Food Guarding Issues

Food Gusrding Issues:

If you’ve never seen a dog with serious food-guarding issues, it’s difficult to appreciate the potential severity of this problem. Food-guarding issues are not necessarily a reflection on the personality or training level of the dog: it’s an instinctive thing, and although dogs with a general aggression problem are naturally more prone to demonstrating the condition, it’s also exhibited by otherwise-sweet, well-behaved, well-adjusted family dogs. Like an evil djinn, the problem can rear its ugly head only when food (or the food bowl) is present: a real case of Jekyll and Hyde. A dog with serious food-guarding issues can be a real danger to anyone who should approach her during a meal: it’s not a scenario in which you can expect to train your dog to “play nice”. Instinct is what’s compelling her to act in this undesirable, and even dangerous, way – you need to take steps to turn the behaviour around before your relationship with your dog suffers or somebody gets hurt.

There are different degrees of food guarding:

In the mildest case, a dog will merely tense up a little or freeze if somebody approaches her while she’s trying to eat. She may even continue eating, but her posture will be rigid and stiff: she’ll clearly be uncomfortable. Signs that the problem is more severe would include a marked increase in eating speed, a direct, hard stare right at you (often accompanied by a still, tense, “watching” posture), a lifted lip, a snarl, a snap, and finally a real bite.

NOTE: A dog exhibiting any of these last three symptoms has a pretty severe case of food-guarding aggression, and may be prepared to inflict actual harm. If this is the case with your dog, hiring a hands-on trainer may be the best answer for you: it’ll ensure your safety, and they’ll be able to examine your overall relationship with your dog and see if there are other areas contributing to the problem.

A food-guarding dog is a pretty confused one:

In her mind, she’s got your role mixed up. She fails to recognise that you are the dispenser of food (which should accord you automatic alpha-dog status, ensuring your immunity from any kind of aggression or dominance), and instead is viewing you as a threat: a blackguard who might be going to take away her precious food. Hence, the possessiveness. The degree of aggression that a food-guarding dog is capable of might be hard to understand, until you consider the fact that food is one of the greatest pleasures of your dog’s life. Dogs are scavengers by nature: they’re programmed to eat just about anything they can get their jaws around. As well as the instinctiveness of this gluttony, most dogs also simply enjoy the tactile and gustatory sensations that come with a good meal (or an indifferent one .. and sometimes even a bad one). They just … like to eat. And it’s this overwhelming importance that’s placed on food that gets some dogs a bit mixed up: their grasp of the situation gets a bit thrown off, and they begin to wonder, miser-like, who might happen upon them and take away their cherished food. The obvious conclusion: you. Or anyone else who comes along at meal-time.

To cure her of this frustrating and antisocial habit, you need to remind her that you’re actually the purveyor of that which she holds so dear: to make it clear to her that you’re the one in charge of the kitchen, and of all the delightful morsels contained therein. Dogs can develop food-guarding instincts at any point in their lives: some will have had the problem since puppyhood, but for others the tendency lies dormant until it’s awakened by an item of particular juiciness. For most dogs, the deciding factor is meat, in some shape or form – whether it’s a marrowbone, a mutton hock, or cast-off scraps from the dinner table. Meat to dogs is like money to humans: it can change them, make them do things they otherwise wouldn’t do. So it’s not entirely surprising that the intrinsic value of meat-related foodstuffs can give our dogs a new, unpleasantly skewed perspective on the sanctity of the food-bowl.

Because of the possibility of food-guarding becoming an issue in your dog’s behaviour at any point in her life, prevention is obviously the ideal path to take: whether you get your dog from puppyhood or adopt her as an adult from a shelter, you should make a point of approaching her during mealtime. Have you ever heard a friend with dogs ask you to “leave her alone when she’s eating”? This is a short-term solution at most: it’ll prevent anything untoward from happening, provided that all the humans play by the rules and ensure that they don’t disturb the dog – but the dog is still the one calling all the shots. And what will happen if the unexpected occurs? What if a toddler charges full-tilt towards the dog and makes a playful grab for her bowl? In a wolf-pack, the alpha dog is never disturbed when he or she is eating. Not only does she get to eat first, and eat the lion’s share of everything; but he or she also eats undisturbed. This is why a dog that’s permitted to eat in solitary splendor can actually become more food-aggressive, not less; without anyone to take her down a notch, she begins to assume more authority than she actually has.

