Our month old cockerspanie puppy is very agressive when he has a bone, how do I put a stop to this behaviour?

I love our cockerspaniel puppy "charlie" to bits and I want to keep his teeth and gums healthy and clean so i give him raw bones, but once its in his posession you just cant go near him for hours its like he has a split personality. He wont let anyone near him, in fear that we will take his bone, even once he has come inside and the bone is out side he stil show aggressive behaviour when approached. Charlie is normally so friendly and cuddly.





Raw bones are banned in our house for now, as that seems to triggetr the aggressive behaviour, I have found that puppy pedigree denta bones work well as they clean the teeth but he doesn't get aggressive towards us.





I am very concerned about this behaviour and I want to know why he would have acted like this and how I can prevent it in future. Please help.

Our month old cockerspanie puppy is very agressive when he has a bone, how do I put a stop to this behaviour?
Hi there. Bones, especially raw ones, are considered "high value" to a dog. They are an extra special treat that Charlie only gets every now and again -- they look good, taste good, and Charlie sees absolutely NO reason why he should give his fantastic prize up for you. After all, how would you feel if you were eating your favorite bar of chocolate and someone snatched it away with no warning or compromise? you wouldn't be happy, would you? well, Charlie is doing the same.





The best way to combat possessiveness is the show the dog that you are no threat to his food. I like to compromise and here is how...





"What you got there, Charlie? you got a tasty bone? good dog. Lookie, want a piece of ham? this also tastes good."





*Charlie drops bone*





*You pick up bone, give the dog a treat, and give the bone straight back*...dog learns that by dropping the bone, the bone is not going to magically disappear, and the hand that can take it away is also the provider of tasty treats.





Hand feeding him can also help him associate you being no threat to his food.





Best of luck!
Reply:Just let him get on enjoying his bone , if you have another do or dog visitor make sure they have a bone too , your doggie sounds delightful springers always are indulge him why would anyone want to take it your probably having a good meat dish for dinner anyway arent you ?
Reply:You need to teach him who's the real boss. When they are little, it's the most important time in training. When he acts aggressive, hold him down to the floor, by his neck. Like what a mother dog would do to teach her child manners. Do not let him 'up' until he stops fighting you. That's his way of 'giving up' and letting you have dominination over him. You don't need to hurt him, just bruise his ego by holding him down when he does something you don't like. A stern "NO" while holding him, also helps get the message across.
Reply:We have four Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and they love Denta sticks too. They also get given hide chews. All of them would be given the chew and have it taken off them. They would then get the chew given back.





Whilst this seems mean, it does teach the dog respect. If any of them start to growl over a chew, the chew is taken off them and they get growled at by us.





Try this with the Denta sticks and then build up to the bones.
Reply:What you need to do is get some training discs. They act as aversive stimuli without causing any harm to the dog.


put a piece of food on the floor e.g. cheese, and when he goes for it throw the discs at the floor next to him (not AT him!!) he will quickly jump backwards... if he doesnt get the point after one trial do it until he does. eventually when the cheese is on the floor he wont go for it.





Then try putting the bone on the floor (dont give any of these things to him and then chuck the discs as thats a confusing message) and see if he goes for it. it should generalise but he may need a few repetitions of the disc throwing. that will give him the message that you're giving him this food and that it isnt just his possession to do with as he pleases. then GIVE him the bone dont let him take it. This should give him the message that this is your food that you're sharing with him. Try taking it off him after a few minutes and pretending to knaw on it... will reinforce the message, as will hand feeding him occasionally.





In the wild the older dogs give this message by putting a bone near the pup, then growling when they go for it to show that it is theirs. the discs cost about £4 from petsathome but keys work too!



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