Food and Possession Aggression

READ THIS FIRST!!
There is ALWAYS a risk of injury when working with an aggressive dog! You may be bitten while performing these exercises. Following the instructions outlined below does not guarantee safety or insure that a bite or attack will not occur. Never use these exercises or any others designed to change an aggressive dog’s behaviour unless you fully understand the methods and principles of the exercises and are willing to risk injury.

Food Bowl Exercises copyright Wayne Hunthausen, DVM

Pre-Conditioning

1. Spend at least 2-4 weeks at this level.
2. Feeding: Feed 2-3 times daily. Confine the pet to an area away from the feeding room. Place his food in the feeding room. Bring the pet to the feeding room, leave and close the door until the pet finishes or 30minutes passes.
3. Attend class or review obedience training, occasionally using highly desirable treats as reinforcers. Practice until the pet will do a very reliable sit/stay.
4. Perform leadership exercises:
1. Make the pet sit or lie down before he gets anything he wants.
2. Don’t allow them to acquire anything by demanding it.
3. Make the pet stay and wait for a release to follow you out of a room, up and down the stairs, through hallways, and in and out of the home.
4. Continue indefinitely as long as the pet is exhibiting any signs of aggression.
5. Increase the amount of time spent exercising with the pet or engaging in other types of pleasurable, safe activities.
6. Teach fetch and drop it.
7. Avoid situations that elicit aggression from the pet.
8. Avoid punishment.
9. Do not begin the following conditioning exercises if:
1. You cannot guarantee complete control of access to food by the dog at all times. (A difficult task if young children live in the home).
2. The pet will not perform a reliable sit-stay on command.
3. The pet lunges toward a person with a highly desirable food treat in the hand.
4. You lack confidence, lack control or feel exceptionally nervous in the presence of the pet.
5. You don’t completely understand all aspects of the training program.
6. You have ANY reservations about conducting the exercises.

Phase One - Habituation to the Owner’s Presence

First Week of food bowl conditioning

• Necessary equipment: 2 bowls, dry food, highly desirable food treats (1/4 to ½ inch pieces of meat or cheese), 6 feet of rope
• Optional equipment: leash, head halter
• The room in which to do the exercises should be at least 10 feet wide. If the pet is more likely to be protective in the room in which he is usually fed, start the exercise in a room other than that room. Later in the program the exercises can be moved to the original feeding room.

1. To provide a higher degree of safety, a head halter and leash can be attached to the pet and a second person hold the leash for control. Use a very happy tone of voice during all of the exercises.
2. Begin the session by requesting several obedience responses that are rewarded with highly desirable food treats.
3. Place 1/10 to 1/4of the dog’s meal ration in the first bowl.
4. Request a sit stay.
5. Place the bowl on the floor and release the dog to eat.
6. Place another portion of food in the second bowl, walk a safe distance away (6 to 10 feet), ignore the pet and wait for the pet to finish eating.
7. When the pet finishes, call him, request a sit stay, place a bowl of food on the floor and release him to eat.
8. Place the third portion of food in first bowl, walk a safe distance away (6-10 feet), ignore him and wait for the pet to finish eating.
9. When the pet finishes, call him, request a sit/stay, place a bowl of food on the floor and release him to eat.
10. Repeat until meal allotment is finished.
11. Occasionally (every second or third trial, at random) slip a highly desirable food treat into the food bowl before placing it on the floor.
12. Occasionally drop a highly desirable food treat into the bowl just as the pet begins eating.

Second Week

1. Repeat the above exercise but decrease the distance between the areas where the bowl is placed by one foot.
2. Gradually request longer stay responses. Vary the duration of the stay.

Following Weeks...

