The Resource Guarders

Our late and great Jackie CD was a
resource guarder, due mainly to
his health condition.

First, let me define what a resource guarder is in my opinion. A resource guarder is a canine, who has an overdeveloped concern that something they want is either going to be taken away OR they will not have access to it. This concern is usually expressed at first through growls, putting their paw over the object, lining objects up around them, or eyeing down an on comer. If this problem is ignored and not dealt with immediately, teeth will most likely be involved soon after. It does not take a canine who has this fear or concern long to realize an argument can be ended quickly with teeth. After the teeth are involved, bite inhibition decreases exponentially if the problem is ignored.

NOTE:   Often puppies will try to intimidate you, but just need a firm no and discipline.   An adult rescue may try and challenge you as well, but again a no or firm reprimand may easily sway them.   Not all dogs that try this once or twice are actually resource guarders, but may become them if an owner is unusually reluctant to stop the behavior or has a visible fear of dogs.   However, the type of dogs that I am talking about in this article are usually having a larger problem than the before mentioned.  Also it is the actions the dog shows when the item is attempted to be retrieved rather than the actions alone (gathering up toys, some dogs just enjoy placing them) that indicate whether you have a problem or not.


This concern for the canine exhibiting these behaviors may be very real (actually not receiving proper care or nutrition) or WAS very real at one time (stray and starving for a period of time and needing to fight to be fed). More often, the concern isn't the reality of the situation (in other words nutrition and care is more than adequate). Sometimes, there are times where we must restrict our canine companions access to things, or need to take something away from them. For instance, the need to remove garbage that is dangerous from a canine's mouth.

What are some things that dogs might consider resources?

• The owner, themselves. A dog might guard that owner from their own spouse or children. Sounds funny, but if you are dealing with this problem...it's really not.
• Strange people they like in general. Actually, my dog, Jack, is the only dog I know to have done this. If he decides he likes another dog's owner, then he used to attempt to guard that owner from their own dog.
• Something (anything like a piece of paper) that another dog or human has OR is about to bend down to get. The dog in question does not need to have the item themselves, they may just be guarding it from you or another canine.
• Food
• Toys
• Rocks
• Dead Things
• Favorite animal friend
• Things like seaweed that are not really food, but dogs know they can ingest.
• Laundry
• Rooms
• Crate
• Vehicle Interior
• Doors
• Tissues (what is it with Springers and tissues?) or paper products like towels in general
• Dog beds or mats
• And everything else that I have forgotten

This condition can come about due to many variables in a dog's life. They are not only the sole property of adult rescue dogs whose history may be unknown, believe it or not. Unfortunately, this can happen when responsible owners adopt a puppy. Here are some things that I have found make up the perfect storm for a resource guarder:

• Serious medical issues early on that make certain resources far to important to a young puppy. One of my client's dogs, Cerber a handsome GSD, had elbow problems and surgery starting before he was six months old. He was regulated to a pen area, and had just a few 15 minute potty breaks a day due to the healing process. He had both his elbows done, so it was closer to a year before he was able to do anything resembling what other dogs can do. He seriously did not want people taking either his food or peanut butter kong. You know this sort of thing is a judgement call. I believe the right judgement is for the sanity of your young puppy that he has something to do if he has this issue. However, be aware of the behavioral problems that may develop so that you are prepared.
• A first time owners' attempts to be sure their dog is not a resource guarder, but are done a bit too vigorously!!! Then what happens, is the dog gets a very real concern that things are going to be taken away willy nilly. Dogs need relaxation and breaks, and overdoing something can be a serious mistake that may in fact bring on the behavior that you didn't want in the first place.
• If a dog has a "ingesting" problem, and certain things needed to be kept from him/her; this can later manifest itself into resource guarding. My dog, Jack CD, had this very problem. Some dogs just get fixated on eating things they shouldn't.
• Prior abuse or neglect can cause this problem. If the dog ever had to fight for their food or could not count on food being given at all. In some dogs, this can cause a problem later on, if the dog gets out of this unfortunate place and into a good home. Of course in the original home, it will most likely be a problem, but neglectful and irresponsible owners won't notice or care!!
• A puppy that was separated from their litter a bit too early OR the mother did not nurse them, could have quite a few issues including resource guarding. So just be aware, if you decide to take a dog from a breeder and this has been disclosed, that you are going to need to be prepared and start a plan quite early to combat issues like this. Likewise a puppy from a shelter that has the same issues. It's great to rescue these puppies, just be aware that they often have special needs.
• I will commit the wost blasphemy here, and say it might just be part of their personal makeup. Humans all have unique personalities. There are some things that annoy us individually that do not annoy others (the sound of scratching annoys the heck out of me). Dogs are just as individual as we are:) I am not convinced that my dog's, Jack's, low tolerance for dogs being around "his" stuff isn't just what makes Jack, well Jack. Even in Jack's case, he is much more tolerant now, but we keep an eye out for the patience level waning. He's not thrilled about humans necessarily taking his stuff either, but he has a more infinite patience level for that.
• Insert here the infinite number of other things that I have not thought of yet.

