6:15pm

I have to say I see some great difficulty in your future if there are not some big changes made. I see many issues that could become a great problem in the near future if you dont change some things. First I do believe your pup has an issue with handling intolerance. Randomly grabbing her or her collar will do little but make things worse. You should be handling her but in a far more gentle fashion. Many corgis will react to being grabbed. Many corgis do not like being pulled by their collar. I have to say I see little reason in ones life to have to do that unless they are learning to walk on lead. Instead of pulling and grabbing I suggest you schedule a time or two daily to pet her gentle massaging her and speaking kindly to her. Most dogs will quickly relax and allow you to touch them everywhere. I also use this technique when I have a dog at the vet. Has not failed me yet.
As for treat time why does the weim pup have access to her? No only is she possessing her chew (most dogs do this) but she is also in a position where she can not remove herself from the other dog. Perhaps you would do better to give them both treats in their crates or somehow arrange that he does not have access to her when she has a treat. Allowing them to fight over treats will make matters worse.....much worse.
As to the treatment of this pup by the BF I must say if he is doing as you suspect this could forever ruin the trust your pup has in people. It appears that this pup does not have a safe place in any part of her life. I see many things that will make her insecure, fearful and possibly aggressive should things not change in a hurry. Do remember this weim is going to gain size quickly and very soon the fights will become dangerous. You can also bet that your BF will like your corgi less and less as this occurs. I hope you are able to make the necessary changes to have a harmonious living situation. May I also suggest that you find a training facility in your area. Having one on one bonding time with your pup will help you greatly.

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Permalink Reply by MagnoliaFly on March 18, 2009 at 3:30pm

I totally agree with Sam. Especially with the last paragraph. More harm is done because owners do not agree with the way the pup should be trained and treated and who loses in the end - the dog.

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Permalink Reply by Corgibyassociation on April 3, 2009 at 9:12am

Update: I've been working on both dogs about possessing treats or toys. I usually lock the Weim outside with a treat and keep Freya in the house. Sometimes, I will just bring a treat into the bathroom while I'm taking a bath and Freya almost always follows me in there.

Things have been getting better. When the weather is good (and the whole trail isn't flooded), we hike with both dogs. I'm steadily working on both dogs with the pack walk individually. Eventually, I'll be pack walking with both of them right in front of our house (which gives us about 12 feet to work with on the roadway.) Being that we live in a really bad neighborhood, my boyfriend isn't comfortable with me going any farther than that without him or at least a gun (we have our weapons permit to carry concealed.)

I've also been feeding them separately (well, where they can't see each other.) I put Cloud in the hallway or kitchen, and Freya happily hopes in her crate to eat her meals. We've been talking about the spray bottle technique for every time she growls even though Cloud is just in the entry way--not sure if that is a good idea. Thoughts on the spray bottle? It would be used on both dogs or whoever instigates.

I've also been working on the pack order (which maybe crap but it worked for some and the trainer I know told me as much.) I always feed us first, then Cloud and then Freya. I also eat a little bit of the yogurt or pb that I'm stuffing in their kongs because they are watching me. I'll stick the raw hide in my mouth and make show of enjoying it before I give it to Freya. Both dogs are on the NILF program and are not getting anything unless they perform (in this case sit and wait.)

I still need to get the books that everyone recommended or at least stop by the bookstore and hang out there to read.

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