More aggresion problems!!!

tazmaniandevil

My 9 month old vinny recently has been giving me a few problems with regards to aggresion. (See recent post). However it was mostly aimed at my girlfriend who i feel doesnt let him no who is boss enough. Due to the advice i have recieved i put this down to hormones. This past week however a different and worrying problem has also popped up. My boy for no reason i can tell is suddenly very scared of me. If i pet him he cowers down, ears back and shakes a little bit and he gives a very uncomfortable crowl/cry. For 3 days now unless im playing or wrestling with him he acts terrified when i aproach him. I have always been consistent with punishment. I hardly ever smack him, if so its just a slap on the bum to gey of the sofa or if he bites the cat. My voice is enough to stop him in his tracks. But i have to say i feel his reaction to my "vinny no" is way over the top, he runs away tail between the legs looking for somewhere to hide. Just from my voice. My girlfriend says a shout to loud and have a powerfull voice but can he really be that afraid of just a voice??? Up untill a few days ago he would always come for cuddles and sleep in my lap but now if i put my head near his he growls in fear. I havmt changed a thing in the way i correct him but it kind of breaks my heart thaty pride and joy doesnt trust me and is scared. Ive read a few articles that during adolescence they can become fearfull and weary of familiar things so i hope, again this is just his hormones. Should i stop correcting him?
Stop raising my voice?
Just leave him alone and ignore him for a while?
Im lost as to how to fix this.
Also i should add that he is always crazy pleased to see me when i come home but once thay wears off he is back to being scared again.
The only thing that has changed is that i have built him a new big dog run with a flap and a big heated play room in the garage which he stays in while were in work. he was in the washroom before this with access to a part of the garden via a flap. So he has more room inside now with around 16m2 outside.
Any advice welcome.

philsergeant

You definitely have him spooked. For any of us to suggest why would require us to have all the same experiences that you have PLUS an understanding of his parentage. So I believe that all we might suggest are remedies .... The loud voice can't be it alone, mine stop instantly I raise my voice at them, look at each other and smile and get on with their mischief anyhow... It doesn't scare them. Obviously you have needed to admonish him, how have you been on rewarding him for good performance? In the same method of the admonishment ... Immediately it happens, so I don't mean loving him on the coach in the evening... I mean minute by minute praising? I know it takes up a lot of time each time he does something good, or doesn't do something bad... But it could re-cement your bond. If you keep up with him seeing you as a minute by minute source of praise I am sure it's just a passing phase.

BulliesofNC

Yes, I would say he's going through a phase. He's at that stage where dominance and aggression are all new to him and he has no idea what's right and wrong and when to use these natural emotions. He's obviously figured out YOU are the alpha in the home and that's exactly what he needs to know.  Now he just doesn't know how submissive he needs to be around you. With love and attention he will open back up and have great affection for you while at the same time respecting your position as the alpha. It's apparent he doesn't feel quite as challenged by your girlfriend but he needs to learn as well that all people he interacts with are not to be shown dominance or aggression. In time he will figure it out and his character will adjust accordingly. If you see him shying away from you bring him outside for some play time. Use treats to encourage good behavior. Just give him some time to mature.

tazmaniandevil

Thanks guys, his parentage is good, im in touch with all the other "parents" from his litter and all are doing fine. Thats why i feel ive done something wrong but ive been told its all normal things ive been doing. I praise him all the time, for walking nicely on the lead, for not biting the cat but he doesnt really respond to "good boy". My childhood dog would wag her tail and get excited if you praised her but i guess the bull terrier isnt as excited about pleasing you, more himself?? I do notice that when i play and wrestle with him he is back to himself but then when its over he cowers and growls again. We had a great bond last week. He always came for cuddles and was totally comfortable to lay on me while i scratched his belly, now he is just totally awkward. Like he is one step away from biting. I hope it passes. I guess the hormone levels differ massively in dogs some sail through adolesence and some turn onto the devil. The code for his cage padlock is now 666 lol

Djammy

Like the others I think this is a temporary stage.

Bull Terrier puppies - and probably other puppies too - naturally go through different stages.

I was a little worried in the beginning, because I spoiled Djamila with lots of trick training and play, only to get ignored by her once I signaled that I would like to cuddle every once in a while instead of playing.

In the beginning she was super cute, but naturally as with every puppy I guess, were not really on the same page.

Djamila came with a huge “the world is MINE” attitude, tons of energy and ants in her pants. Bull Terriers are all alike when it comes to this, just like little clones. Still they all vary a little bit in character.

