Hi Beth,
First off, let me thank you sooooo much for writing: "
What do other shelters do to set these dogs up for success?" because setting these dogs up for success (as opposed to failure) is the name of the game when it comes to resource guarding. Ooooh, I could talk about this topic for hours (and I have - haha).
By any chance, are you going to the HSUS EXPO in Orlando next week? If so, let's get together so I can demonstrate in person what we've done at our shelter to set resource-guarding dogs up for success from Day One, Minute One. (Anyone interested in the topic is invited to join us!) My lecture on Thursday is "K9 Behavior SKILL-Building: How to Turn Reactive Dogs into Relaxed Dogs" and I'm with the 'givesmiles.us' team at Booth 316. Also, I travel with a sweet Doberman VSD, so I'm easy to pick out in a crowd.
In the meantime, here are a few excerpts from Chapter 19 ("Who Owns This Stuff?") from the book, "SMILE! and other practical life lessons your dogs can teach you (while you are training them)." (Read more at www.givesmiles.us.) I apologize for the funky formatting, as I cut and pasted the below rather than retype it:
WHO OWNS THIS STUFF?
Dogs don't accumulate, as a rule. They go through life lightly. Come what may, they are comfortable in their own skin. They don't waste time wishing they were a different dog, and they don't worry about keeping up with the dog next door. They are really very good at making do with what is in front of them.
Despite this blessing, canine hoarding can occur, and what is commonly called resource guarding arises in certain circumstances:
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- When a dog has been teased (for example: with toys, treats or food).
- When a dog has been nutritionally deprived (so food guarding reflects an element of survival).
- When boundaries haven't been clearly and calmly delineated; rather, a dog's guarding has been ignored, or it has been condoned by others, either two-legged or four-legged.
What starts with the rude grabbing of treats can slide into increased assertion in other circumstances. And if this toggles into aggression, it can be quite scary to the people involved. The good news is: resource guarding is easier to address than most people think! The keys to doing it are:
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- The right energy (a calm, confident, matter-of-fact demeanor)
- The right attitude (clear and driven by a mental picture of success)
- Proper posture and position (good body language)
- Patience
- Knowledge of a few basic rules
- Making dogs work for their resources
Miss an important key, and you can make matters worse and not better.
DEAR DOGS: HERE ARE THE RULES
First, I will love and take care of you, but each food/ treat/toy is my food/treat/toy until I decide to give it to you.
Second, when my hand approaches you, you can trust me and associate me with good things. (To earn my dogs' trust, I routinely offer meals in two or more handfuls. Each time my hand approaches, it is to add more food to a dog's bowl, and not take it away. That is very important!)
Third, to get a resource from me, you must look at me. Don't look away (I don't want your avoidance), and don't stare at the resource (it won't get you what you want). I will then reward your focus with a big smile (and a few extra kibbles, if it is dinnertime)!
Fourth, when taking a resource away (especially food bowls, full or empty), I will pick it straight up. I will never pull it away! (Picking an item straight up directs a dog's focus, body and energy backward. Pulling a resource away directs his focus, body and energy forward, and that can be asking for trouble.)
WORKING FOR RESOURCES
When sharing resources with your dogs, much gets communicated when they are made to work for their share. Let me use Leonardo to illustrate:
When Leonardo came to our facility at the age of two, he was a large-breed adolescent from a household that offered minimal guidance or training. He was hyperactive (his previous owners left him in the backyard to "self-exercise"). He knocked people over (never having been taught better behavior). And he tended to clash with other dogs (the result of his hyperactivity more than anything else). He also tended to guard his food.
His rehabilitation began with lots of bicycling, treadmilling and walking in groups. He also learned our shelter's routine and daily rituals. This gave him the structure to shine, plus the social skills required of a good family member.
From day one/meal one he was fed only when he was sitting quietly, one to two feet back from a bowl set in a stand eighteen inches from the ground. The stand allowed us access to the bowl without a lot of reaching or bending.
