Growled in lieu of drop it

[Lori]

I have a 9 month old male Anatolian Pyrenees (not neutered).  While leashed on a walk today, he found a fresh animal bone and would not part with it.  Commands nor treats were effective.  When I tried to get it he growled at me. He has not ever growled before.  I did manage to diffuse the situation and grab the bone, but was by force.  Afterwards he was fine.  Did I handle correctly and should I be concerned when it happens again?  We are still working on command training and have a long way to go.

thanks for your input

[Adrienne]

Hi Lori,

Welcome to the forums,

I would try to avoid grabbing anything forcefully from a dog's mouth for several reasons. 1) It puts you at risk for a bite as a growl may be just a step or two prior to a bite. See Kendall Shepherd's ladder of aggression here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dogs-dont-bite-blue/

  2) It puts the dog into the position of thinking that he must really protect anything from you because you are doing just what the dog fears the most-that is, losing access to something.

Resource guarding is sort of a matter of trust. The dog doesn't trust us around their belongings because they think that we are trying to remove them. Which is often true when dogs get a hold of certain things, but we can change their perspective on this with training a strong conditioned emotional response to our request to "drop it" but in a dog who gives signs of resource guarding already, we may need to implement some extra additional steps. 

So in your case, I think it would be a good idea to carefully evaluate what can be done to prevent a future situation like this and have a plan in place to avoid prying his mouth open. 

1) Institute management. In other words, screen as much as possible the road as you walk with your dog to prevent mishaps as such. Avoid areas with tall grass where you cannot see things hiding there. Look ahead on walks and walk at a distance from any temptations. 

3) On walks, you can have a plan in place. For instance it would be helpful to carry something far more valuable than the fresh animal bone. You can keep it in your pocket or treat bag for swapping by getting your dog interested in it and tossing it to the ground as you walk away from the dropped item (avoid doing this though if your dog shows signs of excess pushiness or aggression when you are in possession of something he wants).

Now, a disclaimer is warranted here: If you have forcibly removed items from your dog in the past or your dog hasn't learned the perks that come from learning a good drop it from the get-go, you may have to add some additional steps to work harder on convincing your dog that you are not a threat and that you will actually add things or swap things for something better rather than taking them away. 

This is mainly done through behavior modification, using desensitization and counterconditioning techniques.

You can read more about desensitization here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/

And here you can read about counterconditioning:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/

Now, with training the drop it and leave it command, in the case of a dog who is resource guarding already, it requires a more gradated, systematic approach incorporating some elements of behavior modification described above versus the regular way of training it. For this very reason you'll see how in the drop it section it reads "Some dogs may be reluctant to drop items they are possessive of. If your dog shows signs of aggression such as stiffening, growling, or showing teeth, please stop training this exercise and consult with a professional.

So with the help of a professional you can work on exercises to instill more trust and creating a fluid response to the leave and drop it cues, by adding more steps and ensuring your dog isn't over threshold.

 Here is a read about threshold levels in dogs:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

So as your dog responds well to drop its using low value items, then, as you progress, the professional can coach you through practicing with higher and higher value objects. Bones, for instance, are often at the very top of a dog's hierarchy of value. This likely explains why your dog has growled upon noticing your intent to remove the bone. Bones are valuable to dogs not only because they are long-lasting, but because they have interesting smells and often have meat to nibble on. Many dog owners wonder what to trade these with. By putting oneself into a dog's mind it is possible to find several options.

For instance, an animal bone that has been no meat on it can be traded for some long-lasting edible that can be fully consumed (e.g. bully stick). An empty marrow bone can be traded with one that has something extra tasty smeared in the middle (like cream cheese or peanut butter). Some dogs will drop any bone for some foods that they perceive higher than value such as liverwurst or strips of baked liver placed inside a hollow bone. Of course, these are just examples each dog has their own preferences.. As always, use bones at your own risk and discretion and make sure they are appropriate for your dog. 

The professional can therefore help you find the most appropriate "trades" and propose some extra safety measures. For instance, for safety, with unknown dogs or dogs with a history of showing signs of guarding, I prefer to always use something edible that is higher in value than what the dog has. Maybe it's a bully stick, a pig's ear or a Kong stuffed with something tasty such as some smelly canned dog food or some baked liver.

Whatever it is, I ensure to keep it always handy so that I can reach out for it at a moment's notice. When need be, I make noise with the wrapper, open the fridge, unlock the jar storing the dog's favorite bone. Chances are, the dog will prick his ears and watch me carefully. 

At this point, I expect the dog to drop the item he had in his mouth voluntarily to come see what I am doing or he may approach me carrying the item in his mouth to check me out. Once I have the item in my hand, I let the dog see it, and as soon as I notice interest, I walk past an open door or baby gate, toss the desired item, and as soon as he's past the door/baby gate to go get it, I close the door/baby gate between me and the dog so that I can safely remove the object.

This method works well because on top of getting the dog to voluntary relinquish the object, I am also teaching him the art of "fair trading." In other words, instead of dreading me coming his way when he has a possession in fear of me pulling it out of his mouth, rep after rep, he looks forward to it because he has learned that I always have something better to offer.

More threads covering resource guarding:

 

 

As seen, dogs who growl are communicating a potential intent to bite, therefore, for safety and correct implementation of behavior modification it is recommended to enlist the help of a qualified dog behavior professional, such as a board-certified veterinary behaviorist (DACVB) or an Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB). He or she may guide you through several exercises to instill trust and create that positive conditioned emotional response.

Hope this helps,

Best,

Adrienne