The Case of the Treat-Grabbing Puppy

A listener, Sandy, writes about the trouble she’s having when she tries to teach her puppy to lie down – well, not exactly! Georgia Pup will lie down, all right. It’s everything else she does at the same time that gives Sandy agita. Check this out:

“Dear Dog Trainer,

I have been making Georgia lie down by putting my hand on the ground (with the treat) and backing it up until she lies down. But all she does is freak out and attack my hand until she gets the treat. Then she starts rolling around and standing back up. The second I take my hand off the ground, she is jumping at my hand looking for another treat. I have been trying for the last two days to train her with just praise and no treat and she is still attacking my hand. She’s an 11-week-old yellow Lab. Please help! 

Sandy”

This week, how to work with the Treat-Grabbing Puppy.

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Sandy’s having problems here because she’s really trying to teach Georgia several behaviors at once. There’s lying down on cue – that’s the behavior Sandy’s focused on. There’s taking treats politely instead of grabbing. And there’s a more nebulous one that we could, roughly, call Not Acting Like a Maniac for Just 5 Seconds. I say “5 seconds” because Georgia’s 11 weeks old, and we can’t expect too much calm focus from her at that age.

Dealing with Treat-Grabbing

For a puppy or an untrained dog, waiting politely for a treat to be delivered to the mouth, and taking it gently when it arrives, are skills all their own. Many dogs learn them easily, in the context of other training, but Labrador Retrievers aren’t nicknamed Labrasharks for nothing! (Not that other dogs can’t be just as grabby too.)

In dealing with a grabby puppy, remember that she is a puppy, and that it’s normal for her patience to be limited. The same goes for a dog who hasn’t had much in the way of manners lessons. So don’t hesitate in delivering the treat – give it to your dog promptly, or you may unintentionally tease her with it. Also, people sometimes accidentally teach grabbiness along with teaching a puppy to sit; this happens when they offer the treat so that the puppy has to get up out of the sit to reach it, or when the puppy gets up for the treat as it approaches and the person then delivers the treat as the puppy moves forward to it.

Instead, make sure you bring the treat right to the puppy’s mouth so she doesn’t have to reach for it. If she does get up, don’t allow her to take the treat; instead, encourage her to sit again, and deliver the treat when her heinie hits the floor. Sometimes it works to withdraw the treat and wait for the puppy to figure out that she has to sit to get it delivered. But if you try this two or three times and your puppy keeps bouncing up, she’s just getting frustrated and not learning what you want her to; instead, use the treat to lure her into sitting. That way your hand is right at her mouth to begin with. After a few reps, try luring her with your empty hand; use your other hand to deliver the treat from behind your back.

Dealing with a Sharky Mouth

As for those sharky little teeth, check out my episode called Puppy Nipping for general pointers on teaching your puppy not to treat your body like her own personal chew toy. To teach her, specifically, to take food with a gentle mouth, here’s a time-honored strategy: Hold a treat between your fingers and offer it to your pup. Grabbalini will grab for it, as per usual, but you’re just going to hang on, right up until the moment when she gives up on trying to chew her way through your fingers. She might lick at the treat or just rest her mouth against it – anything but chomping on you is fine. The instant she stops with the teeth, open your fingers and release the food. Repeat until your puppy gets the message to keep her mouth gentle.

Now, this obviously can get to be hard on your fingertips if your puppy’s is especially persistent or has strong jaws for her age. Try wearing a glove – remember, this is just a temporary measure! It can also help to use plain kibble for your first no-sharking lessons, because it’s less exciting than most treats. And try holding lessons after a meal, so hunger doesn’t increase the motivation to grab.

It’s Easier for a Tired Pup to Practice Self-Control

Once Georgia has learned to wait for a treat and to take it gently when it arrives, she’s prepared to do these same things while she learns to lie down on cue. Puppies act like maniacs because everything’s new, everything’s exciting, and they have all the energy on the planet plus a short attention span. Yellow Labs have a reputation for being less high-speed than black Labs and, especially, chocolate Labs, so Sandy can be thankful for that much. For any young, energetic dog, it can be a challenge to learn behaviors that require impulse control or holding still – like a down that lasts longer than it takes to grab your human and pop right back up again.

Georgia will have an easier time learning to hold still for more than a nanosecond without bouncing, rolling, and grabbing if she’s relaxed and somewhat tired to begin with. Sandy can help by scheduling training sessions after Georgia has had some play and exercise. And, even though puppy lessons usually need to be kept short, she can try playing with the order in which she teaches: see if Georgia can focus better on the down after she’s had some practice targeting, or looking at Sandy on cue.

That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading! As always, you can write to me at dogtrainer@quickanddirtytips.com. I get so many questions that I can’t respond individually, but check out past episodes at quickanddirtytips.com/dog-trainer – I might already have answered yours. And please visit me on Facebook, where I’m The Dog Trainer.

And if you’d like to have a handy guide for training your puppy, or adult dog, check out my book The Dog Trainer’s Complete Guide to a Happy, Well-behaved Pet. It’s chock full of tips to raise a well-mannered, sociable dog who likes to play and cuddle, but doesn’t chew up your favorite shoes or chase children.

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