Food And Space Aggressive

[krissn333]

My parents are adopting two greyhounds in a couple of weeks (once their fence is up). The boy, Sunny, is a real sweetheart, but, he's a little bit space aggressive (I think it's more sleep startle than anything else), and food aggressive.

 

I don't know the extent of his aggression, just that he was returned after two weeks in a home because he growled at the teenage son. I don't know the circumstances of that, but, I do know that he is uncomfortable being hugged around his neck. He did not growl at me, just pulled away. He is happy to let you hug him around his ribcage though...so I think you just need to leave him alone when he's laying down.

 

My parents are prepared to work with him and of course will respect his space, especially while he is acclimating to life in their home. I just wondered if there's anything they need to do/not do in order to start off on the right foot with him.

 

I understand sleep startle/space aggression to some extent, as I've dealt with it mildly with Ace. Food aggression is a new thing for me though. I think he is protective of high value items, like treats, so, we talked about the resource guarding and "trading up" a bit...but is that something they should start doing right away, or wait until he has been home for a while?

 

The little girl has been in a home and I don't expect any problems from her...she's sweet and quiet, and adores Sunny. We will have to watch that she doesn't try to cuddle up with Sunny when he's laying down though.

 

Any tips for how to start out would be great. We talked a bit about NILIF as it seems that in his instances of food aggression, he is trying to assert himself over people...I don't know if those two things correlate or not, but, I figured NILIF is never a bad thing to start out with.

[Guest scfilby]

It sounds to me like you already have a pretty good handle on what to do. Give the pup some space and allow him to get used to the home. I have seen pups returned in the past for "reasons" that never repeat themselves, so I would not put a whole lot of weight into the former home's assessment.

 

I would recommend no furniture privileges for the pup for a long while. Crates and dog beds in areas without a lot of traffic, places people do not need to pass by closely on a regular basis. At least until your parents feel they know what to expect. High value treats in crates only, and learn trade up if the pup ever gets into something he is not supposed to have.

[krissn333]

Thanks. I am interested to see just how severe any of this aggression is. Someone told me that he growled at a kennel volunteer because she entered his kennel to take his muzzle off after he'd just come in from outside, and his biscuit was sitting on his bed. Somehow I think he was probably growling at his neighbor moreso than the volunteer, but, I wasn't there, so I can't say for sure.

[Batmom]

Really depends on what he does when. Leaving him alone when he's on his bed is a good plan. If he needs to be gotten up and won't respond to voice command, be prepared to clip his leash on and turn away from him rather than tweaking him by the collar (lots of dogs do not like the latter). For the food, might wait and see how he is in a quieter environment. I wouldn't give him things that he can't finish quickly -- no chewies for a bit. If he does turn out to be one of those that saves his biscuit for later and gets defensive about people walking by, I'd probably do some trading up / "leave it" exercises as well as hand feed.

 

So really just the basics, likely nothing you haven't thought of.

 

Could be all that will be needed is a stable environment and a bit of time.

[NeylasMom]

Not much to add to what you've already come up with and what Batmom said. I happen to think trading up is something that everyone should do with their dogs (rather than just assuming that for it's entire life a dog should just give up anything we went whenever we want without getting something in return "just because") so no arguments from me if your parents decide to start that immediately. Just remind them to start with really low value items for the training.

 

I think NILIF is great for any dog, as is basic obedience training which is required for NILIF to be put into practice so no arguments there either.

 

The only "tweak" to what's already been said would be for your parents to keep treats on them so that if they need to get him up or move him, what have you, that they can just toss a treat so he has to get up to go get it. If a dog is known to be space aggressive, I like that even better than clipping a leash on since leaning over to clip the leash on can still be viewed as "growl-worthy". Same thing if he decides to get on the furniture - much better to toss a few treats on teh floor so he has to jump down to get them than try grabbing his collar.

 

Otherwise, treats tossed to him anytime someone or something walks by his bed and he doesn't growl, even if they're a good bit away initially. I'm a big fan of portioning out the meals for the day every morning and just keeping that in a treat pouch attached to you so you can toss at will. Any calm behavior or non-growling behavior is really an opportunity to reward a new dog.

[krissn333]

Thanks Jen, I was hoping that you and Jey would chime in. I remembered you both giving good suggestions in another thread, but, I couldn't find it.

 

I'll share the responses with my parents. Since my mom is home most of the time, she will be the one primarily working with him.

 

I don't know Sunny that well, but, he's a very friendly boy, so, I think getting him to move most of the time will only take him being called, and maybe the occasional use of a small treat. He knows his name and would come over to us wagging if we called him. He loves petting, just doesn't feel comfortable being hugged around the neck (which is my bad - I forget that not all dogs are like mine, which is why I want my parents to understand that too). He did not growl at me, he just moved away.

 

My mom plans to feed them in their crates for now, but, I will suggest hand feeding him as well (maybe with Goody out of the room).

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

From the brief descriptions you gave, I would say its not a dominance stance he is taking, but a fear based stance. He doesnt trust these "new" people in his life and he was setup to fail. If he comes in and sees a high value treat, and growls when someone approaches, the food agression, that situation is him fearing that the treat will be taken away, a trust issue. The sleep startle, again, he is not comfortable with strangers near him when he is laying down (another fear issue, he is very vulnerable when laying down).

 

The food issue: I would have your parents hand-feed the hound all food for at least a month, as well as NO high value items until maybe the 4-6 month mark. Of course treats should be given for training purposes, but bully sticks, bones, etc should not be given until some trust has been established.

 

The sleep startle: I would have your parents put a dog bed for him in the room they spend most of the time in. Have him muzzled for the first few days. Whey he lays down, see if he will allow your parents to sit behind him on the floor and simply pet his rump slowly. If he starts to growl, he should be softly corrected. Continue to stroke his rear end. Do not get close to the mouth end. This should be repeated daily. After a few weeks have gone by, move upward towards the head while laying down. If the hound actually falls asleep while this is happening, all the better. Be prepared though for an air snap if he actually falls asleep. If this does happen, then the next time he falls asleep, your parents should softly wake him with his name or something else that will wake him. This desensitization should help, but it could take months and months to see improvement.

 

Obedience class would also help in this situation I would think. NILIF of course can never hurt.

 

Chad