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Food Guarding Testing and Training

using a food-GIVING fake hand

by Pam Green, © 2016, 2020

introduction and thesis

The method of testing dogs for tendency to food guard using an intrusive and annoying fake hand that is used at many shelters is very unfair to the dog. There's a better way, using a food-GIVING fake hand to test the dog and to teach the dog that guarding is unnescessary. In this article I intend to contrast the two methods in terms of what the dog is learning from each type of experience.

Any time we are interacting with a dog (or watching a dog interact with others or with the environment), we should be asking ourselves three questions.

1. "What is the dog feeling ?" (This can be judged from the dog's body language.)
2. What is the dog thinking ? (We cannot really know this, but we can make a good guess.)
3. What is the dog learning ? (This will determine how the dog's behavior will change the next time a similar situation is encountered.)

The usual testing method is highly likely to make the dog feel threatened about a hand approaching his food. The dog learns to be more and more defensive.

Use of a food-giving hand can make the dog feel happy that a hand is approaching his food. The dog learns that there is no need to guard his food against a human hand.

One comment about the use of a latex fake hand rather than the tester's own flesh hand. Use of a fake hand is brilliant, necessary, in shelter conditions and a good idea for rescuers testing a foster dog. In a shelter , sooner or later the tester will encounter a dog who violently attacks the approaching hand. The fake hand feels no pain and is easily replaced. Need I say more ?

illustrations (display boards)

I had prepared 3 boards to be used as display at a symposium.

models of food giving hands and chart comparing intrusive hand to giving hand

hands holding food

mechanisms inside hands

what is the dog learning comparing intrusive hand to food-giving hand method

text version of the chart

The process of teaching with a food-giving hand can be taken further. The dog can be asked to "Sit", thus removing face from bowl (just a very short distance while bowl is still right in front of the dog), before treat is dropped. At that point the dog could be given the treat from the hand. At other times, at later stage, the dog could be asked to leave the bowl, to "Come" just one or two steps to get the treat from the person, probably from the person's own hand. Then the "Come" distance can be increased a step at a time. Another late variation is that the dog is asked to "Come" away from the bowl, do a "Sit-Wait" or "Down-Wait" while the person goes to the bowl and adds several extra super-yummy treats, then releases the dog to return to the bowl and eat. Or while the dog is on a "Sit-Wait" right next to the bowl, the person picks up the bowl (use tongs or fake hand the first few times) and adds several extra-yummy treats and immediately gives the bowl back to the dog, saying "eat , eat". (Teaching the dog a cue of permission to eat is a good idea. It can become a cue of encouragement to eat that you may need to use if the dog is not feeling well or simply because the food is a strange new one for the dog.)

Through all of this, your judgement of the dog's body language will tell you when it will be safe for you to use your own hand instead of the fake one. Err on the side of caution if the dog came to you with a history of food guarding.

most dogs will cease to guard food when adopted

Most of the dogs who "failed" the Intrusive Hand test at the shelter will soon cease to food guard in their adoptive home if they are simply allowed to eat in peace. These dogs were never really hard core food guarders, but were reacting to the stress of being in the shelter or recovering from a pre-shelter period of hunger or were getting over the bad effects of the Intrusive Hand test. Just be aware of the dog's body language as you happen to walk near his bowl. If in doubt, if you need to pick up the bowl, use a pair of BBQ tongs to pick it up. Then start the process of approaching and tossing food to the dog. Some version of my Food Giving protocol.

a few dogs may never cease to guard food

There are a few dogs who, usually for a reason that will remain unknown, remain hard core food guarders. Once you accept that this is something that you can't change --- recite the Serenity Prayer if you need to remind yourself -- these dogs are easy and safe to live with so long as you don't forget that you must not reach towards the dog while he is eating or holding food. Simply feed the dog on the other side of a stretch gate or inside a crate. Once the bowl is empty and the dog has lost interest in it, he will not guard the empty bowl. If you need to take something that might be food or smell food-ish to the dog, be smart and use BBQ tongs or any other long -reach pick-up tool.

Have compassion for this dog. He does have some reason, even though you will never find out what that reason is.

My dog Shady was one of these dogs. He was a wonderful sweet dog in every other way.

• Aggression over Food
• "Shady", A case history of a Food Guarding dog with good outcome.
• The "Feeder Hand" and the "Pickup Hand", new tools for rescuers and shelter workers to use in behavior modification, especially those that might result in a bite to the hand.
• "The Feeder Hand in Action " : illustration and discussion of the very first attempt to use the food dispensing fake hand in behavior modification of a dog with an aggression towards strangers problem.