Djamila often did not seem to care a lot, if we were angry at her when she was little.

Now she’s maturing and I notice her increasingly seeking not only interaction for play as usual, but also a lot more physical contact, cuddling and our approval for her behavior. Every time she KNOWs what’s coming, she is super proud to do the right thing, such as walking into her crate for the night on her own when it’s time, sitting down and waiting for her good night treat.

Or offering a wink with her paw or a rollover for a treat.

We also went and still go through situations, when she is obviously insecure and does not know which behavior is appropriate.

Often when dogs don’t know what to do they choose some displacement behavior, which not in every situation makes us humans happy.

Maybe your dog has been stuck in a bunch of situations like that lately with you: Insecurity, if intended behavior is right > choosing another displacement behavior hoping it will please > still getting yelled at > confusion.

And believe me a strong voice CAN be the only means to control not only one, but many dogs at once: The breeder who sold our former Bull Terrier to us had such a voice.

When dogs went crazy in their kennels over visitors on his premises, he’d raise his voice and yell for silence. And silent it was! Amazing.

Your dog seems to be confused about the rules in the house and probably has collected a lot of “No’s” (or corrections) in the recent past. Maybe sometimes the correction even comes a split second too late. Good timing is everything in training. So in his mind maybe sometimes he is actually getting yelled at when he thinks he was doing right, because to him the critical moment has already passed, while you are still angry about it.

For example: If he stole a piece of sausage and you did not catch him in the act, you can blame yourself for leaving it within his reach, but you can’t yell at him. Because that causes confusion.

While you needed your time to realize what he has done, he has been taking the sausage, swallowed it, sniffed the floor, walked around, looked at you and released a burp. Then you start to yell. For you it’s all related to the sausage affair. For him it could be anything. And he will most likely assume that the LAST thing he did before you started yelling was wrong.

So for him the situation goes like: “Uh, why all of a sudden is burping wrong now? It was always right so far.” > confusion.

Maybe during play there’s almost never any yelling or correction and therefore he feels most safe and secure about his doings in that situation. It could be the reason why he still enjoys playtime so much, while he seems confused in any other situation.

I guess he is probably less intimidated by you than he is confused and insecure. So he chooses to lay low to avoid mistakes. 

If I were you, I’d just continue with giving lots of love. Short and punctual correction when he’s doing wrong, and even more importantly tons of continuous praise whenever he’s doing right to reinforce desired behavior.

If you notice recurrent situations that always lead to negative feelings on both sides, you can try to show him alternative behaviors. So you can kind of turn playful situations into a learning lesson with benefits for everyone.

For example:

Let’s assume you hate that he sticks his head into the fridge every time you open it. You yell at him. Although he cowers and leaves when you yell, it does not prevent him from doing it again.

Negative vibrations between the two of you over and over.

You can make this a fun exercise, which will also challenge his mind and bring fun for the both of you. You only need to be patient and allow the time for him to grasp the concept and learn. He wants to and he will.

You can teach him an alternative behavior in short, punctual lessons, for example to sit down and stay in one place first and then teach him to be in that place and wait every time you go to the fridge.

Not only does this relieve the tension between the two of you. It also leads to more interaction and communication ( > bonding) between the two of you during the training. It also takes the tension away AND gives you a great chance to praise and reward desired behavior instead of yelling or punishing in any other way for undesired behavior.

This is only an example. I hope it makes my point.

I am focussing lot on alternative behaviors with Djamila during our training sessions, which she LOVES! And I am feeling a lot less helpless in many situations that would otherwise also make me yell.

You will still need a lot of patience and understanding and like I said, excellent timing. Always try to get him in the act, when things go wrong. Because only then he gets a chance of knowing, what exactly he did wrong.

He will also try new things, maybe damage stuff, because he does not have a full understanding of human values yet. Still, dogs seem to able able to acquire a guilty conscience. Yet they don’t have that by default when they are puppies.

It grows with their understanding of our human right and wrong.

Right now he is exploring and dropping one brick after another. This stage is not only a hard time for owners, but also for the puppy.  

