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What Does Food Aggression Look Like?

August 27, 2013

Do you know what food aggression looks like in dogs?

Schooner eats his food, spilling little kibbles out onto the floor. His maw, expansive as it is, has quite droopy sides and a few of those little kibbles find their way to the floor.

The cat notices and takes a few steps toward the bowl and the smattering of slobber-softened kibbles. She tentatively tastes one, deems it delicious, and continues to move forward kibble by mushy kibble.

Schoooner’s keeping an eye on her, head buried in his bowl. He isn’t moving his head, but his eyes follow the kitty’s every move. As she gets almost up to the bowl, he freezes, lowers his head just a bit more, and gives her the deepest growl he can muster.

“Stay AWAY from my bowl,” the growl tries to communicate.

Undeterred, the kitty remains directly under Schooner’s head, lazily eating the treats that have slipped out of Schooner’s mouth.

Finally, Schooner can’t take it any longer and lunges toward the kitty with a bark that rattles the windows. Kitty scampers off to the back room, back to where her own food bowl sits (with food in it, I might add).

This scene would repeat itself until Schooner finished his dinner if I allowed it. It seems comical if you don’t know that you’re watching a dog practice — and get better at — food-bowl aggression.

Food aggression, aka Resource Guarding

Technically, it’s called resource guarding. Schooner is guarding a highly prized resource, his food, from cat thievery. The cat will actually steal his food. She’s on a diet and she’ll take food any way she can get it, even if she has to risk the wrath of a dog 30x her size.

It’s perfectly normal for any animal (or human) to guard a valuable resource. (Have you seen people fight over a parking spot around holiday time? This is a version of resource guarding in humans.) It’s not necessarily appropriate, though.

I mean, I don’t want Schooner to develop the habit of growling to move the cat (or other dogs, or people) away from his food bowl. Now that I’ve noticed this habit, I’ve got a plan for how to deal with food guarding.

How to Deal with Food Aggression

First, I’ve got to contain the kitty so she can’t come in and steal Schooner’s food. If I can eliminate the thief, I’ve eliminated the threat. No threat = no guarding.

Next, I’ve got to change Schooner’s thought process about the kitty coming near his food. Schooner and the other dogs get snacks throughout the day and there are lots of opportunities for the cat to investigate the latest snack, even when the dogs aren’t eating their meals. So, whenever the cat comes around when I’m handling food (whether it’s dog food, people food, etc.), I’m going to give Schooner a little something extra.

By giving him something extra because the cat came near will help turn around Schooner’s feelings toward the kitty. Kitty will soon = treats! The quicker I can get this message across, the sooner Schooner will enjoy the cat coming closer.

Notice that nowhere have I recommended correcting or punishing the dog (or cat) for guarding (or stealing) the food. Often, paying attention to the problem (even to correct the dog) only lets the dog know that that behavior really works.

Paying attention to the dog and telling him what you do want him to do will work wonders and will help solve your problem!

Your turn: Does your dog have a favorite toy or chew that he guards from you? From other dogs? From cats? Let us know by leaving a comment below!

We’re God Parents!

July 29, 2013

I’ve never yearned to be a god parent. I don’t have brothers or sisters, so the chance of me being one was slim to none anyway, but I’m just not the kind of person to be voted god parent.

I mean, I guess I could do it if the kid was like 17 years old, gainfully employed, and going off to college in the fall. Other than that, I’m not god parent material.

At least to a kid.

But I’m not a kid’s god parent. I’m a dog’s god parent! Technically, my husband and I are the god parents to this particular dog, but this is my blog and my story. So we’ll leave him out of it for the purposes of this post.

Go ahead, laugh if you will. And then leave. Because this blog’s not for you, for I am very serious about my excitement and seriousness of god parenthood for dogs.

I think everyone should have plans in place for their dog if the inevitable happens and your dog is left people-less. Ideally, this will be put in a legal document like a will or a living trust or some other official document. I’m not an attorney, so don’t rely on me for advice on how to do this — consult your favorite legal eagle, I’m a dead end in that department.

Back to the real story — god parenthood. We were asked to be god parents to a dog we’ve helped raise. Quite a few pups have come through our house (we’re on #15 to be exact), and this is the first time we’ve been tapped to be the alternative if the worst should happen.

When we were asked, the asker said “take your time, talk it over with Dana, and get back to us. No pressure.” I was at the airport picking up my luggage from a recent trip and immediately wrote back on my phone “Yes.”

I didn’t have to think about it. I didn’t have to talk it over with Dana. The answer is YES. Thinking about it would only confirm my answer, and talking about it with my husband would only confirm his answer: YES.