To prevent your dog from getting an over-inflated sense of her own importance, make sure you disturb her plenty while she’s eating. Don’t make a point of tiptoeing around whenever the food bowl’s out; it’ll just accustom her to solitude and silence when she eats (which are things that only the alpha wolf or dog is entitled to). At the other end of the spectrum, don’t make these disturbances a negative experience for her either, or else you may actually create a problem where none previously existed. All you have to do is approach her from time to time while she eats – starting from the very day you bring her into your home – and add something tasty (and small!) to her dish while she’s eating, to make the connection in her head that ‘humans approaching food bowl = good news’. A spoonful of scrambled egg, a piece of liver treat, a few chunks of cheese – anything that she’ll enjoy, and that has a greater “food value” than the kibble she’s eating, will work perfectly.

Of course, if it’s too late for preventatives and your dog already has a problem, you’ll need to adopt a very different approach. Here’s what to do: – The dog bowl is going to be put away for the next seven to ten days. Over this time, you’re going to be feeding your dog by hand – one small handful at a time. Yes, I know this is going to be time-consuming, but the alternative is even worse: a dangerous dog that can’t be trusted around food. So feed her by hand for the next week or so. Be sure not to encourage any greedy snapping or grabbing for the food: only allow her to take the food from your hand when she does so gently. Remind her that bite inhibition is necessary to get what she wants!

Once at least a week has passed and she’s eating politely from your hand, you can reintroduce the food bowl, with one slight modification: it has to be empty. And it stays empty until you pass by and drop a small handful of kibble into it for her to eat. When that’s been polished off, wait at least a full minute before adding another, small, handful of kibble. Keep doing this until the entire meal’s been consumed – this is a very effective way of teaching your dog to actively long for your presence near her food bowl!

When she’s graduated to the next stage, you can start setting down a half-empty food bowl for her. Don’t let her lunge at the bowl and start gobbling: holding the bowl out of reach (or placing it on a handy counter), make her sit and wait before you allow her to eat. Don’t put the bowl down until she complies. Sit or crouch beside the bowl and continue to add small handfuls of kibble, just as you did in step two, until a full meal’s been eaten.

The fourth, and final step, is to allow her access to a full food bowl. Again, it’s very important that you do not allow her to call the shots: she must sit and wait until you release her with an “OK!” before she’s permitted to eat. To keep the message clear in your head that you are in charge of the food in this house, practice calling her away from her food a few times a week and rewarding her with a super-tasty treat for her exemplary obedience while she’s trying to eat.

If at any time your dog’s behaviour gets shaky on any of these four steps, backslide until you’ve reached the stage at which she is 100% reliable. Wait at this stage for at least two or three more days before attempting to progress once more. As with any training, it’s essential that a solid foundation is built before moving on to the next level – she must be completely comfortable with each step before trying a new one.

Further Reading:

For detailed, in-depth information on canine behavioural problems (both preventing and dealing with them) take a look at “Secrets to Dog Training.” It’s the complete handbook for responsible dog owners, and is packed with valuable advice and step-by-step how-to’s for dog training.

You can visit Secrets to Dog Training by clicking on the link below:

http://www.kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/?aff=IJCGlobal&type=nohop

Separation Anxiety

Separation Anxiety:

Separation anxiety is one of the most common problems that dogs develope. It’s an anxiety disorder, and is defined as a state of intense panic brought on by the dog’s isolation or separation from her owner(s). In other words, when you leave for work in the morning, your dog is plunged into a state of nervous anxiety which intensifies extremely quickly. Dogs are social animals – they need plenty of company and social interaction to keep them happy and content. No dog likes to be left alone for long stretches of time, but some dogs do a lot worse than others: these are the ones most prone to separation anxiety.

There are a number of contributing causes to the condition:

Some breeds are genetically predisposed towards anxiety and insecurity, which is something you should consider when deciding which breed you’re going to go for (particularly if you’re going to be absent for long stretches of time). A few of these breeds include Weimaraners, Springer Spaniels, German Shepherds, and Airedales. A significant proportion of dogs from shelters develop separation anxiety. Most of these ‘shelter dogs’ have undergone significant trauma in their lives – they’ve been abandoned by their previous owners and thus they have little trust that their new-found owner (you) isn’t going to pull the same trick. Dogs that were separated from their mothers and siblings too early have been identified as being especially prone to separation anxiety. Puppies from pet-stores are a perfect example of this: they’re usually taken from their mothers well before the earliest possible age (which is 8 weeks), and confined to a small glass box in the petstore for anywhere between a few weeks to two months. This early weaning, coupled with the lack of exercise and affection while in the petstore, is psychologically traumatic for the dog.

