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Since mid-July, we've been fostering a bichon/poodle mix who's perfectly sweet & gentle 95% of the time. The other 5% is the problem.
Example scenario: last night I took the dogs out back for a final potty break and foster dog just sat on the steps. After a minute or so, I went to give him a little tug on the collar to get him moving and he growled & snapped at me. He sometimes just does not like to be told when to move and he’ll sometimes guard his resting place as well.
Anyone got any tricks up their sleeve to resolve this sort of problem? I was thinking that I could have a treat in my hand the next time I need to nudge him from one spot to another. Again, at times, he's perfectly fine with being relocated other times not so much.
If he does like food I would lure with a treat - no hands on him at all. Then you can start associating the food reward with useful cues such as Come or Off. That way in the future if you need him to move you have an established verbal cue he understands, no luring necessary, and the treat becomes a reward instead of a lure.
Put him on a long line (a 20 ft cotton clothes line will work) and use that to help direct him. I would also always have a leash on him in the house. That way you can use the lead to get him to comply without risking a bite. Just let him drag it around behind him.
Once he realizes you mean what you say (but you have to mean what you say!) he should begin to do as asked. But if you don't follow through....
Dogs need to learn growling and snapping are NOT acceptable... EVER!
When I adopted Dash many years ago one of his issues was he did not like people grabbing his collar and if you tried to move him that way he got very aggressive. So yes I used food to get him to move and if he did not do it then I would slip an english leash over his head so he was now on leash and make him move. I never let him get away not moving when I wanted him too. He was a major chow hound so treats usually worked and helped rid him of the few aggession issues he had when I adopted him. He became a dog that I trusted with anyone even kids that grabbed him and trust me when I first got him he could get quite aggressive about several things. People that knew him after I had worked that all out had a hard time believing he could have ever acted in an agressive way as he was such a lover boy and such a clown. He loved to make people laugh. So yeah food worked miracles with that boy. Ok now I miss my chow hound who later this month will have been gone 5 years!
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