This is what’s known as a no-brainer. Of course we’ll be god parents. There’s no way we wouldn’t be god parents. My life is now complete. I am a god parent.

It’s funny how something you never ever thought about and never expected can make you feel so good.

Your Turn: Are you a god parent to a dog? Do you have provisions made for your pets — just in case? Please leave a comment and let us know!

Shock Collars: Necessary or Not?

July 17, 2013

All of us who love dogs wouldn’t intentionally cause them pain. They are our true friends. Our faithful friends. Unconditional love.

Your dog’s unabashed love for you is one of the reasons you love your dog so much. Your dog wears his heart on his sleeve and he’s definitely in love with you, you, you! The way he greets you when you walk in the door, the always faithful walking companion, and the dog that needs his head on your shoe when he hangs out with you.

I talk to people everyday who love their dog like this. These folks delight in their dog. And their dog returns the emotion ten-fold.

When the talk turns to training, though, I occasionally hear things like “stubborn,” “hard headed,” and “corrections.”

This is the same dog who can’t wait for you to walk through the door, right? The dog that would walk over hot coals to get to you, yes? The dog whose devotion is unmatched?

So why the double-talk?

It’s because for so many years we didn’t know better and we didn’t really know how to teach dogs how to do what we asked.

We just strong armed them into doing it and we considered that a success. And success begets more “success,” — or, really, more strong-arming. The more it looks like making a dog do something works well, the more we tend to do it.

Thanks to the new studies on the canine mind, we’re learning that the old fashioned way — punishment, corrections, shock — are not really the fastest and easiest way to train our dog.

Teaching the dog what you’d like him to do, then noticing and rewarding him when he does is actually the fastest way to teach a dog something — anything!

Which should make all dog owners delirious with delight. No longer do you have to use corrections, prong collars, shock collars, e-collars, or stim-collars.

Deep down you didn’t want to do it anyway, but it’s the way dogs had always been trained, and you may not have known there was another way.

Think about how much you love your dog. How much your dog loves you. Teach your dog like you love your dog.

Train Your Dog Like You Love Him

June 28, 2013

I’ve loved dogs since I was a little girl. I’ve always had dogs. I chose to make dogs my profession. Not because it’s lucrative (it isn’t) or because it’s easy (it isn’t that either). But because I want dogs to have the most fantastic life possible.

Dogs don’t get to choose where they live or how they’re treated. They don’t get any say in how — or even if — they’re taught how to behave.

Their entire life is in the hands of their owner.

Think about that for a moment. Their entire life. Every decision. Every consequence. Not up to them.

I started my training career using old-fashioned methods: I used a choke chain, I scolded, I corrected. I would also use praise, too, but relied most heavily on “fixing” what the dog was doing wrong.

I earned my M.A. in psychology and in doing so was immersed in the laws of behavior and learning. With this knowledge, I realized every living being with a brain learns the exact same way:

We repeat what works for us. This changed the way I looked at my dogs.

I quit looking for (and correcting) what my dogs were doing wrong. And oh! Did I start having a much better time with my dogs! I began catching my dogs when they were doing things I liked. Turns out, they very often did things that were good, but because I was so busy looking for the bad things, I didn’t even notice all the good.

I’ve sent silent apologies to all the dogs with whom I’ve crossed paths for the way I treated them back then. For the times when I didn’t understand how to teach them what they needed to know. For the countless times I used corrections instead of instruction. For all the confusion they experienced because of my lack of knowledge.

Back then, I didn’t know there was a better way. I was doing the best I could. That’s what fuels me now. When we know better, we do better. My mission is to reach as many dog owners as I can and show them how they can love their four-legged best friend and have a great life together. And it’s all about training.

So while I wouldn’t trade this job for any other, when I see dog owners asking their friends for advice to fix their dog’s problems and read answers like “squirt him with water,” or “the electronic collar worked wonders,” it makes my heart hurt. The dog isn’t “being bad” on purpose. He’s not trying to push the owner’s buttons. There’s almost always a reason for the behavior. Dealing with that bad behavior using corrections isn’t fair.

The simple solution almost always involves teaching the dog to do what you want him to do. And very rarely is the solution to punish, correct, scold, or discipline.

Here’s what I know: you love your dog. You don’t want to do mean things to your dog, you probably just don’t know what to do. In the absence of any other information, people resort to the one thing they do know: get rid of the bad behavior.

I’m here to tell you there is a better way. A way that will teach your dog what you want him to do. That in the very doing, will get rid of the bad stuff. You love your dog — train him like you love him.

This blog is full of easy, fun, and effective solutions to problem behaviors. Take a look around. Leave a comment on a post if you have a question. I want to help you love your dog even more than you do already. A little training goes a long way.

