food aggression and walks

[ladybugtastic]

It's been quite a while since I've posted anything here, but I wanted to share a couple of successes we've had recently.

Riley, my 16 month old GSD/mix has had food aggression for a while now. I finally talked to my dog trainer, and she gave me some amazing help. The first week, I started by giving Riley a small handful of food at a time, then after he'd eat it all, I'd pick up his bowl and give him another handful. This went really well for the first week, so we started with step 2 on Saturday. I'd first put his leash on him and tie him to something sturdy (such as a doorknob), then I'd give him a handful of food, and while he was eating, I'd pick up his bowl and add a special treat, then set it down in front of him again. He's doing incredibly well with this, and even seems to look forward to meal times with me. He's yet to show aggression towards me since I've been doing this, and although we still have quite a bit of work to do for his aggression, this is a HUGE step forward.

The other area that Riley has greatly improved with is walks. I used to dread going for walks with him simpbly because he'd pull. Even wearing the gentle leader, and while I had treats, he'd pull really hard, then I'd get frustrated and usually cut our walks short, which wasn't fair to either of us.

I finally decided that I was done putting up with the pulling, and the frustration and decided to think about going on walks as a game. I'd carry treats, so every time Riley moved with me, he'd get some cheese or chicken, and I started walking in crazy patterns. I'd randomly switch directions, sometimes even walking in complete circles, just to keep him watching me and unsure of which direction I'll go next. If I have a destination in mind, I walk there in a round about way. I weave in and out of parked cars in a parking lot, or suddenly switch direction and walk back the way I came. It's helped a LOT! Riley actually walks on a loose leash for the most part, unless he sees another dog, which is something else we've been working on. He gets overly excited and lunges, barks and whines when he sees another dog, no matter how far away they are. we started playing the 'gotcha' game, which requires me to watch his body language closely. we'll walk in the direction of the dog and the second he locks onto the other dog, I immediately turn around. if he doesn't follow, he gets a quick pop/release on the leash and a 'gotcha', which works to get him to focus on me again.

[ladybug1802]

Can I ask why your trainer said to tie the dog to a door knob??

[JudyN]

Well done you! I think seeing any improvement helps you see the light at the end of the tunnel so you can carry on, even if it is a long tunnel!

I'm guessing that attaching Riley to a doorknob is a safety measure, in case he does react aggressively. My own feeling (not that I'm a trainer or expert - just experienced with my own food aggressive dog) would be that if you think you need him to be tethered, you should be going slower and working with what you know is within his comfort zone.

In a way, being safe to approach when he's eating from his bowl is a relatively low priority as you have the option of simply not approaching him when he's eating from his bowl, and I don't think this necessarily translates into other situations such as when he's got a bone, or when he finds something edible on a walk, or when he's discovered the cake you just left unattended on the worktop...

But this is meant to be a section for celebrating successes, so ignore my thoughts if you want to, and do let us know how you progress

[WufWuf]

 if he doesn't follow, he gets a quick pop/release on the leash and a 'gotcha', which works to get him to focus on me again

Leash pops are against the training philosophy of this site. It would be better if you could reward him for focusing on you instead of punishing him for not. If you'd like some advice on this you could post in the dog training advice section.