A training and behavior modification plan is, of course, the best action in these cases. Some cases will be much simpler than others. It really seems to depend on how long the initial behavior was either allowed to continue OR the correct solutions were not found right away. Sometimes an owner is working diligently on a problem, even with the help of professionals, but the wrong answers and direction were given. This is not to say that every dog can be saved, and there is always the perfect answer. However, the vast majority of dogs that have ended up in the general dog owning public are able to be greatly improved upon in their ability to adapt to living with the human population as a pet. Children can be the great variable in this situation, in that you would hope a parent would never endanger their children no matter how much they may love the dog. If I don't take on a resource guarding case, it is normally because I don't think the children in the family should be exposed to the dog. Again, some problems are bigger than others, and some resource guarding dogs have a fairly simple issue that does not cause immediate endangerment.

So what sort of things would I expect to hear as options in a training and behavior modification plan for a dog whose primary problem is resource guarding:

1. The trainer should be interested in a detailed history of the dog with a strong emphasis on any medical history.
2. An obedience training plan is a must. The dog must be able to be communicated with. Yes, additional things that do not need to be done for just obedience training will need to be implemented, but it will be all for nothing without a strong partnership and communication developed to support the progress. (Can't emphasize enough the importance of a really, really well trained place, stay, and come command. These are stationary and movement commands that really really help with a dog that has aggressive responses to situations, and helps them learn the alternate things that can be done.)
3. The balance of discipline, trust, and respect should be talked about. With a dog like this, you need to have trust for the dog to relax around you should they have a treasured thing, which they have been allowed to have. Discipline is the form of communication that says there are some behaviors that absolutely will not be tolerated. Respect comes from the understanding of the working relationship between you and your dog. I didn't mention love. Why? Because I have yet to meet the dog that did not love and adore their owner no matter what. The actions of resource guarding have nothing to do with a dog not loving you.
4. Options options options. How will the trainer make this work? How will they measure their progress? What will tip them off to the fact that it's time to try something new or change up something? The number of tools, methods, experience, and knowledge of very many different things stacked the odds in favor of your individual dog finding the right mix.
5. So many new trainers or trainers that do not work with resource guarding or aggressive dogs THINK they have seen every personality in dog training. You are going to want to know that your trainer has seen a wide variety of personalities, and that they are continually surprised and awed by what they can see. I have had my easiest and hardest dogs this year alone. This isn't to say I haven't had many a hard dog in the past, because I most definitely have. In six short years, I have lost track of the hundreds of dogs that I have seen. I know that owners are sometimes not exaggerating in any form or fashion what they are actually seeing. Experience will give you a trainer that knows the behavioral bends that a dog can take, and will let them know that they are not going to know that dog (necessarily) in the first few weeks.
6. Management vs training. What do I mean by that? Well first of all, I firmly believe that any good training is bound to involve behavior modification on some level. Training is a method to communicate and set up a partnership with your dog. Behavior modification is the change in a behavior that is not wanted in the human household (and is a reasonable expectation) to one that is more acceptable. Management is the means by which to keep people and other living beings safe. Crates, muzzles, when to allow the dog near people, and managing the environment are all ways to manage or stack the odds for safety. Management normally includes things that you eventually do not want to need to count on OR you want to eliminate them all together OR you want to have to use them in very limited and short term ways. In any aggression or such case that I can think of, there is going to be a degree of management discussed.
7. And everything else that I have forgotten to mention.

So know that this is a serious problem. Every dog does not have to love to share, BUT do not let serious behavioral issues manifest and fester. You may be faced with a much larger problem down the road if you do not find the appropriate and working answers quickly.



Mannerly Mutts Dog Training
Mannerly Mutts Blog
mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com

Her Name Was Lola, She Was A Showgirl

Our newest residency student's name is Lola. She is a female Pit X. She looks like she may have a fair amount of lab in her.

I will write a little history about her here. She was adopted at six weeks. Just so people know, if you can avoid removing a puppy at before 11-13 weeks from their mother and litter, this is the best thing for the puppy. That being said, there are situations out there where a puppy is being ousted in a non-breeders home OR finds themselves motherless for whatever reason early on.

Puppies who are removed early often will have special needs in order to grow into a balanced dog. There are many situations besides early removal from the litter and mom, where a dog will need extra special care. Early removal is just one of many situations that will most likely require special care and consideration. Of course, in my opinion, a well planned training program is always necessary for a dog, but truthfully some dogs are going to be more naturally bomb proof than other dogs. The dogs that are removed from their litter and mother too early are often not the bomb proof dogs that are going to sail through life fine without a good leader.

Lola's problems have been manifesting themselves in reactive and aggressive behavior towards dogs (especially when on leash), and an uncomfortableness around children. Also there are resource guarding issues.

Day one for a dog like Lola is comprised of a lot of things. For one, she will be tethered to me while out and about in the house. Freedom is a resource that I control. Right now she is not equipped (behaviorally speaking) to have that freedom in the house. When she is not tethered to me, she will be in her crate. There is a lot that I can do while she is tethered to me in addition to training though. It's really important for her to be out and about and learning the rules of the road right now. Structuring a day for a dog like this is very important too. You want the dog to be able to predict what is going to happen during the day, as you guide them through the appropriate behaviors. So for instance every time I stop or come to an opening, I put Lola into a sit. Since she has the very beginning understanding of what a sit is (and wasn't smart enough to hide this from me LOL), getting out of the crate only happens when she is in a sit.

