By Sophia Yin, DVM, MS       Nov 2009

Question: HELP!!! I have 2 dogs, an 8 year old purebred black lab, and a 5 year old lab mix named Bernie. We also have 2 lovely boys ages 5 and 3. Recently Bernie has demonstrated aggression toward our 3 year old, granted the actions are always ALWAYS after our 3 year old has been rolling on him, but I’m not sure what to do. Bernie is a good dog, but I’m finding myself unsure if he should stay in our house… Our 8 year old lab is the most mild mannered dog I’ve ever seen (when it comes to the boys). They roll all over him, and he’s never acted displeased. My question, is Bernie now more likely to bite as a reaction because he’s already done it? The thought of not having him here is very sad, but my children’s best interest and safety is more important. Just trying to make an informed decision… Can Bernie be taught not to react by biting, and can a 3 year old be taught not to “love” up a dog so much it hurts them?? HELP!!!

Noelle from NY

Answer: Noelle, the answer is yes and no. For instance imagine this. If your 5 year old boy frequently played by sitting on your 3 year old and the 3 year old used to just yell or cry but over the last week has started hitting back will the 3 year old now hit regularly? The answer is, that as long as you let the 5 year old harass him instead of playing appropriately, then yes, because the cause of the problem has not stopped.

While many people think that the job of the dog is to put up with everything the children throw at them, dogs are not saints or stuffed animals. They are family pets. If it were two kids playing together, it would be clearer. If one child doesn’t like how roughly the other is playing we don’t force them to tolerate it. When kids are playing it should be fun. Similarly, when humans are playing with pets, the goal is that it’s fun for both, not just for the human.

Another issue is that although some dogs may tolerate this rough play it’s important to teach the kids to interact appropriately with pets. If they don’t learn now, then even if you do rehome Bernie, if they treat other dogs this way, they are likely to get bitten. In fact there’s a reason why young boys comprise the largest category of dog bite victims. As a group, they tend to ignore the body posture and warning signs dogs give that indicate they want some personal space, consequently dogs are forced to snap or bite to defend themselves.

So, in general, my recommendation is that Bernie has a place that is off limits to the kids and the kids learn to treat him gentle and with respect. They should learn to read his expressions so that they know when he’s happy to interact with them vs when he “feeling sad, scared, or just tired.” You can also train Bernie to like the kids more by have them give him lots of rewards for sitting calmly and politely.

Realistically, you may need one-on-one help from a veterinarian with special focus in behavior (www.AVSABonline.org), a certified applied animal behaviorist (www.animalbehavior.org) or a CCPDT certified dog trainer (www.ccpdt.org) who has lots of experience dealing with this type of case, just to be on the safe side. In any case for Bernie to be happy in your house, instead of feeling harassed to the point where he has to express it by snapping or growling, you’ll have to spend a lot of energy training the kids.

For more information on dogs and kids read

and “Living with Kids and Dogs—Parenting Secrets for a Safe and Happy Home”

By Sophia Yin, DVM

Six-Week-Old Girl Dies After Mauled By Family Dog” the headlines blared. The LA County Sheriff’s Department reported the familiar scenario. A family member had left the baby unattended on a bed for a few minutes and returned to find her head encased in the dog’s mouth.

Sounds shocking, but this isn’t the first time an infant has fallen prey to the family pet. According to the Center for Disease Control (1997), of the 279 dog bite-related fatalities in the US that occurred between 1979 and 1994, most involved children younger than ten years of age, with infants making up a disproportionately high percentage. The most common bites occurred when infants were left alone with the family pet.

What type of dog would perform such a deed? While many would immediately conclude that it must have been the much-maligned Pit Bull mix or a rogue Rottweiler, not so here. In the case above, it was a Pomeranian-a pocket-sized dog known more for being babied than biting babies. And although due to their size, large dogs are usually to blame for fatalities from dog bites, other little dogs-Dachshunds, Westies, and Cocker Spaniels-have all committed the same crime. Even Labrador and Golden Retrievers are on this ill-fated list. So the word is out-all dogs can bite, and a few will even kill.

Why would a pet attack an infant or child?