The older your dog will become, the more he will begin to read his humans and try to adapt his behavior. The more positive behavior he knows, the more he will offer it. That’s why training is so much fun and brings so many benefits for owner AND dog.

tazmaniandevil

Unfortunatly his behavior took a turn for the worse friday, he was the same when i got home, cowering and growling but then he went all strange like he was on acid or something. Strange body movement . Cowering and growling. Then i went to get him from his bed to take to the vet and he wouldnt move. Eyes fixed on me but totally still. It took me maybe 30 seconds with a piece of pork to get him up. The vet found slightly high white blood cell count but nothing else, xray was clear. Antibiotics and pain killers were given just incase. Saturday morning then he was very similar. He started growling/moaning at me gradually getting more intense, ears nack tail wagging a bit and coming towards me!! Its so wierd. Like he is maybe trying to tell me something. As predicted tho, he is totally friendly with the vet and everyone else he meets so i think yhe breeder thinks were over reacting as he is always happy and chilled when she sees him. An animal therapist has been suggested now and as the breeder has decided she wont breed him due to his temperament also chemical castration. She also says that 8-10 months is the worst phase and he will settle down but im not so sure. They dont see him as we do. I can understand hormones play a big part but can they really change a dog this much????

Here's the video:

http://s168.photobucket.com/user/bulliesofnc/media/Forum Posts/Confused Growling_zpslieu5ge2.mp4.html

philsergeant

Remember that exactly what is going through your mind, even if you are expressing yourself outwardly rather calm, is transferring to him. So if internally you are worried and "scared", he will know that and react accordingly.  If he is behaving normally with everyone else, like the vet, then he is not sensing any fear or extreme concern with him.... That's an excellent sign.... Hopefully you can just relax and work through this... he is but a puppy.

BulliesofNC

After watching the video a few time from the LINK above I think he's reacting to your nervousness and he's sensing the vibes you're projecting. His growls aren't really a growl of anger or aggressiveness but merely just nervousness from what he's sensing from you. I could tell by the way you pointed at him and touched him that you did it with fear and caution. He senses this and is confused and weary of your motive. This is why others aren't having any problems with him. They aren't going about petting him with caution and concern.

tazmaniandevil

Yeh i agree with that but before he started making that noise i never had any fear or caution. And even now he can be relaxed and sleeping on my legs and then just wake up and look at me and make that noise. Ill try and be a bit more direct and straight to the point with him. If its not aggresion then there should be no fear of him biting so i can relax

LokiLostCoast

Loki makes noises like this all the time. He's very vocal. When Loki does it it's not aggressive he just likes to talk

mmchu2

I think the whole idea of projecting onto our dogs is difficult to comprehend and once we do realise it, it can be really hard to stop. I can only speak from my own experience. My 17mo boy Thor can be a bit of a nervous nelly and definitely senses my every emotion. When my 11mo girl Asher was still recovering from rat lungworm I was extremely protective of her and until she started walking properly again I would hardly even let Thor in the same room. If I saw Asher wandering around near Thor I would literally tense up ready to pounce on poor Thor the minute he made a move for Asher. You know what, I didn't realise at the time, but every time I tensed, he tensed, and about 90% of those times resulted in him aggressively lunging at her. I would pin him and confine him to the kitchen. I remember saying to my husband "why is he so aggressive all of a sudden?" Duh! Anyway my husband would tell me that it was my fault and that Thor was totally normal whenever I wasn't home and that I was projecting my anxiety onto him. He told me to relax and settle down. It still took a good couple of weeks as I was still protective of Asher through recovery but I eventually chilled out and then voila, no more aggression! I know it's really difficult to switch that worry off when you think that you are the one he's going to attack.

I definitely agree with all of the other comments. I personally don't hear any aggression in those noises at all either. Asher is really vocal like Loki too and makes noises like that usually followed by her opening her mouth and sort of moan-barking. Admittedly she is really confident and doesn't have her head facing down when she does it. Also it's not usually when I pat her but rather when she's bored, trying to get my attention, or when we're playing tug of war she'll do those growl noises. I absolutely love the noises. That's another thing...I've never ever felt scared of Asher or worried that she'll attack, just the idea of aggression from her seems ridiculous to me. She's such a lover. Whereas we've had some temperament issues with Thor which would have led to my fear issues with him. Once I get passed my own anxiety, Thor is a gentle spirit too and is really lovely as well.

