HoneyBear&Hannah Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 (edited) Hello everybody! I have a 15 week old border collie named Honey. She is the apple of my eye but with one big problem! If she Finds something tasty (a dead rat or anything smelly!) she won't come near me, runs off and swallows it whole. Even if i just call her name! I'm afraid one day it'll be something poisonous. Also if I give her a treat such as a chicken neck, if I go to walk near her, she swallows it whole. Even if I'm offering something better. I have tried smaller peices of food and handing bit by bit, but nothing is working. I'm worried she won't learn to "drop it" even if it is something she really wants HELP!! Edited May 25, 2011 by HoneyBear&Hannah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 hello:) You and your puppy need to play the 'swap game' and to do lots of recall training;) swap is something I start really early ... and if pup is carrying a toy, or a sock or a stick.. I make sure I have a little bit of food ,or a better toy ... get pup's attention.. make eye contact, and ask them to "swap"..showing them what I have .. as soon as they drop their prize, they get the special thing to keep ... practise this LOTS ... always making sure you pick up /take gently what pup has in their mouth It is just so useful later on .. and teaches the pup to trust you .. and that giving up something, leads to a nice thing happening Recall training is also something to be practised several times a day ... with pup's dinner as reward, maybe... or a nice toy, or a cuddle .. and the most important thing is to NEVER repriman your pup when it DOES come back to you.NEVER! Whether it has just eaten the leather couch..or pee'd on the bed .. if it comes to you, it is the best dog in the world at that moment and - chicken necks may too small for your pup, if she swallows them whole try her on wings, or turkey necks, to avoid potential choking ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoneyBear&Hannah Posted May 24, 2011 Author Share Posted May 24, 2011 Thanks heaps! Thing is, i have no trouble with getting her to give me her toys or anything else... It's just food! But I'll give it a shot I'll try anything lol. I've cancelled out the chicken necks, she only gets bigger things now, but even that's hard to swap. She's great with dinner, sits & waits till I say she can eat it, it's slow, and is happy for me to take her bowl. She's a mind puzzler lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuffles Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 My girl used to do this too, and I inadvertently made it worse by hovering around her when she had food. She swallowed a few whole chicken wings in the process :p Once I worked out that food swapping was making it worse, I took a slightly different approach with a similar theory. I started feeding her bones in her crate and at first didn't come anywhere near her. At least she couldn't run away in the crate, and was comfortable in there. Then I started sitting just in the same room while she ate. Over the course of a few weeks/months I gradually moved closer to the crate. When I could sit next to her in an open crate without her swallowing the food whole, I would get a handful of kibble, let her eat that out of my hand and go back to her bone. And eventually, I would get her to swap her bone for another piece of food. Now, I let her eat in peace 99% of the time and just do a food swap once in a while. If I get really close or ask her to 'give' she does eat faster, but at least she no longer swallows whole! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoneyBear&Hannah Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 Even better! I will definitely be try this! Thank you so much! I wonder how many people are/have had the same problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 (edited) Yes, another BC owner that had exactly the same problem. Only a hell of a lot worse. I've always had BC's since a child but have never had a puppy with these kind of issues.You never stop learning with a dog. Especially a clever one. I got Stella when she was 12 weeks & she had fierce food resource guarding issues at first (big time) with her prized chicken wing. Any other food/ toy/treat was not a worry.I could take anything else straight out of her mouth. Played the'swap' game with her for a while, during this time on occasion as she saw me approaching, GULP, she would swallow the wing whole only then to vomit it back up & eat it again It did take a bit of time to gain her trust, so she knew I wasn't going to take her favourite thing & I did start to gradually sit / walk around her as well while she was munching away, not neccessarily paying her attention all the time but just being around her doing stuff. This has worked really well for us as now she can just relax & enjoy her food where as before you could tell by her body language she was on edge & just keeping a 'lookout' all of her mealtime. I haven't had anymore issue's with any resource guarding/scoffing. So I used a mixture of all of these methods, patience & plenty of praise. I still supervise all meal times( but out of sight) as I have another BC, who is a very slow eater & she will try to eat his dinner too if I'm not around to guide her back to her bowl.Or keep her amused so my boy can finish his meal in peace. Enjoy your new BC puppy, "Honey" I am presuming she is a red ? I love the breed. I do have a soft spot for the red's. I rescued a beautiful red dog, he was with me for 14.5 years & he was just natures gentlemen & my constant companion. If Honey is anything like my Stella she will keep you on your toes & loving every minute of it You will find this site a wealth of information & everyone is very helpful. Good luck, keep us posted !!! Edited May 25, 2011 by BC Crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvsdogs Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 I had this same problem when I 1st got my bc at nearly 12 weeks old & gave her a chicken wing she snatched it out of my hand & took off with it. I searched the net & the advice given was to hold onto the bone while the pup chewed on the end. While you still have hold of it, it belongs to you & not the pup. She never snatched a bone again & will eat happily in front of me. Not so with our other dog though that is a resource guarder from all pets that have come to our house, which has passed on to Tilba who will gulp her food down if she thinks my cat is around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoneyBear&Hannah Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 Thank youso much! Yes she is a beautiful soft red, I'll post pics one day soon! Practice and patients has defonately begun and I'll keep it posted with her progress. Im just concerned for her health and safety mostly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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