But why would a pet attack a family member, especially an innocent child? The whole situation seems senseless, but once you take a moment to think like a dog, the pieces come together. One day life for Jake the Jack Russell Terrier is just ho-hum, and then, suddenly, a surprise. A five-pound squeaky thing moves in, triggering his predatory instincts, the same ones that cause him to kill fluffy toys, squeaky balls, and to chase relentlessly after squirrels.

The mystery object enters hidden in a bundle of cloth. It smells like a mammal and squeals like live food, yet Fido never really learns what it is. It also jerks and gurgles like wounded prey. This secret toy is it’s off-limits but always tempting with its presence. The longer it hides from Rover, the higher his frustration and drive. Older toddlers and young kids incite this instinct too. They run around yelling and flinging their arms like the ultimate interactive squeaky toy. Then when the dog gets loose he chase just to play, but when the kids get scared and scream and flail more, Rover’s arousal gets out of control sometimes leading to a bite.

While prey drive can cause Rover’s to bite tiny infants, the most common cause of bites to youngsters overall is actually fear. This is generally very surprising, especially in cases where Fido is loves all adults. But what commonly happens is that Fido was socialized to adults when he was young but didn’t see many kids. So while adults are filed in his brain as being safe, infants and kids are categorized as alien. Often owners are completely unaware that their Fido is afraid of their infant. Because the infant is relatively immobile, Fido can just stay away. But when he becomes a crawling or walking toddler, then the aggression begins. The toddler keeps approaching Fido ignoring Fido’s warning lip raises or growls. In fact when owners note these postures, they may even punish Fido instead of thanking Fido for giving a warning sign. This punishment serves to increase Fidos anxiety and possibly to hide his warning signs so that instead of a warning lip-raise, growl and then snap when he get cornered, he holds it in until he can’t anymore and lets out a full-fledge bite.

Even when Fido isn’t afraid of kids, kids can drive dogs to the boiling point. Parents are often proud that their dog is so tolerant that he puts up with the toddlers sitting on him or poking their fingers in his ears but they doing realize, just like humans, dogs can only take so much. Imagine how you would feel locked in a room with a bunch of screaming, kids who have no concept of your personal space and where you have no control over when you can take a break. You might be okay for a few hours or a day or even a week. But at some point they’re going to irritate you enough to yell at them or even become more violent. As protectors of both our dogs and our kids, it’s our job to train kids to play and interact with pets. The pets should look like they enjoy the experience rather than just tolerating it. (For more info read: Living with Kids and Dog-Parenting Secrets for a Safe and Happy Home by Colleen Pelar).

One last cause, that’s really not common but occurs sometimes is that Fido doesn’t like his new position playing second fiddle. No more walks, no more talks-everyone’s focused on the new addition.  Like older human siblings, each dog responds to this situation differently. Some dogs don’t mind their new status on the fringe; others long for signs of their owner’s affection. They watch plaintively but politely as new parents fawn over the newcomer. Still others seethe at this object that is hogging their owner’s time and attention. If the offender were another dog, this Fido would make it clear that he gets first dibs. He’d nudge or even force his way into position. And if the message still wasn’t clear, a flash of teeth would be sure to set things straight. The problem is that toddlers don’t read or heed the warning signs and back off. And if adults notice them they just punish the dog, making the dog even more upset. Like siblings whose parents constantly reprimand them for bad behavior towards eachother rather setting the situation up for success and then rewarding appropriate interactions, the dog learns to associate the toddler with his getting in trouble. Needless to say, this is not good for their relationship. He may direct his aggression to her when owners are not present to supervise.

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How to Prevent Problems

Knowing the causes of infant and child attacks can help us avoid a serious disaster. Dog bites to infants and kids can be prevented and the steps begun before baby comes home.

