Resource Guarding while eating

[Cathy]

We have a 16 week old German Shepherd who we’ve had since 8 weeks. Around 9 weeks of age he was diagnosed with parvovirus and survived. Since March 17th he had been eating a bland diet, on antibiotics, and no other treats of any kind (to stick with the bland diet). We recently put him back on a special dry kibble to help him gain weight. Our trainer had us practice putting our hands in his food and petting him while eating. Sometimes, he’ll growl when we do this, sometimes not. I’ve read up on Adrienne’s approach of giving him a high value reward while walking by or standing by his dog dish. Sometimes, he’ll growl with us just standing there and sometimes not. If he growls, do we still give him a reward? I understand the concept of making them excited to have you walk by, but it also feels like we are rewarding negative behavior. I’d love to hear input on this please.  I should add, he is other wise mostly cooperative, we can take toys from him without any issue. He is fine around other dogs and no other aggressive behaviors seen.

[Adrienne]

Hi Cathy, 

Welcome to the forums,

I am glad to hear that your pup has survived Parvo and is doing much better. 

Personally, I am not a fan at all of petting a puppy while eating. This is because petting a dog while eating goes against the process of desensitization. Desensitization is a behavior modification procedure that entails systematic, gradual  exposure  (baby steps) to stimuli or situations perceived as aversive or unpleasant. You can read more about this here:

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

In a dog who resource guards food, the owner moving close to the food bowl is perceived as an aversive event. Placing hands in the food bowl is perceived as a person trying to steal the food. Petting the dog is perceived as a great annoyance to the dog (just as we would hate being repeatedly touched when eating a juicy steak at our favorite restaurant). Standing by the bowl can too give the impression that we are trying to steal the food. Doing all these things involves skipping all the steps a good desensitization program would entail. 

If for example, a person is terrified of spiders, he or she will be emotionally overwhelmed when a spider crawls on the arm and the physiological response may include a racing heart, increased breathing and sweating. A systematic desensitization procedure in such a case may entail having the person initially look at pictures of spiders over and over until the person no longer emotionally reacts to them, then criteria is raised, and the person may watch videos of spiders and then progress to viewing a live spider from a distance.

A good desensitization program therefore aims in taking baby steps and keeping the dog comfortable, which often means starting work with distance, always ensuring that dog is not over threshold. If a dog reacts, (like growls) that's a sign that we have progressed too fast and need to take a few steps back in the process. You can read more about threshold levels here:

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

On top of using desensitization, important is too also add counterconditioning. You can read more about counterconditioning here:

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

In a dog who resource guards food, this would mean using baby steps while also creating positive associations. A dog who guards food is a dog who lacks trust, he fears that his food will be taken away.  These dogs need to eat in a quiet area that is as stress-free as possible. Reaching for the food bowl, standing next to him makes him feel uneasy and confirms his biggest fear: that we are trying to take things away, BUT what happens if instead of giving wrongly interpreted signals, we start adding goodies instead? In that case, we can aim to get our pups thinking: "Wow, not only my owner is no longer trying to take my food away, but every time he walks by, he is adding to it!"

Initial behavior modification for dogs who resource guard food may therefore start with tossing goodies from a distance while the dog is eating. This gives them distance that makes them feel safe that typically doesn't cause a reaction from them. Repeated often enough at pup's comfort level, we aim to attain what's known as "positive conditioned emotional response." You can read more about this here:

 https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/conditioned-emotional-response-cer/

Once we have attained this, we can try to move a little closer, but we may need to increase the value of the goodies being tossed to ensure the pup doesn't get stressed with this increase in criteria. We are upping the challenge, so we want to prevent set backs.  Important is to give treats in small pieces (treats should not go over 10 percent of a dog's total daily calories) or use treats/foods that are low calorie to start with. 

Generally, I never work on intently placing hands in bowls nor am I fan of intently standing next to the puppy.  In other words, I don't like to do this just to test the puppy in a daring way, but I can work to that level gradually through several trials working on gradual proximity always working at the pup's comfort level,  but mostly for the goal or create a positive association with being next to the puppy and hands adding into the food bowl (never at biting distance, but more dropping food from a height from our hand so to prevent chances for an accidental bite. 