Last night, she went into a sit very willingly to leave the crate. After being fed and let out this morning, she had a more belligerent look on her face (once her immediate needs were met) when asked to sit. So I went away, had some coffee and breakfast. Went back down and said "sit". She almost did it once, but did not do it after five times of the command. Therefore, I went upstairs and enjoyed a bit of the today show with the other dogs. Guess what happened the third time I went down? Lola was already in a sit . Thems the rules, to get out of the crate you must be in a sit (oh and quiet too).   If you have a reactive and resource guarding dog, you should check with a trainer on how to do this safely, especially if there is a food bowl in the crate. I always leave my face out of the crate, for instance. I have them stay in a sit so I can easily slip on the collar. If the dog does not know any form of the word sit yet (is entirely green in other words), you can form the leash first into a loose lasso (clip end through handle) and slip it around the dog's head. I've had about 10 years of practice with this, so it's always best to have a trainer talk you through this with a reactive, possibly aggressive, or feral dog. Lola hasn't needed this, I just thought it would be a good mention in the crate rules scenario when you are working with a dog that you hardly know yet.

While I am making her sit every time I stop, we will later be going through the molded sit routine from scratch to get to the one command sit.   Also with any dog that has a behavioral issue, molding is a great trust exercise.   It trains the dog to relax their muscles at their owners touch at first, before going onto consequences and rewards for sitting or not sitting.   When you get to the correction part, most owners make a common mistake of tightening on the leash OR giving the correction before the command is even given.   The right way is to get the dog used to the concept of having a loose leash, so the owner has more control.   This is what a lot of owners are not knowledgeable about how to understand to train to a loose leash, and that this gives them more control (as does off leash training when ready).   So it's loose leash, then command, then correction if not done within a second (corrections are mild after having gone through the molding steps correctly with most dogs), good dog if command is performed, once in a sit (either way) the leash should be loose again, and finally the release word is given.  You need to give the dog the opportunity to weigh there options in order to give them the opportunity to learn.   If you are always going to take control of the situation rather than teach the dog, the dog will never learn control, themselves.   This is a really important concept when dealing with the behaviorally challenged dogs.

Lola hasn't been extremely pleased about going into the crate. So she will be fed in there, have some toys in there, but... In the meantime, she needs to go into the crate when necessary. If I don't need to get confrontational with a dog about these things, then I don't. Lola has responded well to the method where she is on leash, and I walk towards the crate. She will pull back for a moment, but if I just stop and wait, she will come towards me and the crate again. You need the dog on a slip training collar and leash to do this, if they are bound and determined to get away. The worst thing that can happen is she slips her collar and realizes that she could get away. This just makes the training go backwards. This morning putting Lola in the crate has been a lot easier, as I have made it as non confrontational as I possibly can. It's an attitude like this "look it's no big deal", but then you follow through and bring her out later with a little bit of freedom or training (which will feel like a little bit of freedom right now).

Tethering her to me starts to extinguish her first instinct to bolt for freedom as well. Most dogs enjoy actually being with their people, and once she figures out she can relax with her new best buddy (me of course) it will become much easier for her to just follow me around, and not look for the exit at every opportunity. Once she stops doing that, we can start considering letting her off tether in our home. It's not something that you want to do before she is ready though.

When I have a dog that is a possible bolt risk and has aggressive possibilities, there are certain safety measures I put in place.

• I pay attention to the status of all outside doors.   I lock some that friends or family (despite my frequent directions not to) may decide to open and come into unannounced.  The front door that we like to keep open to the screen or glass door is now closed from now forward.
• Be aware, some dogs are very prepared to go through window screens (and sometimes glass windows).  So closing the windows and having a dog that seems that panicked tethered to you is a very wise idea.
• Since we have a pen for going outside made of chicken wire, if I have a possible flight risk, I bring them out on lead personally to go to the bathroom in the pen.
• Even if there are no other dogs or people around, she will remain tethered to me when outside the crate right now.
• I make sure she is in the more well made thick wire crates.   Some crates are shockingly cheap, and Lola would be able to dismantle them quite readily, where other dogs would not even think of trying.
• Always have her on a slip type of training collar when outside of the crate, so as not to slip her flat collar.
• Always take the slip collar off when going into the crate (and put flat back on) so it doesn't get caught on a wire and choke her.
• Clothing should be leather shoes, thick jeans, bulky sweatshirt, when dealing with any dog that you think may deflect on you.   Often dogs that are going to turn out okay, will still panic and use their teeth in the moment.  We all want to protect ourselves, our clients, and the dog from making an unnecessarily bad mistake in the beginning of training.
• I try not to use muzzles on most dogs, but in the beginning and especially if the quarters are going to be tight with the object of their angst, I find muzzles are helpful not only for prevention but also to calm the dog down.   Once they realize they are not going to be able to take the action that they would like, and that you (the handler or owner) have things under control, the dog can relax and go with the flow.   Remember, it's totally important that the dog training have nothing to really worry about.  We use our trained dogs here, and people familiar with taking direction from me to start and win the dog over (and habituate them to things that previously frightened or concerned them in some way).

When you are entrusted with someone Else's dog, you need to be extra specially responsible and careful.   Someone is trustingly handing over their beloved family member to you.  My yard remains unfenced as I do a lot of off leash training.   Therefore, while I may drop a longe line at the end of training (meaning longe line is still attached but handle not in my hand), she will not be allowed off leash (really) outside, though she may be prepared to get a sense of it.