• The first step is to make sure your dog knows his manners and has self control. Does he come when called, sit when asked, and wait patiently for your next cue, even when he’d rather grab the toy you just tossed or snatch that piece of food that just fell on the floor? If not, put him through the learn to earn program where he learns to say please by sitting for everything he wants. Also make sure he has a good come when called so that you can call him out of danger and that he walks well on leash already since walks will be more complicated when you’re pushing a baby stroller. A second reason to work on the say please by sitting exercises is that they provide structured fun-time for Fido which you’ll be able to continue once the baby arrives.
• Next make sure Fido has safe place where he can rest and be away from the baby and kids. A crate, exercise pen, babygated area, or his own room are good. It’s best if the place can be an area he can choose to go on his own and which the baby will be taught to avoid.
• Train Fido to enjoy all of the bad things that might accidentally happen just in case they do. For instance, train him that when people approach his food bowl good things happened to him, and that it’s fun giving people his toys because he gets treats and the toy back. Train him to love being touched and handled all over, including his paws, ears, and tail. Although you’ll ultimately spend every day teaching your toddler to stay away from Fido while he’s eating or sleeping and to only touch him gently, invariably the child will make a mistake and that’s what we want to train Fido to tolerate now.
• Get Fido used to baby sounds by playing recordings of babies. Ask him to play some games such as targeting or say “please” by sitting, if the sound seems to bug him. Make sure he gets lots of treats. Also, if he reacts strongly to the sounds at regular level, start with the recording at low volume and gradually increase it.
• Then, to prevent cross-species sibling rivalry, do the unthinkable: Start paying less attention to Fido a week before the expected day. Continue his exercise, fun training games and overall say please by sitting exercises throughout the day, but otherwise treat him like a ghost at home. That is, don’t lavish extra attention or have long period of petting. We don’t want him to associate a big decline in attention with your bringing baby home.
• When the baby does arrive, bring a blanket or something else with the baby’s scent if possible, and let Fido get used to the smell. If he ignores it, that’s fine, because it shows the smell doesn’t bug him. Then when you bring the baby home, let Fido get used to him or her. While holding the baby safely out of his reach, have him sit quietly and reward him with treats for being calm. That means no whining and no straining or jumping up to reach you. The ideal behavior is for Fido to act relaxed, like a baby is not a big deal. In other words, you’re training him to perform his sit games and practice self-control while the baby’s around.
• As a matter of habit, ignore Fido when the baby is away and reward him for good behavior, such as sitting, when baby is nearby. Soon he’ll learn there’s nothing to fear when the little infant is near. He’ll just know that good things happen to him when baby is around. As a bonus, he’ll also know that he should remain calm and controlled around the baby and that the baby does not mean removal of attention for him. Instead the presence of the baby means that he’s going to get rewards.
• Lastly, no matter how petite or perfect your dog is, never leave him alone with an infant or small child. In fact things can go terribly wrong even when you’re in the same room. It’s up to you to recognize the signs and know when Fido needs a rest and your toddler needs more rules. It sounds labor intensive but by failing to take these precautions, one bad day and a lapse in your attention, and tragedy could occur.

Have you had or heard of a difficult situation with a dog and the household kids? If so, please share!

This article is revised from an article that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle in 2001.

Sophia Yin, DVM, MS  October 18, 2009

What’s up with the dog that eyes people who approach his food bowl or stiffens and even growls, snaps or bites if others interrupt his meal? Don’t they understand that you’re the provider of the things they want and not a threat to them?

Like many dogs that are otherwise easygoing, this type of Fido has a food fetish, and he feels it’s his duty to guard each bowl as if it holds his last meal. While this behavior may seem odd for owners who provide plentiful amounts of food for their pooches, anyone who’s watched free-roaming and stray dogs in developing countries such as Bali or Costa Rica knows that this type of behavior is common. These street or village dogs have to search for their food and never know if they’ll have enough. As a result they may defend food with the vigor of a dog whose life depends on it. This food defense behavior may then just become a habit whether the dog’s hungry or not. Pet dogs can develop the same behavior starting in puppyhood, especially if they experienced strong competition for food.

Often in cases of food bowl aggression, our instinct is to show Fido who’s the boss. For instance some trainers recommend that you force the dog into submission by holding the dog down on its side. After all, they say, that’s what a higher ranked dog would do. What they neglect to point out is that in many cases where a higher ranked dog tries to take food away from a lower ranked one, fight can and often does occur. The fight may only involve loud growling, spit, and drool, orr it may include an actual bite.

Similarly, the problem with humans trying to force dogs into submission in an attempt to show the dog who’s boss is that the boss may turn out to be Fido. If so, the showdown could be ugly, and dangerous as well. Even if it ends quickly and you’re injury-free, the situation may not be resolved. Rather, you may be in for multiple rematches, because now your dog knows each mealtime means a fight.

