ALL DOGS TORONTO
  • Home
  • Register
  • Services
  • Dog Training
  • About
  • Map & Customer Reviews
  • The All Dogs Blog
  • Photo Gallery
  • Terms of Service
  • Daily Check-In
  • Kennel-Free Boarding
  • Privacy Policy

The All Dogs Blog

"Mine, Mine, Mine!" - Resource Guarding, part two. Toy and Treat possessiveness

9/12/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Handling toy and treat possessiveness when present in our furry friends requires a different approach from the one we use with food possessiveness. I generally employ one of two options when my clients come to me with a dog that is resource guarding his toys or treats. 

The first is what I like to call the 'All-Or-Nothing' method, with a heavy emphasis on the nothing. With this approach, the dog is never permitted to have any treats or special treats for the rest of his natural life. Seem a little extreme? I'm inclined to agree, but for some clients who do not have the resources, either in available time or finances, to train these habitual behaviors into extinction (see my blog on extinction bursts and spontaneous recovery here www.alldogstoronto.com/the-all-dogs-blog/why-things-seem-to-get-worse-before-they-get-better), it's the only viable option. 

Let's talk about method two, my personal favorite and the one I suggest first to any client with a dog that is resource guarding treats or toys. 

Picture
We call it the "Exchange Game". Here's how it works:

Start with a hungry dog, some really stinky, tasty treats that you know he loves, and a toy that he plays with sometimes but is definitely not his favorite. 

Offer your dog the lesser-valued toy (it helps if your dog knows "take it", and then immediately follow this up by offering one of those stinky, yummy treats in front of his nose. Your dog will invariably drop the toy in hopes of getting the treat. This is good! Offer your dog a string of these treats quickly enough that he does not go to pick up the toy again right away. 

Note: If the resource guarding behavior is particularly severe and he will not allow you to get close to the toy, toss the treats to him from a safe distance one at a time. 

It's really as simple as this, to start. Practice this repeatedly over many days. It is extremely important to never take the toy away from your dog by force until he's abandoned it himself and is in a calm, relaxed state of mine. When you're able to do the exchange many times in a row and your dog remains relaxed, progress to actually taking the toy yourself. 

Picture
Holding the toy in one hand, wait for your dog to finish eating the treat you've delivered to him. Hold still until he says "please" by sitting (see my previous blog, www.alldogstoronto.com/the-all-dogs-blog/mine-mine-mine-part-one-food-possessiveness, for how this is done). Once he sits and looks at you, give the toy back. 

Practice this literally hundreds of times over the weeks and months to come, implementing different objects your dog loves in different settings (for example, different rooms in the house, the backyard, the front yard, and during your daily walks together). In time, your dog will learn that life is much more enjoyable when he shares his toys and treats with you, because he always gets them back. 


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Camille Salter is the founder of All Dogs Pet Services and a certified, knowledge-assessed dog trainer (CPDT-KA)

    Archives

    September 2020
    August 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016

    Categories

    All
    Cats
    Dogs
    General

      want more? Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Newsletter

    RSS Feed

Location

What Our Clients Are Saying

I cannot say enough good things about Camille and her team. A few months ago, I had to temporarily close my own dog walking business due to an unexpected and debilitating health issue. Camille's team not only stepped in to cover a significant number of "my" dogs, they did an exceptional job. This would not have been possible without Camille's management capabilities and her walkers' skill level. I don't know if there is another company that could have done this. Camille and team, thank you for taking such good care of "my" dogs, "your" dogs, and giving me the time to heal. If you are looking for a walker, there is no company I could more highly recommend than All Dogs Toronto." - Kate Fink

We have been sending our Goldendoodle to All Dogs for over a year, ever since Zoki was a young puppy. While we are at work we know that Zoki is in a safe and supportive environment where she has learned to interact well with other dogs. Ben and Camille have made it possible for us to continue to have active, professional lives, and a young dog. Since Zoki is so at home there, it has been easy to leave her for a week when we have both had to be out of town. We highly recommend their thoughtful and well-informed care. - -- Christina Kramer and Richard Franz


I cannot say enough positive things about Camille Salter, the owner of All Dogs. From the moment my rescue dog and I met Camille, I knew she would work wonders. Her demeanor, grace and confidence made my dog fall in love her instantly. She is so incredibly knowledgeable that I try to soak up as much information as I can from her.