 For instance, I could work on filling the puppy's bowl with a small portion of food. Once done, I would grab a handful of more food and fill the bowl up. Then add a little more, until  done with the pup's ratio. Once again, this is more the end side of a desensitization program, not the beginning. It can take place once the pup has shown signs of a positive conditioned response to us walking by, us getting closer, 

When it's time to pick up the food bowl, when the puppy is done, I prefer toss a treat or two, or handful of kibble the opposite way and once the pup is safely at a distance, I would pick the bowl safely up.  I typically don't work on petting a puppy while eating just because we must be able to do everything to dogs while they're eating-I feel dogs should be granted the perk of eating in peace just as do, but in households with children, for the sake of covering the basis of a child who doesn't listen to mom's request to not touch the dog while eating or a child tripping over the dog, I can work on desensitizing/counterconditioning to a sporadic touch, followed by a treat when a dog is eating/resting, but parents are always reminded to supervise dogs and children and if dogs are prone to resource guarding they should be fed away form children for safety sake. 

To answer your initial question: "Sometimes, he’ll growl with us just standing there and sometimes not. If he growls, do we still give him a reward? I understand the concept of making them excited to have you walk by, but it also feels like we are rewarding negative behavior. "

This is a great question! Here's the thing: resource guarding is based on fear and fear is an emotion. Experts tell us that you cannot reinforce fear, you can only reinforce behaviors. You can see in the video below the late veterinary behaviorist Dr. Sophia Yin blowing in a dog's face to prove that:

 

 

However, does this mean it's OK to have your dog growling? No, it's a sign that your puppy is over threshold, so you will need to carefully work on granting more distance and listening to how your puppy feels. A good behavior modification program lowers the chances for the dog feeling stressed. So if you occasionally get a growl, you can still give a treat, but make a mental note of working more gradually. If  your puppy is growling too often, behavior modification is being sloppily implemented.  

With pups who guard food, it's important also teaching the fair art of trading. Every time your puppy has an item in his mouth that he shouldn't have, avoid chasing, trying to remove the item from the mouth, but rather trade it with something that you are absolutely sure your puppy finds higher in value. For example, if he got a hang of a sandwich wrapper, trade it offering in exchange some high-value treats such as as dog cookie or a bully stick. Toss the cookie or bully stick the opposite way so you can safely retrieve the sandwich wrapper.

The goal once again is to convince your puppy that when you approach him and he has something in his mouth, you aren't planning to snatch it away but rather you are trading for something far better! Once your puppy learns this valuable lesson, you can introduce the verbal cue "drop it" and even pronounce it from a distance even before showing what you are trading it for. Here's how to train drop it:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/

Using Caution

Accidents can always happen when doing behavior modification. The use of Kevlar gloves may come handy just in case of an unexpected bite. Dogs may also learn to wear muzzles or can be tethered during behavior modification exercises (some muzzle types allow dogs to still eat). Your behavior professional can help you find the safest ways to work with your dog based on his/her personal observations.

I hope this helps!

Best,

Adrienne 

Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others.

 

 

[Cathy]

Thank you! We actually started some training last night. We have food and just sat nearby (within 2-3 feet) and kept talking to let him know we were there. “Good boy” “supper is yummy” things like that. At a few points, without touching him, we got his attention and gave him a small piece a dried beef liver which is loved.  We the just let him continue eating while using encouraging, friendly tones. His tail wagged the whole time and his body posture was very relaxed with no growling. Breakfast this morning went the same. While we do not agree with our trainer about being able to put hands in the food bowl, we do have small kids who are very active. If they just happen to run by him while eating I want both of them to feel safe.  We very much like the idea of starting from a distance and just offering him a treat or two while eating to let him know it’s ok for us to be near him while eating. My husband and I also see no point in being able to put our hands in the dish of food. 

[Adrienne]

Aww, what a cutie! Giving these pups a stress- free area to eat and helping them gradually is key. If they feel stressed by too much commotion, they'll feel like eating really fast and get tense which can predispose to guarding more. Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to helping these pups learn trust with us around their food. Recognizing subtle signs is also important through behavior modification. Below is a general list. A professional working with you can help pinpoint some of these signs so to ensure you work at the pet's comfort and don't go too fast.  The most common cause for setbacks in behavior modification is going too fast. 

A Ladder of Aggression

Most of us are capable of recognizing the most obvious signs of resource guarding, but there are many subtle signs that precede the most obvious ones that may not always be easy to recognize. It’s important to recognize these signs so to nip behaviors in the bud before they escalate. Recognizing early signs is also important for behavior modification, so to ensure the puppy is not sent over threshold.

Following is a ladder of aggression often seen in resource guarding. Consider though dogs don’t always follow these in a textbook fashion, and they may skip through the rungs. If you notice any of these signs, please refer to a behavior professional using force-free behavior modification for help.