Dog Safety: Mirrors Break Easily

June 25, 2013

Mirror, mirror on the wall, why did you have to fall?

The best lessons are learned the hard way. This lesson could have been a lot harder to learn and I’m thankful no dogs were injured.

I’ve got a full-length mirror on the back of my bedroom door. It’s a recent addition — it’s only been up about six months. I didn’t give a second thought to the placement of the mirror; it made perfect sense to put it on the back of the bedroom door (or so I thought).

What I didn’t consider are the dogs. The bedroom has been their “crate” now that the Dane is too big for his actual crate and he can’t be trusted with very much freedom. I failed to consider that the dogs might play together while their “crated” in the bedroom. Or that maybe, in their exuberance, they might jump on the door when they hear me return home.

I understand my thinking: all of our dogs are aging — ours are 11, 10, and almost 8 years old. I failed to consider the adolescent Dane. He’s big. He’s clumsy. And when he gets wound up, he can almost take down a wall. Hindsight shows me clearly that the mirror stood very little chance of survival.

Then, add another adolescent Great Dane to the mix. We’re watching the sweet Siena (now Gracie) — which is just heaven (another blog post coming on that). Those two dogs are like wrecking balls on four legs!

The Danes were apparently goofing off — wrestling, chasing, body slamming. It happens frequently, and I’ve never given it a second thought. Until the mirror broke.

Panic!

Don’t move, dogs. Don’t move.

The shards were swept and vacuumed and are safely wrapped in newspaper and in the garbage now. But the vision of shredded paws, veins sliced open, and blood everywhere literally haunts me. What if one of them (or all of them) had gotten cut? Or a piece of glass stuck? My god, the nightmares…

The moral of the story: look at everything in your house with a fresh eye and answer the question “Could this hurt my dog(s) if it got broken?” If your dogs have access to kitchen and pantry areas, ask yourself “What would happen if my dog got into the cabinets or the pantry?” There are A LOT of things that could hurt your dog if they get into them. Glass shards are but one of the many things.

I’m thankful that I learned a lesson and the only cost was a full-length mirror. I’m not sure where it’s replacement will go, but I know it won’t go on the back of my bedroom door again.

What’s your biggest a-ha moment or “crisis averted” story? Please share your lessons learned, I think we can all learn from one another!

My “Take Your Dog to Work Day” is a Little Different

June 21, 2013

The first Take Your Dog to Work Day was in 1999. We’ve come a long way, baby! 300 companies participated in that first year. Now, thousands of companies are having dogs at work today!

Rocky, labrador, service dog, service dog in-training

Rocky, the Original

I started taking a dog to work in 2001. Rocky, our first service dog in-training, came to work with me every day at the Federal office where my husband and I worked.

It wasn’t easy — I was dealing with the Federal government and a dog in the workplace. But after some help from a Federal attorney in Florida who took his service dog in training to work with him every day, the government finally allowed the service dog in training on campus every day. There was an initial flurry of interest, but pretty soon Rocky and I were a familiar sight and no one gave us another look.

That’s not entirely true. There was a particularly stressful time when our agency had to perform layoffs. Almost every employee was at risk, and our human resources (HR) department was stressed from the pressure of ending employee’s federal career. During that time, some of the HR employees would stop by my office “just to talk.” What they were really coming for was to love on the dog. After the entire process was complete, several months later, some of the HR folks expressed their gratitude that there was a dog around — just having the chance to pet a dog decreased their stress levels significantly, they said.

I eventually left my government career to start Smart Dog University. But not before I’d raised five service dogs in-training with the help of the Federal government. Our three permanent dogs: Lily, Tango, and Nemo were all service dogs in-training and all spent time on the government campus. (They were released from service work for either temperament or health issues and we got to keep them!)

Schooner in training at a local supermarket

Schooner and I “at work”

Now I work from home and every day is Take Your Dog to Work Day. Because I raise and train service dogs, sometimes my “work” involves public places like the doctor’s office, restaurants, libraries, concerts, office buildings, and shopping malls.

Some of the more interesting places I’ve been with the dogs:

dentist office
open air concert
hospital
movie theater (the original Harry Potter movie!)
celebration dinners
award ceremonies
political fundraisers
live shots on television news
graduation ceremonies
hospice
elementary and junior high schools
football games
speaking engagements
conferences
trains

Generally, the service dog in-training goes where I go. They need to learn how to handle many different situations and experiences before they are teamed with their human partner. We’d rather they get all the kinks out with us.

Does your workplace allow dogs? Just for today or on an ongoing basis?

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Do you know what food aggression looks like in dogs?

Food aggression, aka Resource Guarding

How to Deal with Food Aggression

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