Today, we will be focusing on "let's go" and "sit on the dog training" which will be loaded into Lola's blog (with this posting) so her owners can follow along with what we are doing.

Maine Dog Trainer, New Hampshire Dog Trainer, Massachusetts Dog Trainer, and sometimes Canada Dog Trainer

Mannerly Mutts Dog Training Blog

Hoobie's Crate Finds A New Home

Hoobie is staying with us through August now. His home has been going through repairs, and his owner wants to train the visiting dogs that come to the house before Hoobie comes back. Both not bad reasons for Hoobie to stay put. It certainly will make the transition back home easier for both Hoobie and the owners.

So Hoobie's education is continuing. The following has been accomplished with me, and needs to be transferred to Hoobie's owners:

• Commands learned have been let's go, stand, heel, place, crate, sit, down, leave it, take it, and stay. Now some of these he would perform before, now he is reliable in distracting circumstances.
• Grooming in a muzzle is no longer an activity for which Hoobie must be put out OR can only be in short spurts.
• Hoobie is enjoying petting, In fact, he often seeks it out from both of us.
• Strangers that are at all dog savvy are not considered an instaneous threat to Hoobie.
• Walking in public (with a muzzle to protect a public who might reach out to pet without a thought) is pleasant and Hoobie enjoys these.
• He is taking his medication in the crate through the bars in a sit (he's territorial and a resource guarder) with the use of the commands "leave it" and "take it" making him a more polite boy.

So now that he is going to be staying longer than expected, we have moved onto some more advanced parts of his training. It's all well and good that he trusts me much more around his food, treats, and space but what about others... It's hard to recruite strange humans (strange to Hoobie) to drop over all the time, but we do have strange and known canines coming over all the time. So while I am not expecting the owners to serve Hoobie's favorite food in the midst of a party while he's out of a crate, I am teaching at least more impulse control while in the crate.

This is important because he is territorial as well. So previously, tackling the resource and territorial aggression in the same lesson seemed too much for Hoobie. Now he is prepared for it. Can't find my camera, but right now Preston is lying next to Hoobie's crate and next to his food bowl. Hoobie is napping without concern. However, when Magoo just tried to approach, Hoobie started in with a low growl indicating he thought a threat was coming to his food.

I have just moved Hoobie's family room crate to be more in the traffic of both me and the dogs. His crate previously was in a solitary room and in a remote corner of the family room. If we can get him to stop guarding the small spaces, we can eventually get him to stop guarding whole rooms. This is a long term goal I am talking about, I am expecting that Hoobie will be crated according to the rules and schedules that we map out. Right now, the reason that he is not guarding whole rooms is because he is not allowed to be in the position where he would. It's part of teaching him the correct responses to replace the need to guard.

Part of training a dog like this, is to show the reasons why guarding is not necessary. You also want to show the dog what NOT guarding gets them. That is not guarding the car, gets a car ride to a fun place. Not guarding the crate, allows the crate door to open to all the possibilities there. In comparison, an altercation is not such a desirable thing for the DOG . That is what you are teaching, an aggressive reaction on the dog's part is not worth the loss in freedom and the other things they enjoy. Of course in order to do this, it's always good to be sure that you are not inadvertently giving a negative. For instance, when Hoobie's thyroid problems were untreated, a pet would have been and did become a negative thing. I'll talk again how we have been making this a positive thing, and how this was further continued to grooming et.

Mannerly Mutts Dog Training
Mannerly Mutts Blog
mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com

Tier Of Goals When Training The Behaviorally Challenged

Going to have to use Hoobie again, as he is my only behaviorally challenged training client at the moment LOL (thank goodness). So when a client like Hoobie comes in, the first thing I do is envision for that dog, what I want for him if he was my own dog. The next thing that comes into mind is the laundry list of things I ideally want to accomplish before the owners bring him home. Here is an example of such a list that comes to mind, and sometimes changes as I know the dog. For Hoobie, here is my list of priorities that mold the way I train the behavior modification part, and also influence my training of obedience exercises (like having a pet part of every command):


TIER OF GOALS FOR HOOBIE:

PRIORITY ONE-SAFETY FOR OWNERS (WEEKS ONE TO TWO VERY MUCH SO-AND ONGOING):

• Crate training in and out of crate. (includes muzzle off which is an indicator for Hoobie that he is going into the crate, and leash off which can also be an indicator)
  
• Acceptance of muzzle on and off when needed. It's so far really been muzzle off, as that was an indicator that he's going into the crate, when the muzzle is being used.


• Acceptance of training collar on and off.


• Later came the PVC pipe idea to get Hoobie off the muzzle with resource guarding issues, yet provide an in between place for him that keeps me safe while he aggresses, and does not make it necessary to give a strong correction. (or get a strong correction)


• Later came the e-collar to cut down on the extreme reactions of Hoobie to in the crate in duration, and also so hands do not become the focal point of being made to do something. He does very well on the e-collar on low levels.

• Not allowed to hump other dogs when out with them. Also, I don't mind that he investigates dogs, er, private regions. However, allowing him to prolong this beyond what is necessary usually leads to humping.

