Ollie the Giant Schnauzer is a wonderful dog to look at. He is also a wonderful dog temperamentally. Friendly and confident – whilst being an adolescent who has been gradually becoming a bit big for his hairy boots! The problem is his food guarding.
They did choose the breed to be guard dog, but they want a family pet also. The two don’t always go well together.
It started nine months ago
Ollie’s big problem is extreme food guarding. He is now 19 months old and about nine month ago he started to growl when anyone approached him while he was eating.
Initially the gentleman (who does most of Ollie’s feeding) found that Ollie was OK so long as he held his food bowl for him while he ate (like his private butler).
Over the months they have tried scolding, punishment, encouraging him, spraying him with a pet ‘Corrector’, taking his food away, not taking his food away – basically everything that well-meaning friends and family, the dog trainer they go to or the Internet tells them to do.
Dominance techniques are dangerous. Ollie is merely getting worse.
Food guarding his bowl
The growling has now developed to barking and snarling and they fear he may bite if they get too close. So they wisely leave him alone while he is eating.
But now he comes looking for trouble! He will stand over his bowl and bark and then run in to them and bark before running back out to defend his food again. It seems like he wants to goad the gentleman into a contest over who owns his food.
It seems clear to me that they must not play his game which involves confrontation and just leave him to get on with his meal. At the same time work from a psychological approach, covering all aspects of their relationship with Ollie.
The strategy involves working a bit at a time, probably over several weeks at least, showing that they are the providers and ‘givers’. Never ‘takers’. Oh why do some people advocate taking food away or interfering with a dog’s food while he is eating? Anyway. if humans now have to be present, they will be accompanied by good stuff – adding to his bowl.
Lead training methods not working
He has another problem that needs ironing out, and that is pulling on lead. He has been going to dog training classes for many months. Iff these particular training methods taught were working for Ollie, by now he would be walking nicely without constant correction and being commanded to heel.
It amazes me that people are willing to put up with week after week of no progress outside of their training class, but they keep going. Everything takes a certain amount of time and work, but how much better for everyone to appeal to the dog’s psychology than to use force and correction. Especially with a dog of this size, loose lead walking is a must.
Ollie is very ready to be defiant. Methods so far used have been mostly to do with ‘training’ and commands mixed with indulgence, rather than allowing him to work out for himself how to make good things happen by rewards for the right behaviours.
I found he was very willing to be cooperative if treated a certain way. The family have a very good sense of humour and can see the humorous side to Ollie. I am sure they will find intuitive and inventive ways of gaining the upper hand in a rewarding way by earning his respect and sometimes even outwitting him, whilst actually finding it quite fun!
