Growling

[ips]

I have always looked at retrieving as having the dog give you something, as opposed to you trying to take it.

My one gives me phone, remote control, glasses if I need them or not. I have never chastised her for it, not sure if that is correct but retrieves are no issue...

Get her to give you a winning lottery ticket.

Ha

[Lazar]

He's a cocker 2yrs of age the first trainer I took him to all we did was retrieve after retrieve on Sunday I think it was a serious growl, a week last Wednesday I had a 1 to 1 and he was great on Sunday at the group lesson we hunted up in 2's sent him for a blind straight back Brill thought we had cracked it. After that we did directional work and he played up, next hunted a tennis ball straight back, when the other dogs are having there go he is bouncing as if to say when's it my go he never chill's just cant take his eyes off what's going on. We go out on over own and I hunt him trow dummy's around him never moves I pick them up send him for one he plays up put him in a tennis court or the garden straight back just don't know what to do.

[munstyman]

So from your two posts I'm only seeing one growl on Sunday at group training, and two other issues of being unsettled. When you say he played up on directional work, what do you mean? and how did you deal with it? What was done immediately prior to the `growl' retrieve?
You say the dog stayed away and growled, was it moving around you `giving you the eye' or was it laying down mouthing or guarding the retrieve?
Again how was this resolved?
Do you think the dogs growl was directed at you, or was there another dog (s) directly behind you on his return ( if they were excited/motivated as you say he was, you could bet they were staring which can be intimidating from strange dogs )?
While your thinking about those, how do you receive the retrieve, Is your stance fairly formal? do you stare at the dog coming in or avert your eyes? Does the dog `present ' the retrieve or have you been a bit snatchy ( Its easy to pull a whisker and cause an aversion ) In the group session how are you feeling? Are you feeling under pressure to perform ( with every one watching ) ?

[Lazar]

Playing up I mean he growled again he lays down mouthing the dummy and shaking it as I went to take the dummy that's when he growled, I was told to hold him either side of the neck area until he stopped and was licking his lips this didn't take long I let go and he was a bit sheepish getting up. I've started to get a bit snatchy with the retrieve and I do probably stare I think the pressure to perform is just coming from me not from others in the group I just feel now that I'm spoiling the session for everyone that's not saying all the others are perfect.

[munstyman]

From this your trainer is identifying the issue as a `challenge/dominance' issue and using correction as a solution. I'm not seeing the dog first hand, but from your description I'm seeing it as reward issue combined with a stressed out handler. To me the reward for bringing in the retrieve is no longer fun for the dog, so he's moving the boundaries `come and get it...if you dare' . This combined with your body language, which your obviously not as good as disguising as you think you are Is giving him what he wants. Going to the dog is a big No No, and reinforces the game change on his terms, the`sheepish' behaviour after the correction, again is a sign of confusion, which is a good indication that it is not a challenge/dominance ' issue that is behind the growling IMO.
In brief ( I've got to go to work ) I would be returning to a less formal style of fun retrieve, at least until the difficulty of the retrieves presented to the dog make the challenge as much of the fun as your reward for the dog. If the dog does not bring in the retrieve walk away, play with another retrieve yourself , but don't let the dog play. If the dog leaves the his retrieve to come and take yours, don't be tempted to go back and pick it before the dog is back on a lead
As for ruining the training day for others, your focus should be on your own dog. Others will be benefiting from watching `your mistakes', if not then its their loss. A trainer knows if a dog and /or handler is being disruptive to the others in the group and will no doubt tell you, and rearrange for you to attend a different group or 121.
With most dogs training is all about keeping it fun, with cockers fun and frustration go hand in hand, you either learn to love it or your next dog will be boring

[ips]

Far be it for me to offer any advice or even make an observation but my bitch always gives me ball or dummy (or pegged but unharmed water hen but that's another story) with no issues however she often has a little "play" growl with one of her toys in the house and ends up on her back for a tummy rub, I have always considered this to be attention seeking and or playful puppy behaviour. She is 27months so similar age. Not offering this as the cause for the OPs dog growling just "putting it out there"

[Naj]

Yes, sounds very much like a play growl/keep away issue than aggression.

[Judy]

I've got one that growls ferociously when she is bringing me a toy, or something that I need to have before the Mini-Muppet finds it, like socks / underpants etc., but only if there's another dog nearby. She is a soft as butter and has yet to show any signs of aggression other than this growling when carrying. She is 5 and its never progressed beyond growling which is always ignored by the other dogs and me so its a compete waste of her time and energy!

[Rough_mut]

My dog does this when out with my parents dog, as he is constantly hounded by the damn thing, I stopped taking him out with that dog!

Sounds to me from the description like the dog doesn't want to give up the dummy?

This will sound daft, but my dog wants to give up the dummy as it means he gets to hunt again, in the house a different story, he doesn't play fetch in the house he plays his own version of 'I know your not going to let me have this back now' whilst awkwardly wandering round with one of the kids stuffed toys.

Personally I would play a lot of informal fetch, allow run ins and let the dog know if he brings it back, he gets to chase after it again!

RM

[ips]

RM
Yep same as mine, in the house its a game and as I said Imo its a play growl . Maybe the dog isn't getting enough down time.....but what do I know, I am just going off how I read my dog.