• Do NOT have the mindset to make excuses for bad behavior of Hoobie. Assuming he is not having a convulsion of some sort, and has not been hit by a car, tired is no longer an excuse that Hoobie just misbehaved. We can acknowledge that he is not ready yet for something, but it doesn't excuse it. There is a difference, and I need for the owners to have the mindset that bad behavior is not an excuse for Hoobie. The allowance for this, and the avoiding of things that might upset Hoobie are the reasons for his increased aggression. Now that he is going in the right direction, we need Hoobie to be firmly pushed in the correct direction and not backslide.

• Also later, the car goes to good places, not just the vet!!

PRIORITY TWO-LEADERSHIP (HEAVY WEEK ONE AND ONGOING):

• Nothing in life is free. Using what he knows and what he is learning to work for what he wants.

• Longe line, learn to follow and pay attention to leader without needing to be tugged or pulled along.

• Heeling, learn to follow and pay attention to leader in an exacting position.

• Auto sit, learn to pay attention to leader and stop when they stop (and in a consistent position).

• Recognizing the signs of when Hoobie is leading the owner/handler.

• How to recognize and address challenges from Hoobie.

• Resource guarding issues become part of leadership, but are addressed starting week 5, 6, 7 and most likely 8.

• Structure and discipline.
  

PRIORITY 3-TOUCH AND HANDS (THIS IS THIRD, BECAUSE WITHOUT SAFETY AND LEADERSHIP THERE WILL BE NO BEING ABLE TO TEACH HOOBIE THIS) AND OWNER/HANDLER TRUST:

• Petting feels good. Also verifying the fact that Hoobie does not appear to be aggressing because he's in pain when he's petted.


• Hands do good things. Hands open doors, hands get food, hands treat (when safe), allowing hands near means we go outside.


• Obedience training with Koehler molding methods. Very touch based training where molding Hoobie with hands allows him to realize that no hurt comes from this.


• Hands touch when he's feeling good outside, enjoying freedom, and relaxing with friends.


• When Hoobie approaches, instead of allowing him to demand attention, Hoobie sits and hands touch as he wanted on handler's terms not his.


• We started at points of his body that he seemed to enjoy, and then we spread out.


• Because he had learned to loathe touch, we needed to touch him first so that he learned it wasn't that bad in an obedience training way. Then, we allow him to indicate when he doesn't want it by walking away, and watching what the tail does. The tolerance of touch has been increasing in time and demand:) Otherwise, I would have the wait until he approached method. This is being done with strangers. However stranger interactions are very last on the priority list!

• Structure, Discipline, Clarity, and Consistency.

PRIORITY 4-RESOURCE GUARDING ISSUES (VERY BEGINNING STAGES OF THIS RIGHT NOW-DON'T KNOW HOW FAR WE WILL GET):

• This has been part of the crate training as well. Hoobie is not allowed to lunge, growl, bark, at anyone or thing passing by his crate or towards his crate.

• Hand feeding as the beginning concept of "everything is mine not yours". However, I will gladly share with you.

• Part of giving the medicine with the popsicle stick in the crate (as opposed to your fingers which would be a bit mistake right now) is for him to neither guard the popsicle stick (or try and grab it from you) or his space inside the crate. This is why children and adults who won't listen should not be allowed near the crate, and must be supervised to insure that they don't visit the doggie.
• In obedience, this has been done by walking by close to Hoobie, and expecting that he won't react while in a down or sit stay. In other words, Hoobie has believed in the past he owns all the space around him to:) Or guards it from his people. Also let's go removes him from his position if he has just woken up from sleep or looks a bit worried about "his space" (NOT).

• NO ON THE FURNITURE. AND THE TIMES I HAVE FOUND HIM ON THE GUEST BED, OFF THE FURNITURE IMMEDIATELY.

• NO IN THE FRONT SEAT OF THE CAR, AND THE BACK IS MINE TOO. MORE OF A TRAINING EXERCISE, AS THE OWNERS HAD A METAL SEPERATOR INSTALLED IN THEIR VEHICLE. THOUGH I WOULD LOVE FOR THE NOT TO AVOID THIS IN THE FUTURE, SO THAT HOOBIE CAN LEARN.

PRIORITY 5-GREETING KNOWN PEOPLE AND TRUSTING KNOWN PEOPLE (WILL BE IN THE VERY BEGINNING STAGES WHEN OWNERS ARRIVE BUT HAVE STARTED WITH MY HUSBAND):

PRIORITY 6-GREETING UNKNOWN PEOPLE AND TRUSTING THE HANDLERS IN GREETING AND BEING AROUND UNKNOWN PEOPLE (WILL GET STARTED ON THIS, BUT DON'T KNOW HOW FAR WE WILL GET) :

***Can I say that greeting children has not made the list. This dog is not safe around children. Children will not understand the ramifications in the near future of how to interact with a dog like this. Hoobie must be muzzled or in a crate out of the site and thought of children when they are around. And even muzzled, must be strictly supervised AND must have high quality muzzle that he can't get off or pinch through!!

Realize that each large and lofty goal has many steps and behavioral challenges in it. I mean for Hoobie it's as tiny as allowing the door clips on the crate to be touched without growling. That's how intricate the beginning steps have been with a normal stable dog that doesn't even become an issue.

