# How to stop dog from lunging for treats?



## Rooney (Sep 22, 2010)

Rooney used to be so good with taking treats, she's taken them from teeny tiny hands but recently has started lunging for treats when I give them. I think it may be because I've recently moved in with my brother and his dog is a wreck, untrained, aggressive, and very possessive of me. They get treats at the same time obviously, but while his dog sits patiently (which strikes me as weird as she's so wild when treats aren't involved!) for her treat my Rooney is so eager to get her treat she's now biting my hand. How exactly can I stop this? I've tried smaller treats. I've tried sit, stay. Lay down, stay. But then she gets so excited now she just grabs it, biting my hand at the same time.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Hold your hand in a fist and don't allow the treat until you've marked the behavior/command Rooney is taking it calmy. Use the reward in a quiet voice, "calm" or "take it". 
There are other ways to treat/reward after the marking when training. 
Use cottage cheese containers as target plates and have her take the treat from that(after you've loaded it, do a leave it/wait/take it command exersize to teach it) I've got a 3 yr old and he takes treats gently, but the targets are great for teaching control and adding in speed to our training. 
Another option is to get rid of the food for a bit and use a tug or ball on string to reward....if she's taking treats so rough, tug may help her get out the energy. Just don't let her have it without it being held by you to begin. The toy is only valuable if you are engaged with her/it.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Impulse control games:


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Interesting article: Why I Love It’s Yer Choice | Success Just Clicks


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## vicky2200 (Oct 29, 2010)

What I do probably isn't advised because it can cause more excitement. I pull the treat away faster than they can get it (if they do, which is rare, I remove it from their mouth if possible) and say "wait" or "easy" or whatever command you want to use. If I don't tell Ditto "easy" before I give her something and the other dogs are sitting right there she gets my finger every time. You could also try turning your hand inward quickly instead of moving your whole hand, but your fist will get nipped. I don't mind getting nipped while they learn, as long as they eventually learn.


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## WATIGE (Nov 9, 2011)

You're ALPHA, YOU control the treat and how hard they have to work for one. ONE. Only give a treat to whomever does the better job. Personally I disagree with the gentle/soft voice IF dominance needs to be shown. Personally I always show dominance UNLESS we're playing. I use "NICE" as the "calm" command. Zion is still working at it as far as self-control goes, LOTS of energy and excitement when you're only 1yr, 4mo. But doing really well by having to earn everything. And if he start going into "autopilot" thinking he knows what to do to get the reward, sit before told, I add another command until he's on auto for 4-5 skills. Then I change it to just asking what can you do? What else can you do? Until we've gone through all of the 4-5 skills being worked on, and he's heading back towards auto mode. Then I make him break pattern HE has to change the order each time in which he does things. VERY rewarding for him, I can tell how proud he is as things continue to get harder. He thrives on it.

My point is I think making them work for it is more involved than just repeating the same stunt over and over. That is no longer work, it's pushing a button.

With 2 females there is GOING to be a power struggle going on, as they are both on the same line of higher archy within the pack. And same as you too? Meaning female. If that's the case the "current" structure is most likely (1) YOU (2) Bro's dog, because it's her turf then lastly in (3) Rooney, if you look at a hitter of pups the one that tends to get food aggressive is a subordinate, as they tend to get the least amount of milk, and eat last. That being said in that pack structure, the ALPHA would kick some ass for that type of behavior being directed towards a superior in the pack. 

NOW, the point of this exercise is to have them redirect how they as send the pack ladder, his dog IS being possessive, of it's pack position, not of you,most likely. The way they move up the ladder is by behaving "performing" in a superior manner. Not through force. It's your role as ALPHA to set the standards as to how one ascends the chain of command.

Try it, they were created to WORK. Be DOMINANT! If unsure of what this really means try to find a video of a wolf/hybrid dominance battle, you can get aggressive, Ilike BITING ears, and snout to get the POINT across. Also by being aggressive in your assertion of power they will fall in line,FAST! This is due to the natural escalation of the fights in a natural pack.

Hope this helps.

Charlie


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## Caitydid255 (Aug 28, 2010)

vicky2200 said:


> What I do probably isn't advised because it can cause more excitement. I pull the treat away faster than they can get it (if they do, which is rare, I remove it from their mouth if possible) and say "wait" or "easy" or whatever command you want to use. If I don't tell Ditto "easy" before I give her something and the other dogs are sitting right there she gets my finger every time. You could also try turning your hand inward quickly instead of moving your whole hand, but your fist will get nipped. I don't mind getting nipped while they learn, as long as they eventually learn.