Neglect is the number-one cause of sepration anxiety for dogs:

If you’re absent much more than you’re present in your dog’s life, separation anxiety is pretty much inevitable. Your dog needs your company, affection, and attention in order to be happy and content. The symptoms of separation anxiety are pretty distinctive: your dog will usually learn to tell when you’re about to leave (she’ll hear keys jingling, will see you putting on your outdoor clothes, etc) and will become anxious. She may follow you from room to room, whining, trembling, and crying. Some dogs even become aggressive, in an attempt to stop their owners from leaving. When you’ve left, the anxious behaviour will rapidly worsen and usually will peak within half an hour. She may bark incessantly, scratch and dig at windows and doors (an attempt to escape from confinement and reunite herself with you), chew inappropriate items, even urinate and defecate inside the house. In extreme cases, she might self-mutilate by licking or chewing her skin until it’s raw, or pull out fur; or engage in obsessive-compulsive behaviours, like spinning and tail-chasing.

Upon your return, she’ll be excessively excited, and will leap around you in a frenzy of delight for a protracted period of time (more than the 30 seconds to one minute of a happy, well-balanced dog.) This extended greeting is a source of some misunderstanding: without realising that such a greeting actually signifies the presence of a psychological disorder, some owners actually encourage their dog to get more and more worked up upon their return (by fuelling the dog’s excitement, encouraging her to leap around, paying her protracted attention, and so on.) If you’re behaving in this way with your dog, please stop. I know it’s tempting and very easy to do, and it seems harmless – after all, she’s so happy to see you, what harm can it do to return her attention and affection in equal measure? – but in actuality, you’re just validating her belief that your return is the high point of the day. So she’s as happy as Larry when you return – but, when it’s time for you to leave again, her now-exaggerated happiness at your presence is under threat, and she gets even more unhappy when you walk out that door. Fortunately, there are things you can do to minimize your dog’s tendency towards anxiety.

Here’s a short list of do’s and don’ts:

Do: – Exercise her just as much as you possibly can. Really wear her out: the longer you expect to be away, the more exercise she should get before you leave. For example, if you’re leaving for work in the morning, she’ll probably be by herself for at least four hours and, if you’ve got a dog-walker to take her out at mid-day instead of coming back yourself, she won’t see you, the person she really cares about, for at least nine hours. So she needs a good, vigorous walk (fifteen to twenty minutes is the absolute minimum here!) before you walk out that door. More is even better.

Distract her from her boredom, loneliness, and anxiety by giving her an attractive alternative to pining, pacing, and whining. All dogs love to chew, so why not play on this predisposition? Get a couple of marrowbones from the butcher, bake them in the oven for 20 minutes (so they go nice and hard and crunchy – and so she can’t smear marrow all over your furniture), slice them up into chunks of a few inches long, and give her one about 15 minutes before you leave. It’ll keep her happy and occupied, and will act as a smokescreen for your departure.

When you leave, put the radio on to a soothing station: classical music is ideal, but any station featuring lots of talk shows is also ideal. Keep the volume quite low, and it’ll calm her down a bit and give her the feeling that she’s got company. If at all possible, supply her with a view: if she can see the world going by, that’s the next best thing to being out and about in it. Acclimatize her to your leaving. Taking things nice and slowly, practice getting ready to go: jingle your keys about, put on your coat, and open the door. Then – without leaving! – sit back down and don’t go anywhere. Do this until she’s not reacting any more. When there’s no reaction, give her a treat and lavish praise for being so brave. Next, practice actually walking out the door (and returning immediately), again doing this until there’s no reaction. Gradually work up – gradually being the operative word here! – until you’re able to leave the house with no signs of stress from her.

Do not:- Act over sympathetically when she’s crying. Although it sounds very cold-hearted, trying to soothe and comfort your dog by patting her and cooing over her is actually one of the worst things you can do, as it’s essentially validating her concern. Make sure she can’t tell that you feel sorry for her. Don’t ever say, “It’s OK, good girl” when she’s upset!

If you’re interested in getting a more detailed look at how to deal with your dog’s separation anxiety, you might like to check out “Secrets to Dog Training.” It’s a great learning tool for anyone who wants to learn how to deal constructively with their dog’s problem behaviours. All of the common behavioural problems are dealt with in detail, and there’s a great section on obedience commands and tricks also.

You can visit the “Secrets to Dog Training” site by clicking on the link below:

http://www.kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/index.php?aff=IJCGlobal&type=separationanxiety