Mannerly Mutts Dog Training
Mannerly Mutts Blog
mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com

The Challenge Video/Spitting in Food

I have included a link that explains why some long time trainers include saliva in their dogs food. http://www.bharatbhasha.com/pets.php/41991 Now it's not that I am trying to dominate Hoobie, but I am trying to include anything and everything that may make him as accepting as possible that others handle things that he thought were his solely. This is also the process of teaching him that he does not need to aggress. He will get what he needs and wants by NOT AGGRESSING. I have never tried this, but I am not one to shirk a technique that may help a situation, especially if it does not harm the dog (it may harm me but not the dog LOL).

So here is my payment that I issued to Dogstardaily and the Dunbars to allow balanced trainers to talk about balanced training on their site!! Kelly Dunbar most likely did not know of the challenge, but she did indeed allow conversation for the first time from balanced trainers on why tools and methods work. Kudos to Kelly Dunbar. Again, I don't need them to talk about balanced training at all, but if they are going to say they are acquiring the term, bash it, or talk about it----they should allow for conversation that is not blocked or moderated.

The below is the video. When I say I will treat him with a lamb treat if he growls LOL, that is not what I mean. Since we are working with his meds, it's important that he get the meds so I don't walk away. What I do if he growls is I then do reps of sits and downs, and when he is not growling he gets a very small piece of dried lamb. Or I sometimes put that very small piece on the popsicle stick. He actually tends to be more cooperative when he's out of the crate, but I like him to be able to do either, so that the owners will have options of ways he can safely get his meds, but while also working with him to desensitize him to getting meds up high or down low as a normal thing. That is still working on the resource guarding issue.





One thing that I noticed is that his tolerance for both resource guarding and crate training went down when the two were combined in one exercise. So since this time, I have gone to doing them seperately again. One training time for resource guarding, the other training time for crate training. Normally it's not a problem for dogs to combine, but for Hoobie it seems the combo of the two just made his intolerance times four instead of divided by two. I want to go in the direction that makes both of these things easy peasy for Hoobie. Or as easy as they can be for him:) I think sometimes he may be almost as stubborn as I am LOL.

By the way, I think Hoobie has taken the crown from Hannah as most stubborn dog, and most stubborn Springer!!! Oh well, Hannah is still the Queen here when she visits, and Kate remains our teddy bear. Wonder what they would think of Hoobie??

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Hoobie Hand Feeding for Resource Guarding No. 4

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"Hand Feeding" Hoobie Day 2-Practice 2

Starting Hand Feeding With Resource Guarding Issues, The Good Moments:



I couldn't fit this all into the Youtube Permimeters, here are the bad moments and why it's a REALLY bad idea to train Hoobie with items that he is resource guarding. We are training to reduce the resource guarding here NOT training the down or sit. This is NILIF (nothing in life is free, and that especially goes for things that he will bite over).


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Welcome Back Happy Hoobie End Week 5

I would have to say this week has probably been the hardest with Hoobie. Week 1 may have been the winner as well, but it's hard to remember now that I did recover from it . Week 1 and 2 had me working at least six hours a day in care and training with Hoobie. After week 2, we had a two hour training session (rather than four hours broken up through the day) for all of week 3 and most of week 4. He was also unmuzzled (though still carefully handled) through those times. End of week four came a very important exercise that expands areas of touch and allowing that touch, the down using Koehler molding methods. OMG, this dog did not want to do the molded down. I think I know why this exercise over the molding of sit or stand was such a battle. This is used to get a dog under control at the vets or at home for medical assistance. It is more a matter of control to Hoobie rather than the actual touch part. I was very conscience of indications that he may be in pain. I did a 100 to 140 reps a day (inter dispersed through the day) with Hoobie. If there was pain, he would have been sore for the rest of the day, especially in the quieter moments of the day. Very likely, when he went to rest he would have shown discomfort going into a down.

Also like I said, this exercise is more than for teaching the down. Hoobie can do a down without the physical manipulation, though in training dogs like this I want first command and first performance. This is so important with a dog showing aggression towards....well anything....but especially for owner directed and resource guarding aggression. Most of the owner directed is fear based and control based. Fear based aggression or defensiveness is the easiest one to deal with. The bossy or dominant aggression is the harder one to convince a dog to give up. Hoobie has both.

The convincing him that petting is a good thing, hasn't been that bad (assuming there is no food or toy in your hand, and from the non controlling view of Hoobie - his back). Mostly that has been done with reward and positive reinforcement to this particular point.

Now remember Hoobie has food intolerance and resource guarding, and he aggresses when "treated" with either during training (and trust me I did put this too the test). In fact yesterday, with Hoobie's muzzle on, I fed him by hand or by hand with popsicle stick (this muzzle has a hole through the front, and Hoobie could in fact open his mouth wide enough to give me a good pinch in the front of his mouth). From now on, this is how Hoobie will be fed. He must give me a command for each bite. So just as my husband was saying "well isn't he doing good" I turned to explain to my husband he would still the aggressor if I moved, when Hoobie did indeed launch himself at me (or tried to), because I had turned to answer my husband. I almost forgot about that incident, until my husband came home from work and asked how that particular temper tantrum worked out (since that was the last time he saw me that morning, and Hoobie was still trying to get his way before he went to work). So today will be the second day doing that, but I am not teaching the down (though that is what I am getting), I am teaching some control of the resource guarding (down is still the molding of the down handling that is being taught). Today will be day two of handler feeding breakfast. We have three more weeks to go, and based on Hoobie's progress so far, it will take that much time just to really get started on it, unless he surprises me. This is always possible. In fact during week 3, I was sure that I had over estimated Hoobie's abilities and perhaps the training time LOL. I gotta tell you though, I don't consider even stable Springers to be the choice for a first time dog owner. They are tough and spirited and not that little a dog. Some weigh in at the same weight as a female Doberman. They are strong, and just because they are low to the ground does not make them small dogs. English Springers, like Hoobie, seem to be a bit smaller, but still quite built and active. He lacks bite inhibition, but I am sure that he has not unleashed the worst bite that he could give me. In fact, I am pretty sure he exhibited self control as he knows it.

