Snapping when disciplining-help!

[Worry Wart]

My boxer (Bosco) has been snapping back at me when I punish him for behavior that is unacceptable, like getting into the trash or something similiar. I was hitting him on the butt, but then I decided to hold him down by the neck so that he knows I am the dominant one, but it still does it. Also I know that if he really wanted to he could get me, and he never shows any other aggresion like that any other time. So I throwing the question out there to see what else I can do to show Bosco that is bad as well as the other behavior that he is doing. Any suggestions????

Thanks,
Katie

 

[boxer]

Well, I'm not in the least bit surprised - except possibly that you haven't yet been badly bitten. Keep that sort of treatment up though, and it will happen. Aggression begets aggression. So far you have a good natured dog that only snaps back when you're hurting him. Eventually though, you'll end up with a dog that snaps at you first.

I'm not sure why you'd want to dominate your dog, or for that matter, why you would imagine for a moment that it would stop him getting into the trash. Dogs respond to leadership and training, not to aggressive dominance that has nothing whatever to do with teaching the dog what behaviour you want from him. If you want to teach him how to behave, you need to reward those behaviours you want him to repeat not just bully him. Since dogs don't have Einstein IQ's and training takes time, it'd be worth putting the trash where he can't get to it too.

 

[Bers]

Here's your dog talking to a human behaviorist:

"I have this owner, she's really a good person 99% of the time, but she's possessive over the trash, and gets aggressive if I try to get any of it for me. She hits me on the butt and now she's started holding me down by my neck. I love her very much but I'm afraid she's going to hurt somebody one of these days. What should I do? I don't want to bite her, but I've been snapping at her to let her know her behavior is wrong and she seems to be getting worse."

Your dog doesn't know that getting in the trash is wrong. It's normal, instinctive behavior for a dog to be opportunistic about finding food. In fact, it's an absolutely vital instinct for wolves and wild dogs, and so cannot be bred out of the domestic dog very easily. A dog can be trained to stay out of the trash, although personally I will never trust my dog around an uncovered trash can. It's too much of a temptation for him, and I've got bigger fish to fry in the training area.

So stop punishing your dog by hitting him and holding him down, it doesn't tell him anything about you except that your behavior is unpredictable and dangerous at times and that he may need to protect himself. That's all he's doing by snapping at you, he feels you are threatening him and he MUST defend himself (another survival instinct not easily overcome). Get some good books on training and aggression, you can find them in the Books forum on this site, and start working on rebuilding a trusting relationship with your dog. And cover the trash can!!!

 

[apollosdad]

i have a few concerns about the thread you posted:

why would you think that your dog is "purposely" disobeying you?
dogs do not think in this manner. they are not doing things to get back at you.

why would you be "punishing" your dog when you are "trying to correct" an unwanted behavior?
that statement in itself leads to me believe that you have not been informed of the proper training techniques to positively train your dog. in positive training there are is no need to "punish" as you put it. perhaps you should enroll the two of you in a basic obedience class so that you can be better trained.

why would you hit your dog or hold him down?
this is not teaching your dog anything positive. it is only deterring him from wanting to learn from you. it is causing him to have negative associations with your training.

STOP what you've been doing and either enroll in a good obedience class and follow what the instructor tells you to do, or pick up a good book on training, read it, and follow the tips.

 

[ToMuchFun: )]

I agree with the above. Can you put the trash in another room with the door closed? That's what we do with ours, there are to many dangerous things in the trash that they can get into. Dogs are like 2-year olds you can't just expect them to know to stay out of it, you have to be the one to keep it out of his reach. I don't know how old Bosco is but, we have used a can with pennys in it to stop undesirable behavior, it works pretty well. When you shake it they hate that noise and stop what they're doing.

 

[Worry Wart]

Give me a break

Sometimes the people on here are very, very, very, snooty!!! I can go days and days without hitting him. You all make it seem like I am beating my dog and please do not tell me that you have never hit your dog when he has done something bad!!!!!!! I have taken Bosco to training and he was in the top of his class! I live in an apartment and I just can't keep the trash out of his reach all the time, there is a lid on the trash in the kitchen, and I don't think that I should have trash cans all over the counters!!!! I have already taught him to stay out of other things, so why can't I teach him to stay out of the trash?? I just thought that there were other ways that I could train him not to get into the trash, and disipline him when he does something wrong. So could you people on this get off your high horse and just help people when they ask for it or don't say anything at all!!!!!!!!

 

[boxer]

Sometimes the people on here are very, very, very, snooty!!!

No, the people on here just think that you are very, very, very wrong. Worse than that, we think you're treating your dog in a way that is dangerous and is going to result in you or someone else being bitten.

I can go days and days without hitting him. You all make it seem like I am beating my dog...

You *are* beating your dog. Frequency doesn't define violence.

So could you people on this get off your high horse and just help people when they ask for it or don't say anything at all!!!!!!!!

You want advice, but only the advice you want to hear? Well, sorry but the advice you want to hear isn't going to solve your problem, it's going to end in YOU creating an aggressive dog that does more than just give you a warning snap when you're hitting him. On a public forum you don't get to chose what advice people give you when you present a problem - you get the advice that they think will solve the problem. And the advice you're getting is to stop hitting your dog.

 

[ToMuchFun: )]

I don't think people are trying to be snooty!! You asked....and everyone is trying to help you. You just don't like the advice, like Debbie said. Where did the reference come from to put your trash on the counter?? I know that I asked if there was another room you could put it in.

 

[ladyluck_t]

I think the problem here may be with "schools of thought"
I had an aggressive foster dog recently and have done LOADS of research on how to be the "alpha" in the pack. I did notice though that there seemed to be a shift in the last 20 yrs as to what "being the dominate one" entails. I think the methods you described were once used as the appropriate training method for alpha, at one time. Currently, i think the research into "alphas" and "pack mentalities" has shown alot of improvement in the last 20 yrs. I read the books recommended by Tulsa-Dan (The dog listener by jan fennell and Culture clash by Jean Donaldson) And in Jeans book she even mentions the problems in past training methods with "alpha and pack mentality" Now i found the training methods in Jans book to be very helpful in adjusting my household into the correct pack order and saw SIGNIFICANT results with both my foster and my own girl. And Jean's book helped with the training and communication methods i used with both dogs. Also, i think "Bers" comments here may be more of the truth than you think. It follows along with what both Jean and Jan say, both books explain how to correct this behavior. Finally, i found that the training methods and lifestyle changes expressed in both books to be very easy to implement and use on a daily basis. My life with all my fosters and my girl have been greatly improved. Good Luck!

 

[Wooof Wooof]

You said you live in a appartment. With you and your dog is a small space try watching him for the next day or two. When your dog goes to sniff at the trash make a loud noise, I don't mean scram, just rase your voice like you would when speeking to someone in differnt room, and just say Akkkkkkk or NOOOOOOO don't be aggresive with it just get his attiton. He will just look at you and for get about the trash for that moment when he goes to do it again do the same thing. Boxers are very smart and they have incredable noes. Your boxer will put 2 and 2 together and he will finaly get 4. Meaning he'll get the ieda that you don't want him doing that. After he will leve the trash alown.

Oh you may want to go to a PetsMart they sell a spray that smells bad to dogs. I cant remember what it is called but you just spray the trash can and your dog shouldn't get into it because it smells bad. This worked for a dog we had a cupple of years ago we never had to use it with our boxer though the Akkkkkkk would work with her. I hop this help you!