1. Every one or two weeks, decrease the distance between the areas where the food bowl is placed by another six to twelve inches.
2. During the exercises, watch closely for signs of problems, especially during the phases when you remain close during feeding:
• Growling, lifting lips, hackles up
• Change in carriage of ears
• Yawning
• Hesitancy, approaching food
• Slow, stiff tail movement
• Prolonged gaze toward a family member
• Eating slower
• Slow, stiff or cautious behaviour
• Nervous glancing

If you note these behaviours by your pet, stop the session, call the pet to another area of the home and leave him. Return to the feeding room and place the remaining food in the bowl and return the pet to that room to eat on his own. On the following day, continue the sessions at a previous, less invasive level. If you have any doubt about how to proceed if a problem occurs, be sure to call the behaviour therapist before proceeding.

Phase Two - Dog and Owner Together

1. Begin this phase when you have been able to safely stand next to the pet through the whole session of sit/stay, give food bowl, sit/stay, give a second bowl, etc. for at least 2 weeks.
2. Place 1/4 to 1/10 of the dog’s meal ration in first bowl.
3. Wait until the dog has eaten several allotments of food. While the dog is eating, call his name, show him a highly desirable food treat, ask him to sit/stay, give him the treat, and release him to finish eating.
4. Continue to interrupt the dog at random intervals to sit/stay while he is feeding, gradually increasing the length of the stay.
5. Occasionally slip a highly desirable food treat into the bowl before giving it to the pet.
6. Stay at this level for at least 2-4 weeks.

Phase Three - Bowl in Hand

1. Request a sit/stay, release the dog to stand and eat out of the bowl that is being held in your hand.
2. Occasionally slip a highly desirable food treat into the bowl before giving it to the pet.
3. Occasionally interrupt the pet with a sit/stay and hand feed a treat.
4. Stay at this level for at least 2-4 weeks.

Phase Four - Withdraw Bowl While Hand Feeding

1. Place 1/10 to 1/4 of dog’s meal ration in the first bowl.
2. Request a sit stay.
3. Occasionally call the pet’s name, ask him to "wait," withdraw the bowl as you give him highly desirable food treat.
4. Ask him to sit/stay, extend the bowl to the dog and release the dog to eat from the bowl in your hand.
5. Repeat.
6. After 7 to 10 days, occasionally say "Good Dog" instead of giving him a treat.
7. Stay at this level for at least 2-4 weeks.

Phase Five - Take the Bowl on the Floor Away With a Rope

1. Place 1/10 to 1/4of the dog’s meal ration in the first bowl.
2. Request a sit/stay.
3. Place the bowl on the floor and release the dog to eat.
4. Occasionally ask the pet to "wait", sit/stay and give a highly desirable food treat. Immediately repeat the “stay” command as you pull the bowl away with an attached rope.
5. Pick up bowl.
6. Repeat. Gradually use a shorter rope.
7. Stay at this level for at least 2-4 weeks.

Phase Six - Picking up the Bowl

1. Place 1/10 to 1/4 of the dog’s meal ration in the first bowl.
2. Request a sit/stay.
3. Place the bowl on the floor and release the dog to eat.
4. Occasionally ask the pet to "wait," sit/stay, and give him a highly desirable food treat.
5. Pick up the bowl. Give him another treat.
6. Repeat. After 7-10 days, occasionally say "good dog" instead of giving a treat.
7. Stay at this level for at least 2-4 weeks.

Phase Seven - Touching the Pet

1. Place 1/10 to 1/4 of the dog’s food ration in the first bowl.
2. Request a sit stay.
3. Place the bowl on the floor and release the dog to eat.
4. Occasionally ask the pet to "wait," sit/stay and give him a highly desirable food treat or say "Good dog."
5. As the pet takes the treat from one hand, move the other hand toward his head or shoulder (whichever he is more likely to tolerate), but stop at a safe distance of approximately 24 inches away.
6. As the weeks pass, repeat the above steps. Very, very gradually move the hand toward the pet until he can be lightly touched for one second as he accepts food. Very, very gradually during following sessions, make longer contact with one hand. Work on other areas of the body.

Phase Eight

**Repeat the above exercises in other rooms of the home.**