Zak George's Guide to a Well-Behaved Dog

by Zak George

  2. Manage your dog. Once you’ve determined when your dog is likely to show aggressive behaviors, you must be responsible about the situations that you allow your dog to be in. For instance, if you suspect that your dog is likely to become aggressive in a given situation, you need to take measures to keep him away from that specific situation until further training, desensitization, and counterconditioning has occurred. In some cases, it may be best for a dog never to be in a certain situation. For instance, if a dog has a strong history of attacking small dogs (or an apparent desire to do so), then you don’t want to take such a dog to an off-leash dog park. Sure, a dog may mostly or fully recover from such behavior in some instances, but when a dog has established a history of aggressive behavior, responsible management for your dog’s entire life is important. Bottom line: You must control your dog and his surroundings as responsibly as you can so that fighting, biting, or snapping is not possible. For example, make sure that your dog is always on leash in public. Also, have a crate or playpen at home to keep your dog separate from other dogs or any people he might attack. Also, as I explained on this page, chapter 9, a humane basket muzzle can offer tremendous peace of mind. Most importantly, always remember that your dog should never be in a position to hurt a person or another animal.

  3. Desensitize. After you’ve managed your dog’s situation, you need to desensitize your dog so that things that triggered him before become more familiar and, in turn, less likely to trigger him in the future. In other words, by setting up training exercises that safely allow you to ease your dog into situations that previously caused him to behave aggressively, he is likely to become more accepting of those things.

  4. Countercondition. Next, you need to make deliberate, prolonged efforts to change your dog’s perception of those triggers by having him associate them with things he really enjoys and likes (like reinforcement training, treats, and play!). The key is to get your dog to focus on anything that seems to make him happy during safely controlled training exercises.

  Also, overall training is particularly important when it comes to managing a dog who behaves aggressively. For example, you’ll need to be very committed to basic training around distractions and working on general impulse control exercises (like a surprise “leave it” and a surprise “stay”). It’s pretty tough to communicate with a dog that you want him to stop attacking things if you haven’t spent many months teaching your dog all of the required skills combined with lots of surprise primary sessions in a variety of situations.

  Also, while I’d love to say that there is a simple cure to all moderate to severe aggressive behavior, I cannot. Even if you follow the tips in this chapter perfectly, I really want to stress the importance of responsible management if you have a dog with issues related to aggression. In other words, if a dog has established a pattern or history of acting out toward people or animals, then you must always assume he is capable of doing it again.

  Lastly, I totally understand the need to resolve aggressive behavior as soon as possible, but if you want long-term success, you need to be dedicated and committed. This can take time, so be patient. Throughout the rest of this chapter, I’ll show you how to implement the strategies I just explained when dealing with specific aggressive behaviors.

  HANDLING RESOURCE GUARDING

  Many dogs growl or snap when they think another dog or a human might take something of theirs. Such a resource might be their food, toys, sleeping area, home, or even the human they live with. We don’t know why some dogs are more prone to resource guarding than others. However, it’s a normal dog behavior: according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, “Wild animals who successfully protect their valuable resources—such as food, mates, and living areas—are more likely to survive in the wild than those who don’t.”12

  However, when domestic dogs start growling and snapping at other dogs or people who come near their prized possessions, it stands to reason that you’d want to deal with this behavior head-on. And the good news is that you can: leading behaviorists agree that this issue is very treatable, even though shelters responding to a nationwide survey sadly reported that food aggression was the main reason they wouldn’t let a dog be adopted out.13

  So how do you handle resource guarding? You can apply the steps below whether you are trying to prevent resource guarding from becoming an issue—which is ideal—or attempting to resolve resource guarding that’s already been established:

  1. If you have a resource guarder on your hands, be a good manager! Don’t leave things lying around that your dog is likely to protect. In other words, bring the behavior to a stop if possible. So, if your dog guards his bones, then don’t leave them out and easily accessible. For each instance that guarding behavior “works” for your dog, you are that much farther away from resolving the issue. Of course, there’s an exception to this: I understand that guarding food is common, and you can’t just take the food away since you have to feed your dog. However, in this section I’ll walk you through what to do in that case.

  2. Now that you’ve managed the situation, it’s time to set up training drills to get your dog to stop resource guarding a particular item. Let’s say your dog tends to become possessive when you give him a chew toy to enjoy. Rather than simply giving him the chew toy and then addressing the issue after an unfavorable reaction occurs, hold the toy, let him sniff it, say “Leave it,” and then offer a small bit of chicken or other high-value currency. Your goal is to communicate, “I like that you politely sniffed that toy for a split second and didn’t become possessive.” Do this a couple dozen times in a row. If he tries to grab it, you need to take even smaller steps. For example, let him sniff the toy for a fraction of a second and follow up by giving your dog an amazing currency. Your dog is likely to reason that getting a small piece of chicken after sniffing the chew toy briefly instead of grabbing it is a pretty good deal!

