Follow-Ups to Answer from Expert Cait

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Ellen wrote at 2007-01-01 15:38:08
I have to disagree with the answer above.  It is NEVER okay for your dog to turn snap, growl or act like its the boss.  He has no right to the bone.  You are the alpha in the pack and he has to know it.  Grab him by the neck, push him to the ground and hold him there until he calms down, then release him, repeat it if he tries to boss you around again.  When he saw the "play" fight between you and your mom, he jumped in to what he thought was a rebellion.  In his mind your mom is now the alpha, and he is the number two dog, you know where that leaves you.  I had to do this with my German Shepard and if I can do it with a GSD, you can do it with a Shih-tzu.  

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kel wrote at 2007-09-28 02:31:41
This might seem kind of weird, but my lhasa apso was doing the same thing. He was very possessive over his treats. One time I was playfully taking his bone from him and he bit me, so I bit him back! I made a growling sound and put my teeth around his cheek (lightly, not hard at all). Ever since then he has NEVER attacked me! You could also try grabbing him by the back of the neck, he won't be able to have control of his neck to bite you so you can show him who's boss!

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