Wishing and Hoping

Many of us have moments when we hold our breath and cross our fingers, wishing, hoping that, just this time, please, our dogs will do the “right” thing – and most of the time they do. And then, we’re relieved, crisis averted.  But sometimes they don’t.  And depending on what it is that we fear might happen, sometimes just wishing and hoping can have serious consequences.

In daily life, if our dogs are “good” 95% of the time, we consider our dogs close to perfect.  But what happens during that other 5% of the time?  Do our dogs dive enthusiastically into kitty litter for tasty morsels?  Indulge in intense crotch sniffing with our guests?  Or is it something more disturbing, our dogs stiffening and staring one day when we reach to remove the food bowl or they suddenly fight other dogs for “no reason at all?”  Because we want our dogs to be “good,” we tend to dismiss those rare “bad” moments, attributing the behavior to a unique set of circumstances.

The first time we see disconcerting behavior from our dogs, we want to think it’s a fluke.  It’s unfortunate that we are taught to ignore our instincts.  They are frequently right.  With animals, including people, a look, a certain twitch, a hesitation can indicate that something is amiss.  Our amygdala catches it, sends a warning, but because the behavior didn’t make an obvious impact, a logical impact, we tend to do nothing, even if we don’t like it, for fear of looking foolish.  We hope we won’t see it again, but now there’s that seed of concern in the back of our mind.  If we don’t see it again, we’re hoping it never existed in the first place. But then it happens again.

As humans, we want people to think well of us, to think of us as decent and responsible.  The behavior of our dogs is often seen as a reflection of our own character.  We want our dogs to be friendly, well-mannered and responsive. So, when they aren’t, usually our gut reaction is “What are other people thinking about me?”  While hoping the bad behavior is an exception, refusing to address the behavior and continuing to wish and hope can result in the behavior happening more frequently or even escalating.  Recognizing our dog has a behavior issue is the first step towards prevention.

For some people, it is difficult to seek assistance, particularly for problems within our household.  We often feel that we should have control over our dependents’ behavior, and we think a failure to do so suggests a lack of respect and competency.  We love our dogs and there is an emotional conflict within us when someone we love does something “bad.”  “Good” dogs shouldn’t be doing “bad” things, especially when we are being good caretakers.  So, with our dogs, it’s usually after something serious happens, usually a bite, that a trainer is called in to help.

Addressing a minor behavior issue is much easier than trying to change an established behavior. Success in altering a behavior improves when dog handlers aren’t intimidated or fearful of possible outcomes of that behavior. For some behavior issues, there is a time factor to consider.  The more established and extreme a behavior is, the more difficult it is to either teach dogs better coping mechanisms or to change the dogs’ perspective of the world.  It’s simple to teach old dogs new tricks, it’s “unteaching” old tricks that’s the challenge.  Shyness, intent staring, growling, seeking isolation, demand barking, and showing stress during what shouldn’t be a stressful situation, are all behaviors that should cause concern and aren’t behaviors that will disappear or be resolved without training.

 
Wishing and hoping won’t result in behavior changes.  While our dogs’ behaviors and reactions are not necessarily a reflection of us, the way we address the behavior is.  It’s our responsibility to our community and our dogs. 

A Holiday Reminder:
Halloween can be a frightening and exciting holiday for dogs.  They don't understand that there are people or even dogs under those costumes and may become frightened.  Keep dogs secure indoors during trick-or-treat-ing hours.  We don't want our pets dashing out the door into the night while we hand out candy. 

And for those humans who enjoy a little scare, Specter Spectacular:  13 Ghostly Tales includes one of my short stories, "Safe Upon the Shore."  Available in paperback and on Kindle at Amazon.

On Guard

Dogs protect resources that they believe
are scarce and valuable, like a lap.

Our culture puts a high value on owning things and 9/10s of our laws relate to possession.  So, is it any wonder that our canine friends share our point of view?

Dogs will protect their “valuables” by growling, freezing (standing very still close to the object), covering (placing a chin or paw over something), or by positioning themselves between the object and potential usurpers.  Dogs will also collect, hide, or even swallow important objects to prevent others from getting them and to avoid conflict.  Because the preventative actions can happen quickly, we might miss that the dog is guarding.

In dog training vocabulary, protecting a possession is called “resource guarding.”  Dogs can protect their resources from other dogs/animals, people, or both.  Most people are familiar with dogs guarding bones, but dogs can also guard areas, food, toys, found objects, and even people.  The extent to which a dog will protect a resource depends on the value the dog places on the resource.  Because the value of a resource might not make sense to people, unpredictable conflicts can arise.

People usually expect dogs to guard their food.  In multiple dog households, feeding dogs separately not only eliminates the need to guard food from other dogs, but also allows the dogs to eat at their own pace and allows owners to more closely monitor what each dog is eating as well as the amount.  On the other hand, because a management plan is in place “just in case,” many people might not know if their dogs are food guarders or not.  It is usually safest to assume that they are, and to practice non-resource guarding training.

Usually “resource guarding” results from a perceived shortage of the resource.  Therefore two ways to prevent resource guarding are to either create a perception of plenty or to eliminate the resource altogether.  Having more “valuables” than there are dogs (pig ears, chew toys, balls, etc.) can help prevent resource guarding mostly because there is no need to challenge the dog “in possession.”  I always recommend teaching swapping to dogs: asking the dog to give something up in exchange for something of equal or better value.  This often happens when puppies are teething.  People take away the tennis shoe and replace it with an appropriate chew toy for example, but swapping is also something that should be done with all new dogs, just be sure to start with something that’s extra low value, which might even be an empty bowl.  The idea being created is that the item in possession will lose value because something much better will take its place.  Dogs will even eagerly relinquish things if they’ve learned this is the case.

However, when the dog is guarding a person or location, it becomes more complicated to create value, especially when we want our dogs to see us as “the best thing ever.”  In such cases, the resource becomes a reward which can be removed for inappropriate behavior.  It’s best to remove the resource the moment low level guarding starts to take place (staring or freezing if someone/thing approaches).  For people, that means that the person leaves the room and the dog remains in the room. To “restore” the resource, the dog needs to show appropriate, non-guarding behavior.  It’s also possible to lower our “value” by refusing to interact w/ the dog and having another person bestow the desired attention.  The use of the resource can also be conditional:  the dog can receive attention only if the other dog is receiving attention as well.  Swapping can also be used if there is a reward that is comparable to the chosen person’s attention.  Dogs can be given the “alternate reward,” if they relinquish or share the person’s attention. 

Playing tug teaches dogs that sharing a resource can be fun.

It is important to know that dogs that resource guard will often return to that behavior if a new valuable resource appears or if they aren’t constantly being reinforced for relinquishing an item.  If there are multiple dogs, heavily rewarding a dog for not trying to take a resource from the other can also prevent conflict.  In some instances, letting the dog eat a rare resource, such as a piece of dead squirrel, is acceptable, so long as the dog isn’t using threatening behavior to keep you or others away.

It pays to be aware of resource guarding behavior to prevent accidental bites.  Any dog that seems to be “covering” or freezes when approached should be treated with caution and children should be taught to avoid a dog when it is in this state.  However, as our dogs learn that no resource is better than the one you can offer, resource guarding can be significantly diminished.