We placed a handful of kibbles in the bowl using the sound "Tssssssssssss." (Remember how this snake sound and the energy it projects tends to back dogs up.) When Leonardo remained sitting with his focus on us, we rewarded him with a big "I'm so proud of you" smile before placing another handful of kibbles in his bowl using the same sound.
Any leaning forward or focus on his food got him a stern chicht! but when he continued to sit with his focus on us, another handful or two of kibbles was added.
To finish, we pushed his bowl and stand toward him with the calm signal to eat (a soft okay). Having his food come to him, rather than him approach his food, helped Leonardo associate getting food with backing up politely. Now we left him alone to enjoy his meal.
Leonardo quickly got with the program. Why shouldn't he? After all:
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- Our energy was calm, confident and matter-of-fact (not in any way hesitant, aggressive or emotional).
- Our message was clear. The bowl belonged to us. The space around the bowl belonged to us. Our personal space belonged to us. And all of the food belonged to us, first and foremost.
- We maintained a relaxed, upright posture (no reaching, and minimal bending forward).
- We offered a vital resource (his dinner).
- We were clear about our expectations (his focus on us, his calm energy, a respectful posture and a respectful distance offered to us).
- We offered numerous opportunities to be rewarded over the course of each meal (five to six handfuls, in most cases).
- We were consistent in our approach, allowing him to associate us with trustworthiness. He learned to associate eating with calmness, our hands approaching his bowl with added food, our presence in the room while he was eating with 'no big deal' and backing up politely with getting more food.
The single time he reverted to mild food-guarding (an episode triggered by the sight of another dog during our filling-the-bowl ritual), we stopped the process to leash both dogs. Tying them roughly six feet apart, we brought out another food stand and bowl before continuing our feeding ritual "in stereo." Both dogs needed to back up their posture, energy and focus for them to get kibbles added to both bowls simultaneously, three times over; the same to receive the calm simultaneous direction to eat. This turned competition into teamwork, and it became a practice that was repeated over the next ten meals, to reinforce that the presence of other dogs wasn't an adequate reason for food guarding.
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Lynne Swanson
Safe Harbor Farm K9
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-11-2022 08:44 PM
From: Beth Tumlin
Subject: Resource Guarding and Adopters
Okay so I just watched ASPCA's webinar about gathering objective behavior data in shelters (from multiple sources). I was already aware of the studies that showed resource guarding to be a behavior that does NOT translate from one location/situation to another, and that even among dogs who guarded food at home, most owners reported that it was not a concern to them, but as I watched, the same burning question kept coming to mind that I've had since I'd found this information. I believe the point that is being made by the behaviorists leading these studies is that we know that labeling a dog as a resource guarder increases length of stay significantly, makes it harder to find a foster/adopter, and isn't even necessarily an accurate label to cause all that trouble. All of which I agree 100% with.
My question though, is this, and I'm just wondering what other shelters do… If a dog shows guarding behavior in the shelter, that is a behavior we obviously take note of and take precautions if necessary to reduce chances of staff, volunteers, or community members being bitten during its stay at the shelter... However, is this information that needs to be communicated to the adopter, if it has been proven to be not an accurate predictor of behavior that will be relevant to the adopter ("no better than flipping a coin" according to the National Canine Research Council)? I think the main argument for telling adopters would be to prevent them from being bitten, however, if it's just a flip of the coin 50/50 chance to be accurate at all, it just feels like another huge unnecessary barrier to me. Also, predicting behavior tends to create behavior (expecting the dog to be a guarder may make the person act differently toward that dog and cause a behavior issue that was otherwise not there). What do other shelters do to set these dogs up for success? How do you disclose this information, for legal purposes, without "labeling" the dog as a potential guarder?
#AdoptionsandAdoptionPrograms
#Behavior,TrainingandEnrichment
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Beth Tumlin
Behavior Coordinator
Fredericksburg SPCA
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