Can you teach dogs to "share"?

[SamSpade]

That's pretty much it - it was cute when they were little. They don't fight much, but they take each other's stuff and the only time they DO "share" is when they just don't care one way or the other. I'm just wondering if "sharing" is a concept a little difficult for dogs.

 

[Jameo]

My 2 are just like kids, if one is playing with it, the other MUST have it! My solution, buy 2 of everything :shrug:

 

[SamSpade]

.

We have 2 Puppies (right now) yesterday the "Boss" got them each a (peanut butter flavored) Bone.

the 2 were going nuts last night, because instead of each having their own bone, they wanted whatever one the other had instead. and spent the ENTIRE night going back and forth taking it from each other.

That's what mine do. It was cute when they were little balls of fuzz, but as the male gets bigger than the female, he tends to just take her stuff. Ironically, when they were smaller, SHE was the primary instigator, so some of this is payback.

That's not to say she doesn't give as good as she gets - but most of the time, she plays on his territoriality in order to get him to chase her - her favorite game. This weekend, she came right up to him and dropped a chew near him, taunting him to come steal it. When he got up, she grabbed it and ran away from him, waiting for him to chase her.

 

[SamSpade]

My 2 are just like kids, if one is playing with it, the other MUST have it! My solution, buy 2 of everything :shrug:

We do - but it doesn't usually work. One of them always wants the one the other one has. But they don't "share". If there's ten of the same thing, they each want all ten. Not five apiece.

 

[Chrystee]

Mine are the same way.. Except my girl is the bully.

She will have 3 nylabones and a ball laying by her, but let my boy start chomping on his own nylabone,and here she comes.

Sometimes, I will say NO, and take it back from her and give it back to my boy. Usually she will sulk away and go back to her 3 nylabones.. looking over longingly at the one bone that my boy has.

 

[vraiblonde]

No, I don't think you can teach dogs to share. They're pack animals and dominance/pecking order is how they establish structure within their group.

 

[PelyKat]

No, I don't think you can teach dogs to share. They're pack animals and dominance/pecking order is how they establish structure within their group.

Yeah, my hubby is a Vet. and he says I have to just give up on the sharing thing. I buy three of anything for my two dogs. For them that is usually enough. But not always.

 

[SamSpade]

No, I don't think you can teach dogs to share. They're pack animals and dominance/pecking order is how they establish structure within their group.

It's what I thought, but I was hoping someone had an idea I hadn't thought of. It's annoying to see the male hoard all the chew toys - and not even chew on them himself.

It also plays out in jealousy. They don't like for one of them to get attention from us, and not get it themselves. And it's the same thing, too - if I show attention to one, it doesn't matter that my wife is giving attention to the other - we both "belong" to them. It's not just "this is MY mommy" it's also "and that's my daddy and stay the hell away - ok, I'm coming over there". Most of the time, they're content enough or can be consoled enough to not get jealous. Last night, my wife was clipping their nails and as the vet showed us, distract them enough either with a treat or lots of attention, and they won't care. So I do know if they're contented enough, they don't fuss.

I'm basically a little worried about our adoption which is looming. I've heard that dogs can be enormously jealous of children. It's one thing for them not to share with themselves but children are going to make it more complicated, because in the whole dominance structure, they're simply bigger than the children - for a while.

 

[desertrat]

It's what I thought, but I was hoping someone had an idea I hadn't thought of. It's annoying to see the male hoard all the chew toys - and not even chew on them himself.

It also plays out in jealousy. They don't like for one of them to get attention from us, and not get it themselves. And it's the same thing, too - if I show attention to one, it doesn't matter that my wife is giving attention to the other - we both "belong" to them. It's not just "this is MY mommy" it's also "and that's my daddy and stay the hell away - ok, I'm coming over there". Most of the time, they're content enough or can be consoled enough to not get jealous. Last night, my wife was clipping their nails and as the vet showed us, distract them enough either with a treat or lots of attention, and they won't care. So I do know if they're contented enough, they don't fuss.

I'm basically a little worried about our adoption which is looming. I've heard that dogs can be enormously jealous of children. It's one thing for them not to share with themselves but children are going to make it more complicated, because in the whole dominance structure, they're simply bigger than the children - for a while.

Sharing toys with the child, a whole new problem.