Eating Faster

Caution is needed with puppies who start eating faster the closer a person approaches. These puppies are worried about their food being stolen, and therefore, decide to take the “eat it fast and stop worrying” approach.

This behavior should be tackled considering that countless dogs end up on the surgery table for swallowing objects and bones to prevent their owners or other dogs from "stealing" from them.

It often happens along these lines: a dog may get ahold of something that he or she perceives as very valuable. The dog tries to hide with it or run away with it, but the moment the dog notices the owner’s interest or the moment the owner comes near in hopes of retrieving the item, the dog gulps it down quickly.

Freezing

Freezing is seen when a dog is approached while eating something perceived as valuable and the dog feels threatened. When dogs are comfortable eating, they will be relaxed and eat at a normal pace, without worrying.

A dog who is resource guarding is worried and getting increasingly stressed and, will, therefore, typically stop eating and freeze.

A dog who is freezing typically will keep his head lowered over the resource he is guarding, at the same time though his gaze may be directed at the approaching threat.

Growling

At some point, puppies who resource guard will growl which often is the owner’s first wake-up call if they failed to recognize the earlier signs. Growling, is a distance-increasing behavior. The dog is telling the owner to back-off because he doesn’t want him/her anywhere near his resource.

Growling should never be punished. Suppressing a dog’s growl, is like removing a dog’s alarm system. Next time, the dog may go straight to a bite.

Snarling

Some puppy owners decide to ignore a puppy’s growl. They think that, just because the puppy is small and very young, it is not a big deal. Some may laugh about it and keep moving towards the puppy.

An escalation of a growl is often a snarl, a dog showing his teeth. Dogs may lift their lips and show their pearly whites silently or accompanied by growling. This is a more serious warning. The dog is saying: “You see these teeth? I will be using them if you keep getting closer.”

Snapping

Snapping takes place when a dog bites the air, hence why it’s also known as “air-snapping.” It’s easy to assume that snapping dogs are trying to bite, but miss aiming, but dogs are much better than that.

Snapping dogs are purposely missing because they are trying to not bite. They are deliberately trying to avoid using their highest level of force. Rest assured, if a dog really wants to bite, he will bite and will do with accuracy and speed.

Biting

And there you have it: the dogs highest level of force in action. The amount of damage done when a dog bites is often a matter of how much bite inhibition https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/ the dog has. It’s unfortunate when puppies or dogs are pushed to this when they have been trying their best to warn.

Often, the cause is a dog owner who is trying to fix the resource guarding the wrong way, increasing the dog’s tension rather than alleviating it. Grabbing the puppy’s possession just to make a point, threatening to steal or stealing things from pups  or scolding the pup or physically correcting them makes only matters worse proving to the pup we're not trustworthy. This will only exacerbate things.

***Something to consider: Health conditions or medications known to increase appetite may result in an increase in food guarding behaviors in dogs. Have your puppy or dog evaluated by a veterinarian to rule this possibility out.

Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others.

[JMFS]

I'll preface this with:  I haven't read everything Adrienne wrote.  :D  I agree that there's no reason to put our hands in their bowls.  A well-trained "leave" and "drop" is a much better, and safer, option.  I dealt (poorly) with food aggression for 8 years before finally getting professional help.  Between that trainer and Adrienne we're going on a year without incident (Mo is 10½ now).  It took a Lot of work and a Gob of patience and Oodles of repetition with the Most Boring Training Ever, lol, but we got there.  :)  Y'all have a major leg up on us in that you're addressing it and instilling good behavior early on.

For the kiddos, if Adrienne didn't address it already, I'd recommend teaching them to respect a dog's space, especially when they're eating.  That should extend to friends', relatives', and strangers' dogs.  One of my favorite metaphors is to imagine you're sitting down, eating, and suddenly someone comes and puts their hand in your food or takes your plate away.  Or heck, even starts scratching your head - how annoying!  For children you can use their sibling as the example of that someone.  ;)  And play up the value of that meal because to us food is food, to dogs food is like . . . ice cream or cake - super important high value.  The other thing I'd personally do (and practice with Mo) is to feed on a schedule and away from commotion.  That helps the kiddos because they know that at x time it's puppy time and they have to stay out of that area only for that time.

Lastly, oh em gee, that face!  What a handsome boy!

[Adrienne]

Hi Jennifer!

Loved the idea of using one sibling as an example of that someone scratching the head of another while eating! 

So glad to hear that Mo has been doing so well, thanks for the update. 

Send pats to your canine crew for me!

Best,

Adrienne