  3. Next, allow your dog to smell or lick the toy for a bit longer, say, two to five seconds. Again, quickly reward the desired behavior, which in this case is not becoming protective of the item. Do you see what’s going on here? You are creating an alternate, desirable association with your dog sharing the resource with you. As a dog begins to associate sharing with getting something he likes, he’ll be more open to sharing. My YouTube video with Pancake the Corgi illustrates this well. It’s called How to Stop Food Aggression/Resource Guarding in Dogs Without Force.

  4. If your dog is guarding his food bowl specifically, it’s best to work on this issue after your dog has already eaten so he’s not too hungry. Let your dog smell the bowl of food very briefly or even eat a bit and then walk near him, dropping bits of chicken or other tasty meat in his vicinity. The goal here is to reverse the association your dog might have with a person coming near his food. Whereas he might normally think, “I’ve got to protect my food at all costs!” you’re training him to think, “When that person comes near me, they drop better food near me!” This makes your dog much less defensive and further creates a wonderful association with you.

  5. Once your dog realizes that you are not into stealing things he values, he is far more likely to become tolerant. You could now even try picking up the food bowl for a second, giving your dog a treat if he doesn’t start growling, and then setting the bowl right back down. At any point during these exercises, if your dog does indicate that he’s uncomfortable or begins to behave possessively, take a break and try again later.

  In the cases above, we started with counterconditioning, which means reversing the response a dog has while in possession of a resource. The way to desensitize your dog is to do these exercises very, very often. In other words, if it truly became normal for your dog to play this game of “I get the bowl, now you get the bowl, now I get the bowl…” and this game results in your dog getting what he wants and great treats, he is likely to be much more tolerant moving forward.

  By thoroughly do
ing exercises like this, the treats become less necessary as your dog should begin to simply behave in a less protective manner. It really is a matter of your dog learning that even though you might take things away sometimes, you very often give them back and there is nothing for him to fear.

  What about when your dog has already gained possession of an item and you need to get it away from him, even though he might snap if you get too close? First, understand that you have slipped up in the management department. It’s not advisable to take the object away as you are likely to escalate the situation, and your dog is more likely to experience an aggressive outburst. Remember, your intention is to literally reduce the number of instances that such outbursts occur to as close to zero as possible.

  So, what should you do instead? Tossing some small pieces of meat near the object is likely to break your dog’s focus and motivate him to stop guarding the item in exchange for getting the treat you tossed nearby. You can then create a small trail of treats away from the object until you can safely retrieve it. For this to work with most dogs, you need to use a very high-value treat like chicken or turkey. This exercise isn’t exactly intended to train your dog as much as it is aimed at keeping you safe and regaining control of your dog’s environment.

  If your dog tends to protect items from other dogs, then you really need to manage this situation very well. Do not leave dogs together unsupervised if one is likely to guard things. You don’t want a fight on your hands! Instead, you’ll need to set up training instances where you have both dogs in a down and a stay. First, with your guarding dog, verify that you can easily give various items to him and then take them away without the guarding behavior occurring (which I outlined above). Again, this is one-on-one, just you and the dog. Once you are confident your dog doesn’t resource guard when another dog is not in the room, then perform the same exercises we went through above while in the presence of a second dog. That second dog should be in a down and a stay across the room. If your non–resource-guarding dog does not yet know a down and a stay, you may have him in a crate or behind a gate. True, that’s not ideal since you want to show all of the involved dogs how to behave, but it’s an effective form of management until you can teach that dog a proper down and a stay. Practice this often and for many weeks.

  The reason it’s so important that your dog is reliably letting you give and take the object while in the presence of your other dog is because you must be there to promptly take the object away the moment your dog indicates that he is going into protective mode. It’s as though you are saying to your offending dog, “I won’t let you have that toy/bone/food/bed if you begin to protect it.” Of course, always use commonsense management when feeding your dogs or giving them treats. For example, you should find that feeding your dogs in separate areas makes them less likely to guard food. Same with treats!

  HANDLING GROWLING

  When a dog growls in a way that isn’t obviously play, we often interpret this as aggressive behavior. The thing is, growling is how a dog vocalizes concern. That’s right: when a dog growls in this manner, he is communicating that he is uneasy about something. While it may be tempting to discipline growling behavior, it’s best to take a step back and evaluate what might be causing your dog angst. He may be concerned that you or another dog might want to take the bone he’s chewing on, or maybe your dog is uncomfortable when a stranger gets closer to him.

