8 month old Rotty snarled over bone

by Aimee
(Scunny)

hi my 8 month old rottweiller had a bone the other day and when i stood up near her she snarled and jumped back.

i waited till she calmed down and told her off and took it off her but to be honest it did scare me a little bit, other than this she is very loving and very spoilt she is our only dog so wants for nothing.

i take her to obedience classes once a week and she’s brilliant with dogs but the snarling really concerned me. do you think i have cause to be concerned and if so how do i stop it !

any input would be appreciated..

Hi Amy. This isn’t the page where I answer questions, but you do need to deal with this snarling/growling. It’s normal canine behavior, your pup is trying to guard her bone(this is called resource guarding) – but it’s never okay for her to protect her stuff from you or any other human.

A firm verbal correction when she growls is essential, but if you are truly afraid she’s going to snap at you don’t just take her bone (or whatever) away from her. Instead practice the ‘Leave It’ command (find out exactly how to do that on this webpage Dog Commands basically exchanging ‘her’ bone/toy etc. for a treat then giving it back. Once she understands you should be able to take anything away from her without a fuss.

If she also behaves this way with food, take a look at my Dog Food Aggression as it will help you deal with that and prevent it from becoming a problem.

Hopefully other visitors will join in here as this is the ‘Community Corner‘ 🙂 Best of luck.

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About The Rotty lover 2159 Articles
My name is Dr. Winnie. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Duke University, a Masters of Science in Biology from St Georges University, and graduated from the University of Pretoria Veterinary School in South Africa. I have been an animal lover and owners all my life having owned a Rottweiler named Duke, a Pekingese named Athena and now a Bull Mastiff named George, also known as big G! I'm also an amateur equestrian and love working with horses. I'm a full-time Veterinarian in South Africa specializing in internal medicine for large breed dogs. I enjoy spending time with my husband, 2 kids and Big G in my free time. Author and Contribturor at SeniorTailWaggers, A Love of Rottweilers, DogsCatsPets and TheDogsBone