My 2cents advice is to just relax, smother him with play (since you both feel confident with that) and love and rewards. In the vid he seemed normal and fine until you completely backed away. If he was really afraid wouldn't he have backed off too, maybe escaped and hidden under that table? Instead he pursued you tail wagging. Then he freaked out a bit when you went to pat him, but you were already unsure by that point. He didn't growl until you said 'good boy' and then you reinforced it twice more before backing off. So: growl-praise, growl-praise, growl-backoff. That's a bit confusing. One thing I've learnt is that my dogs need strong consistency. Something else I remember reading a while back is that when you're patting new puppies or nervous dogs you should position your body facing away from them or they might feel intimidated. He probably just wants your love, acceptance, respect and trust. But you
also have to build up his respect and trust for you. Just go about your
business and let him come to you. If you don't like him growling when
you're patting him then stop patting him and continue on with your
business (I wouldn't admonish him for that particular vid noise).

I hope I've helped even a little. Either way good luck with your gorgeous boy and don't give up on him

tazmaniandevil

Thanks for the great reply!!! I think your totally right. Usually in the morning i go to his gate and im a little aprehensive as to what mood in going to find and he is usually stood there staring at me not excited because of what you said. He can sense my nervousness. So this morning i just marched straight in, reached down to him while he was in his bed (which i never do) and voila, he rolled onto his back tail wagging all excited. I maintained my attitude all morning and he was totally fine. He didnt "growl" once. Im sure i can move forward with this new information now. Convincing my girlfriend might be a bit trickier as she is a bit more concerned but when she sees it working for me im sure she will be converted. Also i should add that in obedience training the instructors main focus was body language. He said training a dog is 80% body language 20% vocal. He only had a few commands for his dog and it did everything you could imagine just from his body language. To be fair tho it was a sheep dog. Id like to see him get the same results with a bull terrier!!! So i kind of didnt pay much attention to that and ive had to learn the hard way. Its probably the most important thing ive come to realise.
Your dog sees and feels every movement you make. So be consistent. I no i will be from now on.

tazmaniandevil

Some pics of vinny

philsergeant

That's exactly what I said at the beginning... EBTs are like no other dog... They are VERY emotional and you can't fool them... They read your insides and live off them.

tazmaniandevil

Ok, update on vinny. Ive been following the advice ive been given. But he seems to be getting worse. has now started to growl and bark at strangers when out walking. Hed always loved people and usually drags me over tail wagging to greet them. There are things happening daily now. He seems so uncomfortable when were touching him unless its during play or training. Were basically just trying to give him love and ignoring him if he growls. And giving him time outs. Yesterday he was chewing a bone on the floor close to where i was sitting and when i moved he shot towards me and snapped at the air. I rose up and looked angry walking towards him and told him off and took the bone from him, made him sit and wait for 5 minutes then gave it back. After that he was ok. My worry is that nothing i do is making a difference. I garantee he will do the same today when he has a bone. I have patience but its getting beyond a joke now. We cant even have him in the living room when we are relaxing because he cant behave. My fear has totally gone now as im sure he wont bite, But his split personality is driving us crazy. Ive been reading about "fear stages" of which there is 4 so maybe he is in a mother of all fear stages. I read so many posts about loving cuddly bull terriers and feel mine is the complete opposite. If he isnt trying to wrestle or play rough then he doesnt want to know us. And the times he does come over and sit next to me, as soon as i touch him his ears go back and he stiffens up and gives this evil death stare to me. Ive had many friends with bullys and although they are a handfull, and challenging ive never heard of problems like this.

BulliesofNC

Bones often bring out the DEVIL in a dog and they will protect it from anyone. With some dogs it's best to either give them their bone in the privacy of their crate or stop giving him a bone or something else that cause automatic aggression.

His behavior is not normal for a Bull Terrier and rarely do you hear of any Bull Terrier that wants nothing more than attention from their owner. I wish you lived near here so I could spend some time with your Bull Terrier and find out whether he has some bad habits or whether he has deep some serious aggression problems that he may have been born with.

tazmaniandevil

Im starting to think that to. The thing is tho all these problems only started when his adolesence kicked in. Before that although totally disobedient and mouthy, he was great. Used to climb up the sofa to sleep on my chest. I even let him sleep on my bed when my girfriend was on night shift. His background is fine. I personally know both breeders and see all of their dogs at the shows i go to. Im also in contact with the rest of the litters owners and all are doing fine. Which is making me worried that he isnt "wired" properly. I guess only time will tell but right now he is spending more time alone than with us because we just cant relax around him.

philsergeant

The last sentence doesn't bode well.... either you have got to establish that he has a deep seated problem (and everything you report doesn't indicate that he does), or you have got to dominate and correct the problem. "spending more time alone than with us because we just cant relax around him", just facilitates and grows any problem he might have. "Normal" Bullies will respond to your desires and commands and grow out of giving you discomfort/ displeasure. With all due respect I must suggest that he senses that the two of you? are afraid? of him and reacts accordingly, trying to will you to do as he wants. If his wires are not crossed then you have to just sit on his head until he respects your position. Bullies a the most beautiful of creatures... but they do try and push your buttons if allowed.

