minty growled at me :(

[amymay]

bit of advice please
Last couple of days Ive been in garden with minty Ive been throwing a small cuddly toy about for him so he can have a run around.
He loved it throwing it in the air ect...
When Ive been doing this Ive just walked over no prob and picked it up then carried on playing ......anyway this morning he was playing he then lied down with the toy between his paws i went to pick it up and he growled at me!! and not in a playful way he froze and growled.
I ignored him walked towards him he stood up i moved him away then picked the toy up and carried on playing and all was fine?
I wont lie it did make me slightly nervous as i have a five year old son and I know growls are a warning.
He is not possessive over his food in fact really good him and my other dog will share bed and bowls ;D
Do you think this may just be a one off as he was really excited as never played with a toy before???

[suethejam]

Hi there

Ok, I know you will get a lot of advice on this, but I will make a start....

New hounds are still finding their way in the pack and will try it on a little bit when excited or have a particularly desirable treat (like a new toy).

Within reason you need to establish your leadership by asserting yourself and not showing fear. Usually a sharp "no" or similar command and taking the toy away will achieve the desired effect. I like Cesar Milan (I know many don't) and he favours a "shhhh" sound and a little tap/jab (NOT NOT HITTING) to distract them from the undesirable behaviour.

Don't let him get away with carrying on playing after growling - that way he'll think he's in charge! Make sure that you control access to the toy so that he plays (or not) at your pleasure.

I can strongly recommend training classes which I have found very helpful for establishing a pack discipline.

My boy Ty, the gentlest and most passive of all hounds, sometimes growls if he really wants to carry my shoes out into the garden and I try to take them off him. I tap him gently on the nose with one finger, tell him "no" and take the shoe off him - he gets the message and it's usually several weeks before he forgets and tries to take my shoes out again!

I hope that helps....

[amymay]

thanks for the reply
I read up a bit on his as well as want to get this right, What I read said to distract him with maybe a treat then hold the toy while doing this then give it back just so he gets used to the fact that just because im picking it up dosnt mean im stealing it.
Im very firm with no as he is a terrible fridge ,counter and bin surfer lol! And he,s now getting the idea slowly.
Apart from this he is the perfect dog amazing out on the lead you forget hes there and clean in the house but totally food mad!!!!!!!

[suethejam]

Minty is Ty's half-brother - Ty is food mad as well and a proper food thief....

[amymay]

Ha ha your family lovely!
Pleased to hear its not just Minty he gets manic over the thought of maybe getting something to eat!!!!
Saying that makes them so much easyier to train when they love a treat

[sueb]

Hi
Agree with other Sue, they are establishing the pack (which we are a v important part of) so we do need to quickly let them know that we are top dog (with all members of the family being in the hierarchy and above them, including your son) and they are subservient to that. Agree that you control the toy and a loud NO gives a v clear message which they learn quickly.

I personally think it’s almost inevitable that there will be some issues in the first few weeks, as Greys have an awful lot of things to get used to, having only ever lived in kennels before. But they learn v quickly and they are certainly NOT a challenging breed. Like children they need to know the rules and once they've learnt this in their new situation will feel secure and want to please the top dog(s).

I’m sure Minty will settle down.
Good luck.

[prince]

prince use to growl and freeze at me when we played ball, i use to hold his collar take the ball out of his mouth, and after a few tries of this he was fine. now i can take the ball off him and we trust each other. i can even feed him a treat from my mouth.