What’s even trickier is that sometimes after one all-out battle, everything looks okay on the outside, but get into Fido’s head, and you might see trouble waiting for your guard to drop. Instead of learning goodwill around the food bowl, Fido has just learned to hide his inner anxiety. He smiles on the outside but he simmers and seethes on the inside when you’re in his feeding space. Then, when he can’t take it anymore, rather than warn you with stiff posture or growls and nips as before, he breaks out in a full-blown bite.

For those who battle this bad behavior with brawn, a third scenario is that while Fido may decide you are top dog when it comes to the food bowl, all other humans have to fend for themselves. Fido may even behave nicely around the bowl when you’re there to back guests and other family members up, but if you’re out of sight, he may tell them how it is.

So what can you do? Instead of teaching Fido that mealtimes will be a fight and that his fear of having food taken away will come true, train him to associate the presence of people around his food with even better things happening to him.

Method One for Easy Dogs

At every meal, while Fido’s eating his plain dog food, stand a safe distance away and toss a steady stream (10-30) of bite-sized treats that he loves. Then, when he’s finished and has nothing left to guard, move closer and toss more treats to him or into his bowl. Note that you’ll have to cut back on his regular food so that he gets his normal daily caloric alottment of food. After a few meals using this method, move a bit closer each day, always staying outside Fido’s defensive range. If Fido tenses up or even growls, then you’ve moved too close, too quickly, so watch his body language closely. The key is that he stays relaxed at all times around the bowl and learns to expect even better treats from you. If this method takes you any more than a week, or Fido looks tense, or you’re in any doubt about your ability to safely read Fido’s mood, then you should go to method 2.

Method Two-For More difficult Dogs

A variation on this method is to teach Fido to sit for special treats when he’s eating his meal. Start by teaching Fido to perform say please by automatically sitting during non-meal times. Don’t yell, “Sit, Sit, SIT,” while he’s jumping up to get your attention or a treat; instead, just ignore him by standing as still as a tree. When he happens to sit on his own, quickly deliver the tasty bite-sized treat so that it gets to him within a split second. In fact, since this is only a practice session you can actually use his regular kibble. Next deliver several more sequentially to reward him for remaining seated patiently. Repeat the exercise by briskly walking several steps away as if you’re playing a game and want to get him to follow. Then wait for him to follow you and sit again. Repeat this until he clearly get’s the game and thinks it’s fun. Then randomly practice this throughout the day. If you train him when he’s hungry or motivated for the food reward, he should be an ace at this behavior in just a day or two.

Leave-it, food on the ground: Now apply this automatic “say please by sitting” game to getting other things he wants. We’ll start with the leave-it exercise. This leave-it exercise will teach Fido that he will get what he wants if he just exhibits some self control, so he has no need to be possessive. It also teaches him he gets a lot of things he likes when he’s calmly sitting and looking at you.

Place Fido on leash and hold it at a constant 4-5 foot length. Then toss a treat greater than 4-5 feet away. Fido will run to get it. Don’t say anything. Just hold the leash firmly at the given length as if the leash is tied to a tree. When he gets to the end let him figure out that no matter how hard and long pulls he’s not going to get any closer. Eventually he’ll realize he’s not going to accidentally get rewarded for the rude, uncontrolled pulling behavior and then like magic, he will turn to you and sit. When he does, get a treat to him within 0.5 seconds! Fast!

Continue to give him a string of treats every 2-5 seconds for sitting and looking at you. They should come fast enough so that he just wants to focus on you. Continue until his gaze is stably fixed on you so its clear he’s no longer thinking about running to get the treat on the floor, tell him “ok” or use some other release word. Then point and simultaneously walk towards the treat on the floor making sure that you get their fast enough so that he’s on a loose leash. If you’re too slow and he pulls you, then you’ve just negated part of what you trained. That is he gets to pull, then now instead of learning that leash tension means he should stop and look at you because he’s going nowhere unless he does, he’s learning it means pull and you’ll get there faster.

For cases where the dog is really possessive about dropped food, especially in cases where you have kids in the house, you may decide that you never want him to pick up dropped food off the ground. In that case you can continue giving him treats for remaining seated and looking at you during this exercise while you walk over to the treat on the floor, pick it up, and give it to him.