Djammy

I agree with philsergeant in this case. I think you are neither helping your family nor your dog by avoiding him.

This problem will grow, if unaddressed. If you feel unable to deal with it at the moment, I would seriously consider to look for a real good dog trainer specialized on behavioral problems and have your dog evaluated.

If that is not an option, you will have to work with your dog n your own or otherwise risk that with growing alienation at some point all of you may feel too intimidated by your dog to keep him.

I also think that your dog senses your mixed feelings. And honestly so far I can't see his "mental problem". To me it sounds like a dog that is questioning his position in the pack. But I am no expert.

Although you may want to appear firm and consistent, your dog may sense what really moves you inside.

Spending even MORE time together in my opinion is the only way for him to learn boundaries and to bond.

Give all of you that chance and don't let things turn for the worst by avoiding the problem. It will do nothing good.

We did not have any behavioral problems with Djamila. But I was always a little bit sorry that she was not the greatest cuddler of all so far. Since we went on a camping vacation together in a tent, allowing us to have a lot of doggie adventures and much us-time together, I feel like the penny has dropped. From Djamila's side the relationship has changed. She seems to be more secure around us, more willing to trust us, she is way more cuddly now, seeks eye contact and no longer just does her own thing most of the time, but loves pack activity most.

My point: Only spending time with your dog and giving it love and attention even when he is in a difficult stage of his development can change things.

Think of it as saving your dog! If you do not show him his place in the world, he'll never know and he will never get the chance of becoming a well behaved canine citizen. Don't give up on him!

  

mmchu2

Thanks for the update tazmaniandevil. Please keep us posted. I am particularly interested. I really hope it's just a phase and that everything will clear up in time.

tazmaniandevil

Thanks for the replies, im totally open to criticism as i just want to do the right thing. When i said he is spending more time alone meant he doesnt have the run of the house much like he used to. We let him out of the wash room, do some training and exercise and when we see him getting tired we put him to sleep back in the wash room and as he is usually pooped by 8.30 thats where he stays untill the morning because he can sleep in peace. I heard a phrase "whale eye" earlier which i can relate to. The moment you touch him when hes not looking and he spins his head around. One more thing i didnt mention was the fact that he also now seems to want to attack (playfully) things which he has been around since we got him 8 months ago. Like the latch on the baby gate to the wash room and my beanie hat on the coat stand. We literally have to drag him away untill he calms down or distract him with treats. Also today i was walking him and an old man came towards us, vinne went over tail wagging but as the guy touched him his hackles went up and he had that look in his eye. I just ignored it and carried on walking. 5 minutes later we passed the same guy and he was growling and barking at him. He has done this a few times lately with strangers. Im pleased to say tho that the last week or so he has got a lot better. I just started ignoring him and letting him come to me. I really have to stop my self from cuddling him which is hard so i just place a hand on him and he relaxes a bit. If we make eye contact however he seems to slip back into that state where he bows his head and his ears go back. But he hasnt growled so i see that as progress. The behavior expert gave us a routine to follow for a month and he seems better for it. She said if we can avoid all situations that bring on these behaviors then he should grow out of it. The next 3 months are crucial. I totally understand and agree with all the comment actually but i feel its not so black and white. His behaviour is so random and unpredictable its hard to relax even if your thinking you should, he senses that to. Its been a big learning curve for me and if i could go back 8 months i would probably do a lot more different. i just hope he continues on the right path now and gets more secure as he matures. We still have a long way to go

tazmaniandevil

And as for behavioral "experts" id be very very carefull who you listen to. We were recommended the so called top one in norway. The cesar milan of norway. Superb, works wonders and all that. The first thing she said after looking at vinny for 5 minutes was to have his balls off!!!
It took me 10 minutes of research online to see that this was totally the wrong option for vinny. Every other person i talked to including people who have been breeding bullys here for 30 years could not believe she said it. I think you can get better information from forums like this where everybody has a common interest.

Djammy

@tazmaniandevil

Please don’t get me wrong. I am not criticising you. I am just seeing a development in progress and I read about your fears, which I can totally understand.Please take my words as encouragement to keep working on the issue like you already do and not to give up!