Unfortunately, when SOME dogs learn the very true lesson that teeth=humans back off, they are going to lack any inhibitions about biting. So the trick is to teach them all sorts of situations and how to cope without biting. As you can imagine, there is quite a list of everyday situations that I would like to go over with Hoobie. I will touch on the most prevalent in the house, and in traveling with Hoobie. I am limited to my own creativity, and Hoobie's ability to get over his phobias within a time frame. These last two days, I have been very relieved to see the Hoobie that I know is in there again.

The very helpful things about Hoobie that allow for him to improve are:

• He really does like people, and he likes to be around people. He likes being petted right now by the people he knows in more varied situations than before. He seeks attention out even when he knows he is going to need to work for it. He runs to me for cuddles when he doesn't need to, he follows me out to lie beside me, he presses up against me for cuddling, he even comes on my lap (muzzled only allowed, if you move wrong and he was unmuzzled this would put you in quite a predicament).
• He doesn't mind touch, he just wants to be in control. To date, the humans ability to touch him at will has meant he will need to submit to something. Once we got going on the touch, I have had many requests (though I make him do something and do it on my terms) to be touched by Hoobie.
• Generally, when he learns not to be the aggressor on muzzle (truly not aggress, and that means you need to push him to see where he will), he doesn't seem to be the aggressor unmuzzled. When you start something new though, he doesn't generalize well, and so you need to muzzle him to again teach him not to be the aggressor in this new situation. At least there is a way, so that's good.
• He likes other dogs, which has been used as a reward. Course this is a reward that the owners won't necessarily have (and keep in mind that there are trained dogs here, not out of control dogs).
• He loves loves loves the outdoors. This is a huge reward.
• Excepting the down portion of training LOL, Hoobie does like the training. He likes doing it well and pleasing you. I expect the molded down will eventually turn into that. He likes giving me the down without molding.
• He is smart, but luckily not that smart. He can figure some things out that are not helpful, such as if he turns his body towards the front (which we are also training on approaching and touching from the front) he can delay the leash being put on or the muzzle being put on. Also he learned that not delivering the sit so willingly delays the whole down exercise!! However, he has not learned to hide his true intentions unmuzzled or with the PVC pipe. That is hugely helpful in knowing when he is truly progressing to the end goal.
• His body language is easy to read, even if his quick reflexes can be hard to avoid sometimes (at least twice so far). The watchful stare to the eyes is a challenge "if you come any closer or move unexpectedly I am coming for you". Shaking is usually when he is holding himself back from another bite or unwanted response to his handler. He is angry but barely controlling himself. I have only picked up on this a few times, and why it's so important to do molded exercises with dogs where you are touching them a lot, so you can feel their responses. When he looks away, you might not be able to get away with anything with him, but he is being respectful (ie letting you know that he is not challenging you). Panting means, he is doing what you want but not entirely comfortable with it. Tucked tail means the same. Tail wagging in the middle means he is pretty pleased with himself after a command or happy in general. High quick wagging tail means he is getting in an aroused state and a challenge may soon follow after.
• He can be moved quickly from a challenge to happy state, in general assuming he is not totally ramped up. Alternatively though, he can be happy and cuddling then totally concerned and challenging that you moved a certain way.

So we don't have the general treats and arbitrary touch to use as rewards, but we do have situations and events to use as rewards. Here is the thing though, it is going to be impossible for Hoobie to be rewarded for every moment in life. Though improvements were made early on in the less advanced training by being sure everything was good and happy for Hoobie, the truth is there are going to be some times where Hoobie is going to need to deal with what we know as "real life". Sometimes, he is going to need to get up and go out from his crate without trying to bite his owners, just because he is not totally happy that they are approaching. We are not going to want to reward Hoobie for not biting just because his owners walked by, we need him to know this is not acceptable. These are not unreasonable requests for a dog. Luckily, Hoobie has owners that have had him from puppy hood, nursed him through the medical issues that helped him be this way, and love him. A Hoobie in the shelter would not even be a consideration, nor is re homing Hoobie.