Once Fido good at immediately sitting and looking at you when treats are tossed out of range, you can also teach him the cue word “leave-it” by saying it in a happy voice, as if it’s a game, right as or after you toss the treat out of his range. In training, only use the cue word if you’re sure he’ll sit within a second or two, otherwise it will take a long time for him to learn to associate the word with the actual behavior.

Work on this game a lot so that it becomes a habit within just a day or two.

Go for the full-bore Learn to Earn Program if You Think Fido’s Really Difficult: Note that if you feel your dog is an extremely difficult or dangerous case, you should also put him through the full bore learn to earn program where he actually learns he has to control his impulse to get everything he wants. That is, he has to automatically say please by sitting to earn every single kibble when you’re home with him, to get his leash on, to go out the door, to get petted, during the leave-it game, to have his toy tossed, and for everything he wants. In essence you’re using everything he wants to your advantage to teach him that he can have what he wants but only if he controls himself and looks to you for permission. So it’s not about the human trying to be the boss, it’s about the dog learning that politely asking permission gets him what he wants when it’s ok with you.

Too see the photo-illustrated version of the learn to earn program for puppies read “Perfect Puppy in 7 days” at www.AskDrYin.com/dog_articles.php.” Also stay tuned for the online learning course of the same name. Videos illustrating the learn to earn exercise will also be up on the online education center under the MannersMinder course in November.

Specific Food Bowl Training

When he’s good at the above exercises, expect Fido to sit to receive his meals, too. If he’s a particularly difficult or aggressive dog, tether him on leash away from where you will place his bowl so that he can’t lunge and injure you.

Hold his food bowl, which contains his boring kibble, and wait for him to sit. Put the food bowl down outside of his leash range and tell him “leave-it,” just once. If he gets up, that’s okay because he’s on leash and can’t get to the food. Just wait for him to sit. When he’s sitting, give him a few treats and then unhook his leash and give the release word and let him get his meal.

Make sure your standing outside his defensive/protective zone (the zone he guards around his food bowl) when you release him so he doesn’t feel threatened. Just let him eat his meal in peace. When he finishes the meal, slowly approach with a mouth-watering morsel and stand right outside his food-bowl protection zone. When he says “please” by sitting, give him a tasty treat. Note that to make this treat special, it has to be one that he only gets during these practice sessions. Peanut butter on a dog biscuit or a piece of real meat are good choices for the early sessions.

Now make this your new daily feeding routine. When Fido regularly sits every time you approach after he’s finished his meal, you can up the ante by approaching during mealtimes-but just to the edge of his feeding space at first so that you don’t cause him to feel defensive. Then give him a treat or two when he sits and then walk away. We want your approach to mean something good to him and your walking away to signal he can resume eating his meal. Again, if he consistently sits immediately upon seeing you approach, you can move closer the next time.

Always wait until he sits to go all the way up to give him his treat. The benefit to this “say please by sitting” technique is that you can better judge what Fido’s thinking. If he sits and looks expectantly to you for treats as you approach, then he sees your approach as something good. Conversely, because you’re only allowed to approach him when he sits and looks expectantly to you for something better than his meal, you’re not likely to mistakenly approach him when he’s feeling he has to protect his bowl.

Speeding up the Progress: To speed your progress, during the first several sessions you can start with one-fourth of your dog’s meal in the bowl so that you can get four practice trials each meal. Once Fido gets the idea that he should sit when you approach you can go back to putting the entire meal in his bowl and then practice approaching him with something better during his meal 1-4 times during his meal.

Later you’ll want to practice having other family members go through the same routine. He should generalize to them almost immediately unless he has some underlying fear of them. The goal of the training is that Fido learns that people approaching him while he’s eating means something good. He’ll get something great and still get to eat his regular food. As a result his underling motivation for being protective will disappear and he’ll be good in general to people approaching him while he’s eating out of his bowl.

Proactively work with puppies and newly adopted dogs

Incidentally, as a proactive plan, you can also perform this feeding game with puppies so they don’t become protective of their food. These plans may sound too good to be true, but stick with it, practice patiently, and practice with different people, and Fido’s food bowl fetish will gradually fade away.

