YOGI BITES

[chow315]

took yogi last week to vet to get shots. sent home with tranquilizers. took to vet today used pills. still tried to bite.gave more pills and waited.did everything finally got rabies shot after self and hubby being bitten. vet says dog was very abused before us.we omly gave the pills because former owner says NOW yogi has never been to vet. doing all we can to help and love this dog.sometimes its hard because of the very aggressive behavior.our other 2 dogs are very gentle. any help is welcome

[Me & Tess]

It is going to take a lot of work on your family's part to bring Yogi around. Unfortunately, some chows go thru abuse when an owner does not understand the breed. Then the poor chow is passed on to someone else. The damage that was done can be undone. My own Lilly was passed on. She attacked me one year ago April. I listened to all advise given and had to pick our own path. One of the first things we did after the attack was to get Lilly a muzzle. We have only used it a few times and she hates it. We used it at the vet's to get her shots & a second time to get her toes clipped. We have used it a couple of times when she was "reactive." And then a couple of other times just showing her it made her calm down. She even understands the "M" word & it ruins her day. I have also used a light weight throw blanket to cover her, once I held her while covered when we had a tech fix one of our appliances, she low growled the whole time. We also gave her her own space. I am not a proponent of "crating," but she has "safe" places; behind our bed, next to and behind special chairs or sofa. From the beginning I have given Lilly hugs & now she relishes them, expects them & totally relaxes while I am holding her. I gave up the phrase "Bad Lilly" and I give her lots of praise when she does something really good. I also give her home made treats as a reward. We made the decision to NOT use tranquilizers, they are not good for Chows. I did give her melatonin, one tab three times a day, and now I only give her one with her evening meal. We have had her 17 months now. It took her a little over a year for her to let me brush her. I gave her time, because she had to learn to trust in her own time. I swear now she gets sweeter every day. She loves to please, growls less & wags her tail more. She joins the family in the evening & I even let her get on the couch with me, she only stays a short time. The most important thing I wanted for her was to be a happy Chow. Remember you are a "pack." The pack has leaders & you and your family must be the leaders. This will take time. One of the members told me that it could take a year for Lilly to change. It has taken longer and Lilly is still changing. Have patience and be kind to your Chow boy. (I also do not believe in pinning.)

[Me & Tess]

I just wanted to add, I cried lots of tears in the beginning. It was very frustrating and it made me wonder about why we adopted Lilly. No one told us about her beginnings. Now I know what we did was the right thing and Lilly has a forever home with us. Please don't give up on Yogi.

[chow315]

WE ARE NOT GIVING UP ON YOGI. WE LOVE HIM AS MUCH AS HE WILL ALLOW.we always say good yogi and take him out as often as possible.we were trying to get a muzzle on him when he bit us. he is very afraid and very food aggressive. he will allow us to pet him some but no bathing or brushing he will try to bite. we do think he is making progress.i think there is a gentle yogi underneath all the fear.

[ChowServant]

Our first chow, BooBoo, was overly aggressive when around food when we first adopted him. The technique that helped most was intensive bonding - my wife kept him on a short leash by her side day in and day out for weeks. We also play lots of food-oriented games with him in which he doesn't get the treat until he shows restraint and we tell him it is OK to go get the treat. We still need to separate our dogs by closed doors/gates when feeding them, but I can (usually) take food out of his mouth now. We've been working on his food manners for 7 years now.

[Rory's Dad]

Work on that food aggression. It's the most basic of instincts for Chows and potentially the most disruptive.

Only provide him with half a serving. Wait for him to finish it and then get his attention. Pick up the bowl and let him see you putting the rest into the bowl. Command him to sit, stay, down, whatever you choose and then give him the rest.

He will learn that you are his provider of food. Make him work for it (just a bit is OK). He can't just get it for free. He will also see that there is no threat to his food supply if you interrupt him. He will have food and there is no need to protect the bowl.

My dogs have been trained this way since puppyhood. I speak the word 'More', and they both will back up even if there is still food in the bowl. I can pick the bowl up, clank it with a spoon, or ask them to lie down and stay. They know that if they are still hungry they wont be deprived.

They still get excited to eat, but the bowl isnt put down until they follow a basic command...sit, speak, paw, whatever. I mix it up a bit just so they dont get bored.

[chow315]

he bites at almost everything. we are trying. he is a real struggle

[chunkymonkeys]

Chow315,
Hang in there, I can see your frustration and love for Yogi despite his behavior. I wish there was a way we could tell them "Look, trust us a little and we can work anything out". Keep venting on this site because we understand the behaviors and quirks of Chows, and love them to bits!

[Cam Atis]

If he bites into everything, maybe try to look at what you are doing. Maybe he is overwhelmed by all the attention which he is not at ease with. Try ignoring him sometimes. Chows like to be alone and you just have to give him space and let him be most of the days except during time that you need to inject your training in his daily routine and feeding is a good time to inject such training. It will take you a long time and I admire you despite being bitten.

[Cindy J]

One of my dogs was very food aggressive, actually she is very possessive over many items. For the food we taught her that she does not need to worry that we are going to take her food away. I set up her bowl in a quiet area and filed it with half of her meal. As she was eating I would toss in yummy bits of baked chicken. Fist from a distance and over time moving in closer until one day I was able to stand over her while she ate and drop in more yummy food. She learned from this that having me near her bowl was actually rewarding not threatening.

Now when I walk up she will pause to see if I have any treats. Sometimes I do and I let her take them gently from my open hand. After we got past the fear that I was going to take food away, she stopped growling when I was near her bowl. For the record I NEVER take my dogs food away. I do not want to set a precedent of them stressing about it. If I ever NEED to pick up their bowl I would offer them something better in trade.

[ski]

With time will come trust and you WILL make a difference. All of our dogs have been rescues and they have all presented challenges. Our two chows,Loki and Frisco each had issues. Frisco was food aggressive and Loki had trust issues. It took dedication but it was so worth it! We love them both and can't imagine life without them. Chows take longer than other breeds to bond. Hang in there!!!!!!

[TyChowgirl]

The key to all of this is Time. It will take time for him to trust you and become a balanced chow. But whatever new things you do with him, feeding, brushing, bathing etc. You have to take time. Let him go at his own pace which takes loads of patience. It's tough to take a 5
Minute task or less and have to slate an hour for it. Hang in there


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[kingalls]

When dealing with these types of behavior challenges - it is time and plenty of patience to overcome it - for both you and your furkid. So many years ago, it took a patient 6 months before our Chowgirl, Shiloh, would let us pet her with our hands. You can do it.