  In other words, growling is most often your dog communicating, “I’m scared, uncomfortable, or unsure.” And that’s a good thing! Growling can clue you in to exactly what your dog is upset about so you can focus your training around desensitizing your dog in lighter versions of these situations. For example, if your dog is likely to growl when another dog approaches, then set up exercises that center around getting your dog used to other dogs at a safe distance where your dog is not in a position to harm another dog. Also, you’ll want to provide a desirable outcome to being in such a situation with unfamiliar dogs, as is covered in depth later in this chapter. This is counterconditioning! Another example: If your dog growls whenever you get close to his food bowl, then you’ll want to work through the resource guarding exercises I just went over. For now, understand that a dog who growls is most likely a dog who is communicating uneasiness (again, unless it’s play growling). Knowing how to react is what will help you understand and resolve the underlying anxiety.

  Bottom line: Growling may be one of the most misunderstood behaviors when it comes to dogs. That’s why it’s so important to understand context when a dog growls. For instance, dogs can growl during vigorous play, when they feel scared, or when they are alert and hear another dog or person approaching. Learning to understand context and what your particular dog’s body language means will help you better understand the likely cause of the growling.

  HANDLING DOGS FIGHTING WITHIN THE SAME HOUSEHOLD

  Dogs fighting with one another in the same house is one of the most common types of aggressive behavior. There’s no doubt that this can be stressful to deal with. However, keeping a cool head and having a sensible management solution along with realistic expectations goes a long way when addressing this issue. Remember, when handling virtually all forms of aggressive behavior, you’ll need to follow this formula: management, desensitization, and counterconditioning.

  For example, maybe you’ve got two dogs who don’t always get along. Maybe they’re friendly toward each other sometimes, but one or both dogs have aggressive outbursts occasionally. The truth is that many dogs in multidog households have spats from time to time, and these exchanges—which might include mild teeth baring and subtle growling—are normal and healthy for the most part. However, when this dog-to-dog communication escalates into full-on fights or to the point where your dogs can’t even be in the same room without going at it, it has gone too far. If that’s the case, then here’s what you can do (after you check with your vet to make sure a medical issue isn’t causing the behavior in one or both of your dogs):

  1. Before you can hope to gain traction here, you must first bring a stop to the behavior and make it impossible for the dogs to fight. At first, this may mean that you need to keep them in separate rooms and alternate their access to the rest of the house while you work on refining your communication with each dog individually through increased primary training lessons of all kinds. Your dogs must understand their basic and intermediate skills very well because you can’t resolve fighting if you and your dogs don’t have a clear history of reliable communication. For example, let’s say you’ve noticed that your dogs are more likely to get into a fight when in tight spaces like a hallway. In that situation, it’s extremely helpful for your dogs to have a rock-solid down and a stay so that you can prevent them from finding themselves in close quarters before it happens. Or if your dogs tend to fight when something startles them (like a ringing doorbell or an abrupt knock), it’s critical that you’ve spent time training your dogs individually to look to you when they hear the doorbell or a knock at the door. In other words, it is essential that both dogs very reliably listen to you while not in the presence of one another before you begin insisting that they listen reliably while in the same room.

  2. Once you’re sure your dogs do listen to you reliably when apart, your next step is to get your dogs existing peacefully in the same room together. However, don’t let them actually interact just yet. This may mean setting up a large crate in your living room so that the two dogs don’t have direct access to one another. The benefit to this specific way of management is that the dogs are able to see, smell, and hear one another—all of which is fantastic for the desensitization aspect of this training approach. The more dogs are familiar with one another and the more time they can peacefully coexist in the same room (even if one is in a crate), the more progress you’ll make.

  3. While one dog is in the crate, work on easy stuff like “sit,” “down,” and “look at me” with your other dog. Reward generously when
he complies. Feel free to reward your crated dog for good behavior as well. By keeping training light, easy, and enjoyable, you are creating a more favorable association with the dogs being around one another. This is counterconditioning. You accomplish a few big things here. First, you’re showing your dogs that you expect them to listen to you even when they are together. Second, you’re showing them that there’s little need for conflict as life is a lot better for them when they listen to you instead of taking matters into their own hands and behaving impulsively.

  4. If you are able to have each dog go into a down and a stay reliably while in each other’s presence, or tell one dog to “Get in your crate” (if they know that skill) so that you can quickly diffuse conflicts before they arise, then you are much more likely to be able to preempt any fights between the dogs. Again, this is an example of how seamless communication with you is critical to solving this issue. (If you need to teach your dog to get in his crate or bed, check out my video on YouTube entitled Teach Your Dog to Go to Their Bed When Asked.)

  5. As your dogs become very reliable about listening to you in these training sessions, and you feel that they are focused enough on you and not focused on interacting with each other, you are ready to train your dogs while in the same room and without a barrier. However, if you feel there is even a slight chance that they could potentially fight, take precautions and be sure to have one or both dogs wear a basket muzzle. Remember, this type of muzzle is intended only as a safety net if the unexpected does happen; if a fight or outburst is very likely, you shouldn’t have them interact quite yet. The safety and well-being of all dogs involved is always most important. Only you will know when your dogs can be together with more relaxed supervision, but steady progress is how you can measure whether or not you’re on the right track.