NOTE: If your dog is aggressive to the point where you fear he may lunge, nip, or bite, you should enlist the help of a veterinary behaviorist, veterinarian with special interest in behavior (www.avsabonline.org), certified applied animal behaviorist (www.animalbehavior.org), or certified pet dog trainer (www.ccpdt.org) who has worked with many food possessive dogs and uses similar techniques.

Sometimes there can be other contributing medical and behavioral factors that need to be addressed and often owners need coaching at how to perform the techniques skillfully. Also there are additional variations of these exercises that can be used.

To see video of this watch Ben Guards the Food Bowl. This training took the owner a long time at first because they were afraid of Ben and later because we tried several other techniques (for easier dogs) first. Once we started this actual technique described above it just took several weeks.

By Sophia Yin, DVM, MS  June 25, 2009

Do you have a dog that you think has dominance aggression? A dog who’s confident and aggressive over many types of resources? As the top dog, he’s outgoing and rarely shows fear postures or what one might call “apologetic” behavior. One moment he’s as charming as a Casanova on a first date. The next minute he’s throwing more barks and bites than Mike Tyson at a pre-fight press conference. If so, read on.

How can a dog become so unpredictable and bossy?

This high and mighty behavior starts in puppyhood when the pooch is treated like a prince. He gets praise and petting for his slightest deeds, and free food delivered on request like room service at the Hyatt. Then he wins tons of toys without even trying and the best human beds and couches to rest his bum. Most dogs who live the high-life just become spoiled brats.

But for some dogs with a more aggressive personality, this life without leadership or predictable and consistent rules creates a furry monster who aggressively claims ownership to any resource like food, toys, sleeping places, access to attention, that he wants. This fighting over multiple types of valued resources is called dominance aggression by behaviorists who study social hierarchies. And a dominance-submissive relationship between individuals exists only when one individual consistently backs down. In essence, some Fidos claim the household to be under their aggressive dictatorship.

How To End Rover’s Reign Using Your Brain Rather Than Your Brawn

You might think that like wolves in a pack, baboons in a troop, or lions in a pride, the way to take charge of a dominant-aggressive dog is by calm, assertive force or even violence. The problem is that with animals, their reign is often short-lived, lasting only as long as they have the physical strength to prevail. Similarly with humans, only the strongest, most skilled members of the household can win physical altercations, leaving the majority of members to fend for themselves. Furthermore, such a butting of heads can temporarily suppress the aggression while making the underlying emotional state much worse. Since emotions guide behavior, the dog may outwardly hide his resentment when he’s not strong enough to fight, all-the-while seething inside. Then, when he can’t contain it anymore, he bites. Luckily because we humans have bigger brains, we can swiftly carry out a non-violent, long-lasting coup while changing Bowser’s entire attitude.

First Keep Yourself Safe

Avoid all situations that trigger a battle. This is a war of wiles where you supposedly outsmart your less cerebral companion. If furniture is one of the resources Fido guards then all human furniture is off bounds. Deny access to the room containing the cherished chair, barricade the bed with uncomfortable books or booby trap it with the electostatically charged Scatmat. Or just keep Rover on leash so you can pull him right off. Just be sure to do it in a ho-hum manner. For instance, nonchalantly take the leash and walk away unemotionally. Then reward him with a treat for following you off.

Next Take Control of All Important Resources

This includes food, furniture, toys, and anything else Rover likes including petting, praise, and playtime. Instead of his controlling these items, you’ll ration these resources as selectively as the Seinfeld Soup Nazi. Also control Rover’s freedom of movement by putting him on leash. For the next several days or week, he should be attached to you or tethered to a tie down in the house whenever people are at home with him.

Now, Teach the Ruling Rover to Say Please by Sitting Patiently to get what he wants. When Rover’s ravenous, let him see that you have a treat so that he knows what he can earn and then hold the food in your hand. At first he’ll wonder why the delay; usually you deliver on demand. Just stand silently and stationary and when he finally sits, give him the treat before he has a chance to get up. Next, move a few steps and repeat this exercise. Practice this 10 or 20 times in row, and Rover’s light bulb is sure to stay lit.

Now Apply the Automatic Sit to Everything Rover Wants

From here on, Rover must automatically say please for everything he wants instead of automatically taking it for free. Wait for him to sit and look at you politely before tossing his toy, letting him out the door, or giving him a treat. Put his dog bowl in storage and make him earn each kibble of food and pat on the head by performing this and other behaviors that he knows. The goal is that he learns that this is just how his world now works. It has order and predictability. When he wants something, he doesn’t have to worry about guarding it. He’ll get what he wants when he sits politely and looks to you for permission.

