# Puppy growling and snapping at us



## goldielynn (Sep 5, 2020)

I highly recommend hand feeding all meals. This not only communicates to your puppy that you own the food and that food comes from you (and not to guard it), but gives you the opportunity to do a training session (sit, down, stay, etc) 10-20 times per meal. This multiply by 3 meals allows your puppy to practice all the commands that you're trying to get him to do. We've been hand feeding our puppy since day 1 and he has no resource guarding issues (in fact, it's the opposite -- he'll share his food and treats with any dog, no problem). He also understands that he needs to work for every single meal. We still hand feed him to today. 

Sure it takes time, but it's totally worth it. I'm not sure if it will solve all your issues as you spoke pretty broadly of them, but I think it's a good start and something you can start implementing right away.


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## CCoopz (Jun 2, 2020)

Hi, great you posted and are seeking help.
Just to let you know the issues you mention have been covered many times on the forum. So try using the search function. As people have suggested training videos & books and described approaches they use. 
Can’t remember the name of it but there is an approach where the dog has to work/do obedience for everything they get. That’s an effective popular approach.
I took the essence of that and did it with our GR when we adopted him at 18 months. Still do it a bit to remind him whose in charge, me & my husband not him!


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Nothing In Life Is Free might be what you are thinking of 

I am not a fan of hand feeding -- it just seems risky to me if your pup is already showing signs of resource guarding. I do teach slow-hand delivery of treats which is another form of impulse control as is Zen bowl.. I personally would ramp up on Sit, Down, Wait etc training. They sit and wait before their crate door is opened to deliver their food, they sit and wait before they enter or exit any door, they down when you cannot really devote 100% of your attention on them but want them to have semi-free time. The ideal is they wait until released but until my pups learn that I am prepared to either cover their food bowl or remove it and start again --

Nothing In Life is Free has been successful for thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of owners. It does involve impulse control for a highly desired object (in this case a bowl of food) and your dog receives what he most wants at that moment by giving you that sit and holding that sit while you move that food to his feeding location - in my case, my dogs generally are crated when they eat - it works best in my multi dog household; but it could be your kitchen floor, a certain corner of a room etc.

Good luck


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

While not a perfect match for what you are describing, Fenzi Dog Sports Academy has an upcoming class (starting Jun 1) on managing reactive dogs that can help you learn some tools that will help.

And no, I am not affiliated with FDSA. I just feel they offer some very good classes online.


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## MintChip (Feb 26, 2021)

goldielynn said:


> I highly recommend hand feeding all meals. This not only communicates to your puppy that you own the food and that food comes from you (and not to guard it), but gives you the opportunity to do a training session (sit, down, stay, etc) 10-20 times per meal.



Agree with this. I inadvertently taught "Sit" via my 5 year old niece who taught the 9 week old puppy to sit (under my close watch of
course.)

5 year olds are fantastic with repetition! Lol. I also encouraged the hand feeding-so he learns to trust.

OP-Obviously since your puppy is snapping-I wouldn't advise it being trained by a child -
but reps work.


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## photoweborama (Dec 6, 2007)

Golden Retrievers are con artiest. Take his food away several time during feeding time. He’ll get the point. 

Even into adulthood they will try conning you from time to time.

My new 7 year old has been trying to con me into thinking her hind legs don’t work. Then I have to pick her up. This weekend in the motel, she jumped on the beds. I know her legs work! My girlfriend is a sucker and keeps picking her up cuz she’s so cute...


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## photoweborama (Dec 6, 2007)

And remember, they are dogs... YOU are the alpha.. you have to teach them their place. And you need to be firm.


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## Howler (Feb 4, 2021)

Liv84 said:


> 1.5 weeks ago, our 12-week old puppy began to guard his food (special treats only), by now this escalated to growling and snapping at us a few times a day whenever he doesn’t like what we do/ ask him to do e.g. *asking him to leave a paper towel when we’re cleaning his accidents..*


Murphy is very slightly older and displays no resource guarding. Here are some things that may have helped:

*No dinner until he sits quietly. *He learned to stop jumping and stop barking. Every time he barked I went to the garden door and opened it, which delayed his meals. Barking was as frustrating for his belly as it is was for my ears, and the outcome was a win-win. He has subsequently associated a Bark with meaning No. He tells me off by shouting "No" at me when I commit a foul in our ball games 

*The "Back" command.* Murphy learned to step back from his bowl after starting to eat and before he is finished. Murphy really hates doing this. I say "Back" and he shakes his head, shifts awkwardly, and makes motions to eat the kibble that he cannot reach - but he does step back because he knows I am going to add something to his meal (maybe cooked fish skins or other off-cuts that would have been food waste).

On the paper towel problem, Murphy does not like us cleaning up with paper or anything else. He displays a strong dislike for paper, mops, brooms, vacuums. I don't have a solution for Murphy's "behaviour" yet, and I find paper too delicate to use in training, but he dislikes the smell/taste of certain cleaning fluids (orange citrus, etc.) and we spray this to keep his face away from where we are cleaning with paper towels. He walks on the cleaning fluid, which might help clean his paws, and a non-toxic product might be better.


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