I don't pull the treat away but I will reach in and take it back if they don't take it nicely. To train I usually hold a high value treat in my hand and only expose a tiny bit. The dog has to use their front teeth to bite off the treat, if they get too excited and bite my fingers then the treat disappears for a few seconds. I get bruised fingers in the beginning but it works.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

WATIGE said:


> You're ALPHA, YOU control the treat and how hard they have to work for one. ONE. Only give a treat to whomever does the better job. Personally I disagree with the gentle/soft voice IF dominance needs to be shown. Personally I always show dominance UNLESS we're playing. I use "NICE" as the "calm" command. Zion is still working at it as far as self-control goes, LOTS of energy and excitement when you're only 1yr, 4mo. But doing really well by having to earn everything. And if he start going into "autopilot" thinking he knows what to do to get the reward, sit before told, I add another command until he's on auto for 4-5 skills. Then I change it to just asking what can you do? What else can you do? Until we've gone through all of the 4-5 skills being worked on, and he's heading back towards auto mode. Then I make him break pattern HE has to change the order each time in which he does things. VERY rewarding for him, I can tell how proud he is as things continue to get harder. He thrives on it.
> 
> My point is I think making them work for it is more involved than just repeating the same stunt over and over. That is no longer work, it's pushing a button.
> 
> ...


Oh, boy....:help:


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> Hold your hand in a fist and don't allow the treat until you've marked the behavior/command Rooney is taking it calmy. Use the reward in a quiet voice, "calm" or "take it".
> .


This.

You don't have to beat your dog up, or bite it's ears to establish leadership. I would NEVER EVER tell someone to reach over and attempt to bite the ear of a dog who is overly excited. EVER!

I have a very high drive 4 month old puppy. He would just as soon take off all of your fingers to get that prize inside your hand. However, it only took a very short time for him to learn the prize is mine to give and not his to take by following what onyx'girl said above. It truly works. May not the first time, but it will. My puppy will sit calmly waiting for his treat even if I have all four dogs sitting next to each other waiting for their reward.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

WATIGE said:


> Try it, they were created to WORK. Be DOMINANT! If unsure of what this really means try to find a video of a wolf/hybrid dominance battle, you can get aggressive, Ilike BITING ears, and snout to get the POINT across. Also by being aggressive in your assertion of power they will fall in line,FAST!


This is a really bad idea, and it's a recipe to get bitten.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Someone mentioned making a fist. I put it in my fist so they can't get it until they do what I ask (like sit or down) then I open my hand out flat and they have to take it carefully from my flat hand. I sometimes get slobbered but never bit.


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## Rooney (Sep 22, 2010)

Thank you for all the ideas! I definitely won't be biting her, that's not my style. I'm working on the fist thing, but she just doesn't calm down. She's like the energizer bunny, honestly! I have been having her lay dawn and stay in the other room while I get the treat, but by the time I get it to her she's in a frenzy with excitement. I'll keep working on the fist and I guess I'll just deal with the nips and bites for now. Thanks again!


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## VChurch (Jun 14, 2010)

I hd the problem with Minna biting my fingers when she would take a treat as a puppy, I just worked on it -- like mentioned, with a fist or with holding the treat but not allowing her to take it if she bit me -- and eventually she was trained out of that _snatching_ method. She's now very polite and I can even allow kids to give her treats (she's especially polite when taking treats from kids).

Might help just to have the other dog not in the immediate vicinity at first, and as Rooney gets better you can stay closer and closer to your brother's dog until Rooney won't even notice that the other dog is right there too. Example: there were times, to get Minna to calm down, I would have Bacca lay on a blanket near the coach and I would give him his treat and then I would have Minna go 8 (or so) feet away and then I would get her to sit and be calm for taking her treat. I think it helped her to not be so excited since Bacca was no longer in that immediate 1-foot radius of space where treats could be stolen.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Rooney said:


> Thank you for all the ideas! I definitely won't be biting her, that's not my style. I'm working on the fist thing, but she just doesn't calm down. She's like the energizer bunny, honestly! I have been having her lay dawn and stay in the other room while I get the treat, but by the time I get it to her she's in a frenzy with excitement. I'll keep working on the fist and I guess I'll just deal with the nips and bites for now. Thanks again!


I have a puppy with crazy food drive. I could never (at this point) have him lay down and wait while he KNEW I was off to the treat jar. That would just be setting him up for failure. 

Honestly, I keep kibble in my pockets always! In fact I went home for lunch and at this very moment I'm sitting at my desk with dog food in my pockets! That pup thinks I'm a human pez despenser. I have to always have food on me. That is how he learns. 

When you make your fist, hold it fingers down. If she jumps up on your hand (with her paws) move your hand slightly away so she can't do that. If she mouths your hand don't move it so she wants to follow it, just make it difficult for her to get her mouth on your fingers. She is going to back up out of frustration, THEN throw her a party and give her the treat. I use my other hand to pick the treat out of my fist and give it to him. I want my pup to understand the treat doesn't belong to him, I am giving it to him.


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## Rooney (Sep 22, 2010)

Thanks again for all the wonderful advice. I'll try the kibble thing but she doesn't go crazy for that. I also think I forgot to mention Rooney is 3 years old.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Did you watch the "It's Yer Choice" video? That will work with any dog, regardless of age, and it basically teaches a default "leave it" - no matter what it is, it's not yours until I say so.


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