So a major reason for rehabilitating a Hoobie is that he has a home that will work with him and that already loves him (and doesn't have children in it). Another hopeful indicator for me is that while Hoobie has accomplished punctures-which no one wishes for or wants and are quite painful, he has demonstrated less control than we would like, but he has demonstrated control. He did get training before, but that training totally avoided these issues or did not deal with them. By having the owner be as still as possible, not facing, and not daring to move hand with treat, this actually taught Hoobie even more how to control his owners. So Hoobie still had and has loads of room for improvement. Also, there is an actual happy, friendly Hoobie in there that can and does enjoy life (including his owners and handlers). Finally, his owners have already endured four years of this. Already just the care time of Hoobie could probably be cut down quite a bit by his more cooperative behavior. The main problem is that he is the perfect storm of a dog. Medical issues in his youth before learning the goodness of hands, being a Springer in general LOL (and I am NOT saying they are aggressive, I am saying that they will wear you down whether cheerfully, fearfully, or aggressively with enthusiasm), not being able to be weaned by his mother, and having the Springer knowledge of how to control your owner and handler:) In order to train him, you need to be more stubborn than a Springer, and that is saying something (if you haven't trained yours, you wouldn't be aware and they can be lovely untrained dogs. try training your friendly lovely Springer though, and they will cheerfully and with love give you their middle digit). Luckily, I am more stubborn than a Springer, though I admit to going to bed at 8:30 most nights for the last five weeks .

So at the end of week five, we have wiggling wagging Hoobie. Tomorrow, dancing and prancing Hoobie will probably arrive. Why? Because he is figuring out that just doing what I want is no big deal, and a heck of a lot easier than arguing with me. Cause I really don't give up. Once a dog connects the ideas that nothing bad happens to him and I don't give up; they become relieved and know the name of the game. OR you could say we have a communication or language going on now that is understood. If only we could speak English to our dogs, this would be a whole heck of a lot easier. I don't hold it against Hoobie that he has tried to bite me. I totally understand this is the only way he knows to react to the situation. It's not that he doesn't love his owners or like me, it's that he feels afraid and feels a lack of control over the situation. By doing it in a different way, he does get control over the situation in a way that make us both happy.

Rewards and praise are great for many dogs. Even some very stable dogs though can be made crazy by too much of this being used. Some owners think their dogs out of control and heightened state of expecting a treat at any moment is what makes a happy dog. I disagree, a calm dog is a dog that gets his physical and emotional needs met. My dogs don't need to turn inside out at the idea of a walk, they get plenty of exercise and activity everyday. Treats are great, but they are quite limited in my house due my concern over their weight and health. Also, I really want my dogs enjoying the work NOT the treats associated with the work. I can start exercises with a treat, if they are afraid of that position or if they are having a hard time getting it. Case in point with my dogs, roll over was a very hard exercise to teach my dogs even with treats. They just did not feel comfortable going onto their backs, especially around other dogs. Treats helped them get over it, but I really know they enjoy what they are doing when they give it to me without a treat. In a beginning puppy or adult dog, I may start with a bunch of treat luring, but I know the way to really test your dog is without reward or correction. Or I should say the test of a trained dog is without reward or correction. In other words, they are doing the work because they enjoy the partnership and communication.

The other side of training is corrections. These are needed when reward does not entirely do the trick. I freely admit there are some dogs that do incredibly well with purely positive training. However, not ALL dogs do well. I can't say whether most dogs do well or not, as MOST dogs are not trained at all and vary in stability in their home. My dog, Leon, for instance naturally does not do most anything wrong. My dog, Jack, is a very different story even though they are the same gender and breed. Both are lovely dogs, and I love them equally as I have loved all my pets. Their difference in temperament and ability make them no less my beloved dogs. If one needs more work than the other, that is just the way it is, and that is what I need to provide. Same thing with medical attention et al, they are still your beloved companion.

Should you allow your dog to control you though? No, it's not healthy for the owners or the dog. I assure you that when Hoobie is taking a fit, he is not happy. He is in fact, quite distressed. Obviously, his owners can not go on the way they were. Their life became so restricted due to their devotion to Hoobie. So the things we are doing like molding and leash corrections, are not punishments. They are directions. Punishments are what would happen when you are already to late to change the behavior. After Hoobie bit me for instance, I went on with what I was doing (giving the medicine) or taking off the leash. I did it in the same controlled way that I started, being a bit more careful, obviously. However there was no punishment. After the medicine, I did need to corner him with a stool nearby, but it wasn't a punishment--it was needed to pick up his leash without being bitten again. I am sure that act did not teach Hoobie anything. If I am putting Hoobie in a position that he has broken during aggression, that is not a punishment. It's just doing what we were doing before, as calmly and in control as possible. If it is at all possible, I don't make any indication that the dog has done anything. Screaming, getting nervous, yelling, et all serve to just ramp a dog up. Now there is a difference between a short loud noise when stopping something from happening, then a prolonged yelling or screaming. Also you need to be able to read whether that did anything at all. Some dogs are very non plussed by this LOL. Other dogs are very accommodating to a quick short loud sound or command. Mostly dogs are very conscience of calm, practiced, and deliberate action.

This means the trainer needs to commit to the action with authority and commitment. To do these things half way only prolongs the training time. Something we really don't need with Hoobie. Looks like we are able to move on from down to other things now with Hoobie. That does not mean stop training on the down, but it doesn't need to be the primary exercise (I don't think) from this week forward. This has been an important part of Hoobie's training, and although it held us up a little, it was very important in him allowing touch. I am not even suggesting that the owners would go around doing this to Hoobie years from now randomly (ie not as a structured exercise). However, realize that a dog with trust, fear, and control issues needs to be worked to accept much more than will probably be asked in the end. That way those normal every day things seem like no biggy later on:)

Video will be taken on some of this progress today.

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