# Do you correct it...or not?



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

What would you do?:


Murph was chewing on his nylabone and Abbie came up to his face and sniffed it, and he did a little growl/snap at her. I don't worry that he would ever do anything, and she does it to him every now and then. And on the other hand, they steal things from each other (bones) with no snaps/growls ALL the time (more often than not). Murph will let Abbie steal bones from him without a blink of the eye. 

So I take his growl/snap as "NO THIS IS MINE RIGHT NOW". I'm not mad that he did it...but....do you correct it? Or just let them communicate with each other in that manner? They've never ever ever ever ever gotten into a scuffle, it ends immediately at the minor growl/snap and they seem to respect each other's communications.


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## catahoulamom (Sep 23, 2010)

I wouldn't worry about it, he's just letting her know that he's enjoying the bone and isn't cool with her taking it from him.


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

I always take the object away and hide it for a few weeks.

Sprocket tends to claim our laps and will sometimes growl and snap. I always shove him off me when he does that. No way does he deserve my lap if he is gonna be mean about it.

ETA - I take the object if its a serious matter. Not if its a simple tooth flash or a small growl.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

No, there were not any humans involved, just a brother and sister who speak the same language and one got irritated at the other. There is no need for any human involvement what so ever. 
If you do address it it makes it into soemthing much larger then it is, "rewards" the nosey one by the innocent one loosing his/her toy.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Thanks guys, that's what I figured. I think most people (somewhat including myself before joining this forum and a few others) assumed you should correct the dog for snapping/growling but the more I learn about dog language and behavior the more I second guessed that...

thanks  

I don't think murph would ever take it farther than that. And vice versa, abbie will do it to him every now and then, but like I said, they also share things all the time with no communication what so ever.


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

I don't intervene when my dogs get annoyed with another about something and I never have fights, even with 10 dogs. Toby I suppose is my alpha now that Madison is so old and if for instance I put the cutting board down for them to lick, which I always do, he gets it first and all to himself. When he's through then everyone else will lick it together. When I put the video on here of him the other day licking it all the other dogs were walking around waiting for him to finish. If one comes near he warns them and that's all it takes. As long as they work it out among themselves I see no need to get involved.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

I just had this situation when looking after the 2 pugs. The youngest one growls with awful full throat snarls whilst eating her dinner, her hackles standing on end. So, I decided to let her have her space and wouldn't let the other 2 dogs within 6 feet of her whilst eating, and her snarling stopped, just like that. She obviously felt threatened and anxious that one of them was going to take her food. 
The trouble was, she didn't like having to give the other 2 their 6 feet of space though, she thought she could go in and steal their food whenever she felt like it. Ha, she had another thought coming!
So, it depends on the situation, I won't stand for it if she is doing it to me, but I respect that she feels threatened and needs her space from the other dogs whilst she's eating her dinner, and that's ok. 
And, same with you, it sounds like your dogs have a good communication thing going on and that once given a warning, they respect each other. It's more likely to escalate quickly into a fight if you take away their first form of communication (growling).


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

Scarlett_O' said:


> No, there were not any humans involved, just a brother and sister who speak the same language and one got irritated at the other. There is no need for any human involvement what so ever.
> If you do address it it makes it into soemthing much larger then it is, "rewards" the nosey one by the innocent one loosing his/her toy.


This ^
:thumb:


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

We allow the pack to communicate between themselves pretty freely, and have never had a true issue with it. A growl,mor warning snap is about as far as it goes, and I'm comfortable with that and think its important for dogs living with each other to be able to communicate like that. 
I can't even think of an instance when I intervened...


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

We used to correct Dude when he would snap at Buck but now that I know more I realize that Buck needs to be snapped at or he will never learn to respect another dog's personal space. I can tell him all I want that he needs to be less obnoxious but the only way he is going to learn is if he gets taught in his own language by his own species. 

We let food guarding between the dogs happen here because they are very clear about the space they expect from each other during dinner. The only time anything is corrected is if it is directed at humans or if Buck goes overboard when telling Dude to leave him alone. 

When yak chews and the like are stolen we don't give it back to the one who let it go. I remember Jill had an issue with Maya going after Minnie for stealing a chew recently after Jill corrected Minnie for it and gave the stolen chew back to Maya. It was the cue Maya needed to challenge Minnie. That is the EXACT situation that we would have here with Dude and Buck if we took a stolen chew from Buck and gave it back to Dude. I would literally be able to take Jill's post and change Minnie and Maya's names to Dude and Buck. That thread is actually where I learned to just let it happen. If you can find it, I know it helped me out immensely when it came to treat and chew guarding.

One rule we do have hear is that items that both dogs deem as valuable (Dude doesn't like toys at all so they are left out) such as yak chews or RMBs are NEVER left out when the dogs aren't actively chewing on them and they are NEVER unattended with them together. IF Dude were to challenge Buck one day I would want to make sure that Nick and/or myself were right there to break it up if need be.


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## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

My dogs rarely do this so I let it be. I would just watch that it doesnt escalate. Since my dogs have a big size difference, i do keep cautious even tho my shar-pei is so calm and tolerant of the short pots.


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## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

i see nothing wrong with it. i always say let the dogs do it once but after that time if the dog being growled at keeps trying then its your turn to step in and stop the one trying to steal the bone,food,toy ect.


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