I highly highly recommend Camille Salter and All Dogs. Whether you are looking for a professional trainer or walking, she will provide you with all of the tools needed to ensure your dog is set up for success.

Camille is truly a pillar in the community of canine training within Toronto.

Thank you Camille!! - Tessa Vaskas


Camille and All Dogs have been amazing for our Basset Hound, Columbo. We have been using the service for the last six months. Columbo started with puppy training with All Dogs and he has learned all the commands. Training has been reinforced during Columbo's puppy visits which has helped greatly during his growth and development. Camille and her team are on-time, attentive, supportive, great with our Columbo and our house. We appreciate everything that she has done and recommend her to anyone. " Andrea Suhay


"Camille is amazing. Really understands each dog’s unique personality and applies individual techniques based on it. I use their daycare, boarding, training, walking... my dog always comes back better behaved & full of love and Camille is so insightful that I learn about my dog, too! My dog adores her. Super trustworthy and effective." Kathryn Kearns


"I highly recommend Camille and All Dogs Pet Services. I recently used All Dogs Pet Services to walk my dog for two weeks while I was out of town. Camille was able to accommodate walking my dog on short notice. Camille is very pleasant and cheerful to deal with and from the first meet and greet Camille had with myself and my dog Charlie I felt confident that Charlie would be safe and in good hands. I will definitely call Camille again and recommend her to all my dog owner friends." - Richard Fernandez



Overall, Camille definitely made being away from my babies a far less nerve-wracking experience! I trust her and would hire her again in an instant." - Amanda Factor


"I can't say enough positive things about Ben and Camille!  Camille (and her large  support of other trainers) have assessed Bax, and we are all happily working through his (fearful aggression, "spoiled Prince" and bulldog tendencies) and MY issues.  Thank you, Ben and Camille, for your patience, care and love for my sweet fat Baxter. I know that he is in the best hands whenever I have to go out of town!"
~ Baxter and Kyla


"—Camille looked after our diabetic Cat and did a fantastic job. He was going into remission right when we had a 1-week vacation scheduled. Camille was more than up to the task. She had to measure his blood daily and give him the corresponding amount of insulin. It was very reassuring knowing we had a real professional looking after our critter. She did a great job of looking after our apartment also and we didnt even know that was something she would do. Couldn't possibly give a stronger recommendation for this company." - Holt Mansfield

“I adopted Frank not even a month ago. I’ve been training him myself, and got him to do ’sit,’ ‘down,’ ‘come,’ and ‘wait,’ at home. But when we went outside, it was a different story: he got a bit too excited, and that led to pulling on the leash, which wasn’t a pleasant experience for either of us. He never made eye contact with me, and calling his name and offering treats of all sorts didn’t do much, either. Working with Camille turned this around after just one session — she was so patient and calm with both me and Frank, and taught me how I could get Frank to connect the dots between paying attention to me and getting food. Since then, he comes and sits upon command even in the most distracting situations like being surrounded by other dogs in a park with firetruck siren blaring in the background. It’s been so rewarding to start developing this bond with Frank that will last a lifetime. Thank you Camille!” - Maythe Han


"Just wanted to share an excellent experience I had over Xmas with petsitter Camille Salter. Highly, highly recommend contacting Camille and her business All Dogs Toronto if you need pet sitting, feeding drop-ins, dog walking, etc in downtown Toronto." - Annie Hennessey


"Very pleased with everything. Callie and Maya are members of the family and I am so happy that I have All Dogs Pet Services walking them the evenings I have to work late. Very caring and very good at communicating when there seems to be something wrong or different in their behaviors. I really appreciate that!" - Shelly Elsinger-Bennett
  • Home
  • Register
  • Services
  • Dog Training
  • About
  • Map & Customer Reviews
  • The All Dogs Blog
  • Photo Gallery
  • Terms of Service
  • Daily Check-In
  • Kennel-Free Boarding
  • Privacy Policy