Train Rover to Enjoy All Handling Procedures He Dislikes

For instance, if Fido growls and snaps when you handle his feet, work first on touching his feet or legs in a way where he barely responds, and pair this touching with treats. In order to make it clear that touching the feet equals tasty treats, only touch the feet while Fido’s getting treats and stop touching the feet as soon as he finishes the treat. When he consistently allows this level of handling then increase the intensity by, for instance, squeezing the toes, or holding the toenail trimmers near his feet. The goal is that at each step he ignores the handling and is only focused on the food. By only going to the next step of handling when he’s non-reactive at the current level, Rover can improve quickly, even over just several days to a week.

The Attitude Change Can Be Fast

At first these changes are a challenge for owners. They want to pet the pooch when he pushes his way into their laps instead of ignoring him until he’s polite. Or they accidentally let him barrel by to get out the door rather than waiting for him to drop his derriere and look to them for direction. By bearing down and making all the changes at once, though, you make the message black and white. Once Rover gets the rules you’ve conveyed to him through your actions, the weight of trying to be in charge will be lifted off his shoulders. Furthermore, once asking politely is Rover’s new habit, you’ll only reward him when you decide he should have the reward. That way you remain the one in control.

Note: For the actual definition of dominance, go to www.AskDrYin.com/dominance.php. For more information on dominance in dogs go to www.AskDrYin.com/dominanceindogs.php

In animal behavior, dominance is defined as a relationship between individuals that is established through force, aggression and submission in order to establish priority access to all desired resources (food, the opposite sex, preferred resting spots, etc). A relationship is not established until one animal consistently defers to another.

Dominance aggression would be the aggression that the higher ranking individual exhibits towards the lower ranking ones in order to “keep the lower ranking on in it’s place.”

Sophia Yin, DVM, MS    June 20, 2009

The Center for Disease Control estimates that 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs every year. Nearly 20% of those bitten seek medical attention and approximately 1000 victims per day require a visit to the hospital emergency room. Of those bitten the most at risk are kids between 6-9 years of age. One way to prevent bites is for kids to learn how to greet and interact appropriately with dogs.

The underlying cause:

First off it’s important for kids and adults to realize that some dogs are afraid of or uncomfortable with unfamiliar people.  When we approach them we think we look pretty normal and friendly, but to some dogs we look like someone wearing a scary mask.

Then people tend to reach out so that the dog can sniff their hand, and now they look even more threatening. At this point some dogs may feel like they need to defend themselves by biting.

Other dogs may only be slightly fearful of humans but may be more introverted and less tolerant of impolite greetings. Kids know what types of greeting are impolite. For instance, most kids don’t like it when unfamiliar adults walk up to them and pat them on the head or pinch their cheeks. And they may feel comfortable shaking an unfamiliar adult’s hand but if that stranger then hugged them they might become very scared.

Three Tips for Greeting Unfamiliar Dogs

•    First ask the dog’s owner if you can pet their dog. Hopefully the owner will know whether their dog likes children and unfamiliar adults.

•    Next ask that dog. That is, look to see if the dog wants to be petted. Stand outside the dog’s personal space so you appear non-threatening. For small dogs, get down at their level but without staring or leaning towards them. Then talk in a happy voice while extending the back of your closed hand out just a little—not into their face— and see if they approach. If they look relaxed and approach you then you can pet them, first under the chin. If they look aloof, or show signs of anxiety such as yawning, panting when not hot, drooling when there’s not food, turning or moving away, placing their ears back or to the side, furrowing their brow, then they are anxious and should be admired only from a distance.

•    Even if the dog seems very friendly NEVER hug an unfamiliar dogs. While some dogs tolerate hugging, most do not like it and will even feel threatened. If people—both familiar or unfamiliar– harass them by hugging them against their will, they can learn to become more and more reactive when they suspect that people may try to hug them.

Photos are from Low Stress Handling, Restraint and Behavior Modification of Dogs and Cats: Techniques for Teaching Pets to Love their Vet Visits by Sophia Yin, DVM