Puppy Snapping

[fruitsalad]

My 9 month old puppy still picks up rubbish on our walks, on this evenings walk
he had his head down and I noticed he had a cake wrapper in his mouth, I went to take it off him and he snapped at my hand, how can I nip this is the bud...so to speak.

[woofgang]

fruitsalad you need to teach him swapsies. What is the most delicious food to him? The one thing he will do just about ANYTHING for? Well you get some of this and wait until he is playing with a toy...something he likes to chew or mouth...call him very excitedly and offer a bit of this favourite yummy treat praise him and let him go back to the toy. Next step once he has twigged that this is an easy way of getting jackpot treatment is to go and pick the toy up, praise and reward then give the toy back...then when he has that nailed, do it with his lead on praise and reward and lead him away from the toy, no force, no insistence just show the reward and call him away. when he moves away praise reward release. Then start adding a word to the game...anything you like.....Once he has this nailed, then try it outside...BE VIGILANT....you can't be texting, chatting, looking around, you MUST be watching the dog. If you are out in the dark use a torch! As soon as you see him go towards something he will pick up, use your game word very excitedly and when he looks at you praise like crazy and reward. Repeat repeat repeat. Swapsies is a useful game because at some point your darling dog will pick up your expensive new shoe, a library book, something dangerous like a knife or scissors or even a pair of glasses....and then you will be so grateful that you taught him to swap!

[woofgang]

PS he snaps because he is scared....You are taking something valuable away from him....its called resource guarding....if he learns that whenever you ask him for something, he will get something much more valuable in return, the fear goes away.....insist or try to force him to give it up and you are setting him up to do more than snap :(

[fruitsalad]

Thank you woof I will start that this evening.

[woofgang]

let us know how you get on....best not to start until you have got the favourite treat sorted out and practice indoors before moving into real life

[fruitsalad]

I do have the treats, it's worrying me because if I'm not quick enough he eats whatever he picks up.

[woofgang]

That's why you need to practice indoors....he needs to understand the game and be virtually 100% happy to swap before you try it outside. Outside the temptation factor will be as high as it gets. Try hard to keep him away from rubbish when you are out and ignore the behaviour as much as is safe. It might even be sensible to give up the evening walk for a few days so that he has no opportunity to practice the behaviour you don't want.

[ToraToraTora]

Not a jack russell by any chance is he?

[fruitsalad]

No Tora hes a Shipoo...Shitzu x minature Poodle

[ethandron]

Our twelve month old cockapoo does exactly the same, fruitsalad, although he is getting better and realising that some of the junk he picks up when out for a walk just isn't very interesting and spits it out.
The swapsies that Wolfgang suggests works really well but you really do have to be vigilant. I've lost a pair of brand new specs to him, and during the warm weather when the back door was always open he regularly dragged a cushion into the garden. Boxes of tissues are another favourite, we still can't trust him with one but have to keep the box on the mantelpiece.
I've been assured he will eventually become civilised ;)