 

[Larry Gude]

Well...

That's what mine do. It was cute when they were little balls of fuzz, but as the male gets bigger than the female, he tends to just take her stuff. Ironically, when they were smaller, SHE was the primary instigator, so some of this is payback.

That's not to say she doesn't give as good as she gets - but most of the time, she plays on his territoriality in order to get him to chase her - her favorite game. This weekend, she came right up to him and dropped a chew near him, taunting him to come steal it. When he got up, she grabbed it and ran away from him, waiting for him to chase her.

..that's nature!

 

[cattitude]

Have you taught them the "leave it" command?

 

[LordStanley]

My 2 are just like kids, if one is playing with it, the other MUST have it! My solution, buy 2 of everything :shrug:

I tried that with ours... It didnt work....

Rocko (min doxi) is playing with toy #1. toy #2 (exact same toy is in the basket)
Jack (shepard mix) will take toy#1 from Rocko, run around the house and make rocko chase him.
When Rocko gets bored, Jack will come over to where rocko is sitting and dangle the toy infornt of him....... Jack is such an instigator.

They dont fight over the toys, but almost play tug-a-war..

Now I have seen them fight over bones or pigs ears.... Thats when Rocko get the best of Jack. Even though he is small, he dosent take any sh!t

Jack just wants to play, rocko want to eat his bone

 

[vraiblonde]

Have you taught them the "leave it" command?

My friend has a new puppy, a King Cavalier Spaniel, and she's trying to teach him "leave it".



She doesn't think the puppy's reaction is nearly as amusing as I do.

 

[cattitude]

My friend has a new puppy, a King Cavalier Spaniel, and she's trying to teach him "leave it".



She doesn't think the puppy's reaction is nearly as amusing as I do.

It's a fun command to teach. Most of my dogs know "drop it." But when I was working in class on the leave it, it was hilarious to see what motivated different dogs. Biscuit could have cared less about the cookie, but if it was a squeaky toy, he would look at me..look at the toy..look at me..look at the toy. He would listen but he would actually roll his eyes at me and then fuss at me...which is also not allowed.

Abbey is a real brat but when she is "working," she is dead on. I can put her in a sit/wait and tug and tug on her leash from the front, back and sides and she won't budge until she gets the release command of "okay."

 

[Speedy70]

It's a fun command to teach. Most of my dogs know "drop it." But when I was working in class on the leave it, it was hilarious to see what motivated different dogs. Biscuit could have cared less about the cookie, but if it was a squeaky toy, he would look at me..look at the toy..look at me..look at the toy. He would listen but he would actually roll his eyes at me and then fuss at me...which is also not allowed.

Abbey is a real brat but when she is "working," she is dead on. I can put her in a sit/wait and tug and tug on her leash from the front, back and sides and she won't budge until she gets the release command of "okay."

My Dad's dog (lab/shepherd mix) was trained the 'leave it' command. He's excellent at it. If only we could get him to stop licking everybody.

 

[DoWhat]

My Dad's dog (lab/shepherd mix) was trained the 'leave it' command. He's excellent at it. If only we could get him to stop licking everybody.

My dogs know the leave it command, especially when we go for walks in the neighborhood. We leave things behind us.

 

[desertrat]

My dogs know the leave it command, especially when we go for walks in the neighborhood. We leave things behind us.

My dog will pee on command. I'll let her out and she'll walk around sniffing for ever until I say :name of dog: go pee. Then she does. My dog when I was a kid would sneeze on command. (If you had a cookie)

 

[Speedy70]

My dogs know the leave it command, especially when we go for walks in the neighborhood. We leave things behind us.

ooperscooper:

 

[SamSpade]

My friend has a new puppy, a King Cavalier Spaniel, and she's trying to teach him "leave it".



She doesn't think the puppy's reaction is nearly as amusing as I do.

I'd never heard of "leave it". I will have to try that.

 

[SamSpade]

My Dad's dog (lab/shepherd mix) was trained the 'leave it' command. He's excellent at it. If only we could get him to stop licking everybody.

Yeah, the male does that - he will lick any bit of exposed skin. Another thing we're trying to teach them is shaking off water from the pool. Most of the time, we've got them so they will only shake right outside the porch, but they still do it a second time later on.