This is from our puppy training lesson with Cane Corso sweetie, Neera. I'm working on teaching her to lay down in a relaxed position. See how I move my treat hand to her side to prompt her to roll over onto her hip. Such a smart girl!
My sweet Cane Corso buddy
It is always bittersweet when I finish a dog or puppy training package. While it is awesome to see and be part of my clients' progress, I miss them. Precious Neera is now an adolescent Cane Corso. She and her human mom have been doing beautifully. Until we see eachother again, continue growing, learning and being your dear self Neera!
My dog is testing this new interactive dog food dispensing toy. He approves!
Pro-active approach to solving dog resource guarding
You may have seen my earlier post about Grizzly. I began working with his family at the end of last year because of his bite history to people and their other dogs. Being part of their journey and witnessing their progress has been extremely fulfilling.
This is video is from my last visit. Grizzly is a dog who resource guards. This is what prompted our lesson. Grizzly gets fed on the family’s glassed in enclosed porch off their kitchen. He will go out there when they prepare his meal in anticipation. However when Robert puts Grizzly’s food down, he shared that Grizzly gives a low growl. Their daughter too reported that Grizzly will ‘stalk’ her when she is preparing food in the kitchen. She would tell him NO and get in his space to get him to back up. She said he would not listen to her otherwise if she is preparing food. This can lead to an uncomfortable and potentially dangerous situation.
So…I wanted to begin a pro-active instead of a reactive solution…teaching Grizzly that he can get his needs met (while his family gets their needs met) if he lays on a mat instead.
As a side note: the family also needs to manage the other dogs during kitchen time as that is another risk and also could create conflict that could escalate if the dogs are roaming the kitchen with resources close.
This is our very first lesson teaching him and he did so amazing! Not only that, he was relaxed and it looks to me like he had a smile on his face. I practiced first. And then their daughter stepped in as teacher. Such a proud moment!
There are multiple uses for teaching this dog to go to a mat:
Robert can teach Grizzly that Grizzly going to and laying on a mat away from where the food bowl is placed, gets Grizzly access to his food bowl.
Grizzly can lay on his bed when his family is in the kitchen to get access to food.
The mat across the room can also give him a safe space to go to if visitors are in the home.
So often it isn’t until a dog or puppy on the other end of the leash does something his handler does not like that that dog or puppy gets attention or treats, and that is in addition to the reinforcement that dog or puppy gets simply from doing the unwanted behavior.Like when the person wants to stop and talk to a friend.It is perfectly ok if you want to allow your dog to sniff and sight see while you talk, just keep in mind, your dog may also start reacting by barking, lunging or simply trying to move toward something interesting.If you would rather your dog sit at your side when you talk to someone (as an example), it is up to youto teach your dog and reinforce that behavior – rather than wait until your dog does something you dono like.
I’m sharing this story of a family’s hope with dog aggression, as I am so proud of the progress we are making, and to educate and offer hope to other families. In complex dog behavior cases like this, it is important to look at the impact of many variables – genetics, physiology, environment, learning history among them.My clients have given me permission – their blessing – to share their story as it may help others. They reached out to be because one of their dogs has a bite history to people and to their other dog (the large black shepherd mix).I saw so many different contributors to their dog’s ‘aggressive’ (meaning growling, lunging, biting) behaviors.When I began working with them, Grizzly was very quick to growl, steal from and go after their other dogs. He had low tolerance for humans too – of their hands coming close, sudden movement, getting too close to a resource.There has been a lot to work on. Due to the complexities of this case, I brought on board Dr. Jill Sackman, DVM, PhD, a veterinary behaviorist with Animal Behavior Consultants of Michigan. Initially there were a lot of adjustments to their house structure and ways to give the dogs enrichment safely. Neither dog has had their medical tests yet but we have been working together as a team with their veterinarian for an exam this week.Dr. Sackman also changed Grizzly’s anxiety medication.That ONE MODIFICATION was quite literally life changing…for everyone!This video was taken at my first visit since that modification (that was three weeks ago). It was the first time I felt it was safe for me to be in Grizzly’s space without him being leashed; and also the first time I saw him so relaxed around food and their other dog.You can read their story in my blog post: https://rebrand.ly/aggression-hope
I am so very proud of Team Cooper, a Sheltie ! His human had never trained a dog before. Her mechanics in the beginning had a lot of room for improvement. Today, her mechanics shined and as a result look how relaxed and engaged Cooper is. THIS was a breakthrough day!
Understanding Approach Avoidance Conflict
When you see a dog or puppy move forward to investigate something but her weight is shifted back, she may pace or may move away…want to try again OR stay away, that dog is experiencing approach avoidance conflict. She may be curious but afraid at the same time. It is a stressful place to be.
This is why it is not recommended that you have people of whom your dog is afraid to feed your dog directly. Your dog may be lured in with the tempting food but then when the food is gone, your dog suddenly realizes she is way too close for comfort and may run away, tuck her tail between her legs, bark, lunge, growl or even bite.
If your dog is suddenly afraid of something, do not push your dog to interact with it. Allow your dog to interact at his own pace. You may need to teach your dog to move away and/or help to teach your dog a different association with that thing. If I can be of help, please reach out.
To learn more, please visit my blog post: https://somuchpetential.com/approach-avoidance-conflict-in-dogs/
Among morning’s lesson in our dog training? To begin teaching Violet to roll over. She gets an A for effort and achievement!
I am so proud of my young students from my recent My Dog, My Best Buddy kids’ class on dogs! Such an eager-to-learn and participate group! I love doing these classes. I offer them in partnership with my hometown of Wyoming for free throughout the year as a community service. My next one will be March 5. Parents, live in Cincinnati , Ohio? Have a family dog and a child? Please visit here to learn more and register your child: https://somuchpetential.com/kids-and-dogs/
Lisa Desatnik, CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC, is a certified dog trainer and parrot behavior consultant. Additionally, she is a certified parrot behavior consultant.