It must be very hard and confusing for you right now, not only for your dog.

Although it is always a good thing to look for advice in different directions, it can be difficult to decide which advice to take.

Even the so called “experts” not in every case really are what they claim to be. Tell me about it!

It is ALWAYS wise to double check any advice before you trust in only one opinion. That's also my experience.

The situation with your dog and the man makes me think: Does he growl and seem to get irritated when people are exposing their teeth (smiling) or standing completely still right in front of them or just a few steps away?

Strangers tend to do that. They just stand there, watch the dog and do nothing, because they are curious about the dog, but not sure, if the situation is safe for them.

I experience that with Djamila every now and then:

People just standing and staring makes her feel extremely uncomfortable. She does not know how to interpret the situation and reacts with barking and standing hackles.

Another situation: As she is still getting very excited when people want to pet her, I used to hold her back and down very strongly, limiting her space to move, so she couldn’t jump up.

In some cases - depending on the person in front of her and maybe by feeling cornered because I held her down - this seemed to make her extremely uncomfortable, resulting in a defensive reaction.

I now try to avoid those situations by encouraging people who really want to pet her not to act shy with  Djamila, just approach her straight forward open and friendly, just without overexciting her by “Baby talk” and without bending over themselves. So in case she jumps up, they will not get hit by her head in the face.

When I still really need to limit her space I try to step on her leash and remain standing. This way she does not feel cornered by me.

Even better: If I am in an area that allows me to unleash her, I do it, because that completely removes the tension and her urge to jump up on people.

In case she is too hyper and I can already tell there could be trouble in the air, I just manage and avoid the situation at all.

 

As for "growing out of it". I am pretty sure your dog is not mentally ill. I also believe that this is a phase and that he will eventually grow out of it.

The only thing I am not so sure of, is if avoiding is the best strategy.

Avoiding helps to manage very critical situations, which is a good thing. But your dog does not learn anything of it.

Therefore I try to practice especially the things I feel uncomfortable with Djamila to get her used to things and give both of us the chance to handle situations and learn.

After all, if learning or avoiding is the better choice really depends on every single situation.

As for attacking objects. This is something Djamila also does. She loves a giant plush tiger of mine and loves to tackle it. Such harmless situations are perfect for training sessions if your dog is familiar with the “leave it” command.

As I remember you mentioned that you are doing obedience training with your dog already. Try to use the  everyday situations and make them a useful lesson. This gives him the opportunity to earn treats or praise for doing things RIGHT and enhances the bond between you.

If there are things he gets obsessive with, just like the trainer recommended I’d remove them for now.

You can reintroduce them bit by bit again later or use them for training. 

For example, Djamila tends to get obsessive with balls and it often requires a lot of finesse to convince her to give the ball away.

Although she is not growling or aggressive, she avoids me and holds on to the ball really tight when I try to remove it. She once even slit my finger unintentionally during that action and I became angry at her and really confused about the entire situation.

My initial reaction was to just not give her the balls anymore.

But I don’t want to keep them from her completely, because I know she loves them so much.

So I decided to work on that with her. 

We can only give the most favorite ones - tennis balls - to her outside or she would wreck the house.

So every time I am on the porch with her and she has the ball, I make this a lesson of trust and fellowship for both of us.

First of all I don’t chase after her for the ball any longer. I let her bring it to me and give it to me and then praise. It can take a moment first, but I think it is an important step to build trust. She always gets the ball back once she gave it to me or I throw it for her to chase after.

During play she usually relaxes increasingly and eventually brings the ball to me and lets go on her own.

When the time comes to finish playtime, that’s usually the hardest part. Every time she has to give the ball away for good I hold a treat ready for her, I show her exactly where the ball is going. So she will not be sad and confused, thinking she lost it. Immediately after that I always walk a small potty round with her to get her mind off the ball. And often I spare bigger treats like rawhide or pigs ears I wanted to give her on that day for the time after we played outside.

So many times even with the “loss” of her ball she can connect good experience. 

I honestly feel like an engineer or something, planning this out so well. But, although I was not completely able to battle that obsessive behavior completely and still have to be careful, we have both found a way now to deal with it and I feel a lot more comfortable doing it.

I hope this helps you realize that we all are at some point struggling with our quirky little ones.

And when I say “don’t give up on your dog” I mean: “Your dog is normal and it will pass OR you will find your ways to deal with it”.