pup being possessive

[brambles 3,460]

I introduced my pup to a bit of ferreting the other week, this was the first time she had seen live quarry, after it had been dispatched the pup went round the warren gathering up the rabbits and standing over them not letting the other dog near them, the pup was quite prepared to defend her rabbits and rather viciously, this all started with the very first rabbit of the day, she has been well socialized and never had to compete for food or affection and has been retrieving dead game, same thing today but with dead rabbits from last night but this time she was really gonna have a go when any of my other dogs approached them, anyone else came across this behaviour and what was the outcome,

[black recking it 730]

I introduced my pup to a bit of ferreting the other week, this was the first time she had seen live quarry, after it had been dispatched the pup went round the warren gathering up the rabbits and standing over them not letting the other dog near them, the pup was quite prepared to defend her rabbits and rather viciously, this all started with the very first rabbit of the day, she has been well socialized and never had to compete for food or affection and has been retrieving dead game, same thing today but with dead rabbits from last night but this time she was really gonna have a go when any of my other dogs approached them, anyone else came across this behaviour and what was the outcome,

type of pup mate i,m sure he wont be long in getting put into his place if he keep,s that up with the older dog,s sure the pecking order will be met atb

[brambles 3,460]

She is a sal/gh x gh/coll/whip, it looks like thats what's gonna happen my old bitch took a couple of snaps off her and then snapped back but that made things worse I had to split them up, take the game out the equation and there is no problem, these two bitches are kennelled together, pup is only 7mths but the body posture and vicious attitude seems serious

[skycat 6,174]

Work her on her own: simple. She may well calm down later as she matures and the sight of dead rabbits isn't such a big deal, but for the moment, she needs to work in a situation which doesn't arouse those possessive instincts. A lot of Saluki types are like that, especially when young, but expecting the older bitch to 'sort her out' won't help anyone at all, and could well divide the two bitches for good. If the pup is already being arsey, do something about it NOW. Or you'll end up with badly damaged or dead dogs.

Bitches are worse than dogs for bearing grudges, and if the pup is showing serious signs of a take over bid, you must either work them separately, or as an interim measure, put all dead rabbits in a game bag, out of sight, and preferably hung in a tree or in a vehicle. Any sign of aggression from the pup: tie her up out of the way or put her in the vehicle: don't hit her or be aggressive towards her, as this will confuse her and damage the relationship between you and her.

 

She sees the rabbits as hers and hers alone: make sure that she knows the rabbits are yours: make her sit a few yards away from them: tell her to leave them alone: don't let her mess around with them or even sniff them once you have dispatched them. Then put them out of sight: they are not hers to guard, they are your rabbits and you don't need any help guarding them thank you!

[albert64 1,882]

as whats already been said, this is the reason you should break a pup on its own, its stops the jealousy and bad habits,

yes they can learn quicker from an older dog but if its in them it'll come out, just takes a bit longer

but you should be stopping the dog doing what its doing, you've allowed it to become dominant over its catch

dont allow another dog to put it in its place, it could be a recipe for dissaster

[brambles 3,460]

One thing I would not do is allow another dog to put the pup in its place, and yes it is always better to start a pup on its own, on the day in question the pup was there only as a spectator, what surprised me the most was how quickly it manifested, the pup had never showed any signs of aggression or being possessive over food, kennel space, toys or retrieving dummies and she had already had carried dead fur and feather, thanks for your input and i will put things in motion to rectify this problem hopefully, thanks again