You drop something.
You reach down to pick it up - only to find it already in the jaws of your dog.
And - your dog is lifting his lip and growling at you!
What is going on?!
What is going on is that your dog has claimed something that looks interesting to him. It could be anything, though it’s commonly food.
And when you go to snatch it off him, he objects! In the only way he knows how. And that’s by saying “Mine!” by growling.
Now the first thing to know is that if you persist in trying to take this thing from him, you are likely to get bitten.
It’s not that your dog is nasty, he’s just saying “I don’t think so.” And you haven’t heeded his warning.
So the first thing to do if this happens to you, is to BACK OFF!
No, you’re not “giving in”. You’re not “letting the dog win”. None of that. You’re just being practical. Far better to defuse the situation and go from there. Why “lead with your chin” as my father used to say?
Do you actually need to get the object back?
Very often the item itself is not worth bothering about. You can wait till your dog has found it boring - and that you clearly don’t want to fight him for it - and pick it up when he’s moved on.
But sometimes you do need to get it back.
Is the item dangerous to the dog?
Is it valuable to you, and breakable?
In either of those cases, you do need to have the dog relinquish it.
And the quickest way, as any parent of a toddler knows, is to organise a diversion! Scatter some treats on the floor a little away from the dog. You can scoop up the item as he goes for the treats. Or throw his beloved ball through an open door and close it behind him so you can clear up.
If it’s the Sunday roast and he’s not letting go - then you may have to sacrifice it. You could try getting the lead and heading excitedly for the door. Or you may just have to know that you have some training to do!
In fact, we all have training to do.
This is a totally natural reaction from the dog - it doesn’t mean he’s bad or nasty. Just not yet trained.
From an early age you need to teach your dog to swap. Doing this with two similar objects is a great way to start: exchange is no robbery.
What you want to remember is ALWAYS to reward your dog for giving something up. Sometimes you can check the item and give it back to him, plus a treat. If you need to remove the item, be sure to offer something of equal or greater value!
“He always growls!”
If your dog is in a well-established pattern of stealing, grabbing, lowering his head over the item, showing the whites of his eyes while he glares up at you, stiff and frozen, then I suggest you contact me direct so that I can help you personally.
And be sure to check out the Brilliant Family Dog Academy, where we take you step by careful step through teaching how to avoid this, and have a biddable dog who is happy to share his finds with you.
