Hello everybody,
Sometimes when I train with my dog using prey items as a reward my dog will occasionally growl at me when I go to get the prey item back. What do you guys make of this?

I wouldn't tolerate it. Work the "into my arms" command that Ed explains in his videos. I'm sure others will have more to say on this but I don't take the furry finger from my dogs. Ok maybe the husky but just a little bit. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

The dog's in conflict.

Practice 'out', praise (when the dog outs), 'release' - dog gets the prey item back within a few seconds of the 'out'.

I also have an aggressive dog but in this situation he does not give problems. Since he was a puppy my wife started telling him "Mine" to get a toy back and praising/treating him when he did so (this was before bad training advice turned him against her). I'm new to dog training, 16 months, and am still learning but I believe the reward needs to be inticing enough for him to want to give the toy up. Then like anything, you gradually offer praise in place of a treat every now and then for a good mix. Then of course there's the ground work and being a pack leader etc. Good luck man, trying to handle aggression is allot of work. I hope your up for it.

DZ

Does this dog let you pet him while he is eating his dinner? If the answer is no. I would start there. Sit next to him at meal time and feed him from your own hand or pat him as he is munching. Any growling take your food and leave. You can go back later and see if he is more coopertive. I have never had to leave but I do this training from the start with my young pups. At this age they just think they are tough. An adult could be a little more tricky. I should hope that your dog would not follow through and actually bite you.

Does he know the out command. When you first started training him with a toy you should of had another toy ready to replace that one so he knows when you say out it`s not gone for good. so he learns to trust you and that he`ll out with no problem. If you alway out him and take the toy away when he was younger then he`ll probably not want to give it up. Unless he`s just a very dominant dog and doesn`t respect you. then you`ll have to make him out it and show him you are alpha. Keep a leash on a nylon choke (live ring) and when he growls at you calmly lift him up off the ground giving him the command to out. After he outs still hold him up there for a couple of seconds, then let him down. Then give him the toy again and give the command to out. If he does it again then you do the same thing again. he`ll learn quick to respect you. Wow can`t wait to see the reaction after that answer lol

 Quote:

Hello everybody,
Sometimes when I train with my dog using prey items as a reward my dog will occasionally growl at me when I go to get the prey item back. What do you guys make of this?

Are you getting the prey item from his mouth? From the ground? Does the dog know out? Did you flank your dog to teach out?

If you are attempting to get the prey item from his mouth, teach out with an ecollar.

If you are attempting to get the prey item off the ground, use a platz command and lift the tug directly in front of the dog's face, while being prepared to correcto for rebite. Then go in to making drive again.

If the dog is refusing to out as a matter of confusion, conflict or stress it may be an issue of handler error and I recommend watching or rewatching Ed's Building Drive Focus and Grip DVD and paying special attention to into my arms.

If you taught out with flanking, pay even more attention to the into my arms. With your dog in you arms on a tug, run your hand slowly across the dog's side until right before the flank, then rip the tug from the dog's mouth and make drive. Repeat this to desensitize the dog to touch on the flank.

If the dog is refusing to out over an issue of rank, then a dominant dog collar may be mos appropriate even though it is generally not recommended to use a collar/leash correction fr the out command (ecollar preferred).