I was wondering if anybody had any tips on helping my dog. He is a Hovawart, a rare breed of dog origanally bred for gaurding. I adopted him two years ago and he has problems with been too protective. He gaurds the back porch and his pen, and also his food bowl. He only gaurds them from people who are not members of my family. Any tips would be appreciated!
As Aidan
said - get hands on help from a (clicker) trainer in your area. It is hard to give you advice via posting like this, as it is important to see what exactly is happening - you say "guarding" - but it can easily, as Jenny suggests be lack of confidence instead, and the term guarding is just like the term aggression - different people mean different things when they use the term (some mean barking, some mean growling, for some it means a dog that is actually biting) And being told that the dog barks still doesn't give enough information, as barking is not just barking, there is a ton of different reasons behind the bark.
If I should try to recommend anything, it would be to establish an association for the dog between pwople approaching and good things happening. a dog that is eagerly awaiting a reward tends to "forget" to guard* (*in whatever meaning you used that word)
But hands down, your best bet is to get in person help, before the peoblem gets out of hand.
Agression
I would also talk to someone who works with aggressive dogs for an up close diagnosis.
That being said…I have a very protective/ reactive Doberman...adopted at 7 mths from rescue and is now 6yrs old. Our first year or so was horrible! He was fear aggressive and protective about many things...at home, on walks and in the car. And don’t try to take anything from him! He has bitten.
Using the clicker, I have been able to teach him several behaviors that have been very helpful in managing his behavior. At first we worked in very controlled environments and gradually added triggers or distractions. I try to teach anyone who comes in contact with him the cues….maybe let them clicker train him a little bit if it is safe to do so.
1. smell it! Captured when he was happily sniffing things...used when he is fearful of something that won't hurt him or me.
2. Leave it! Captured using food and then objects. Tells him that he should turn around and go in the other direction from something or someone. (Works great when he wants to bug one of my cats!!!!) I also taught him “Give” and “Drop it”.
3. Wait. At doors, to put his food bowl down, to have his leash put on and so forth. Helps teach him that he can control himself.
4. Watch. Captured when he was looking intently at something but not barking or with hackles up. When he wants to bark at something, run the fence or otherwise go ballistic, I cue a very calm but authoritive "Watch." This gives his "guarding instinct" a proper way to be presented.
5. Place. Go to the bedroom and get on the bed. (or to any designated spot) When someone is coming to the door or I need him out of the way I cue Place and away he goes!
6. Lots of basic training...sit, down, front, finish and a handful of tricks.
When we go to the veterinarian for example, I take a small container of peanut butter (His favorite thing the treat realm) and my clicker. I begin clicking as soon as we hit the parking lot. Seeker has to wait while I open the car door and the office door. We sit in the waiting room and I put him through all his tricks and cues. The other people in the waiting room are amused and Seeker is relaxed and confident. (at this point he is, however, muzzled for the actual examination) If things get to crowded inside, we go out into the parking lot area and practice basic cues.
I believe Karen Pryor has an article about using known cues in a fearful or stressful situation...it really does help
I had to learn several things too...
1. how to anticipate when he might become reactive/over-protective and head it off...I began clicking and treating BEFORE he had a chance to go crazy or get nervous. In some cases we had to turn and walk the other way to gain distance from the trigger and work our way back again.
2. to remain calm and collected...they really do read those signals from us!!!
3. to be prepared to teach! Keeping some sort of reward on my person and my clicker! I also keep several small containers of treats in various locations around the house so I can catch those "magic moments" as they occur.
4. Practice random rewarding for those great behaviors to keep them strong!
The bottom line that I learned about protection or guard breeds, or any intelligent animal, is that if you don’t guide them, show them their boundaries, they will do it themselves and we might not like the results Clicker training has allowed me to retrain Seeker in a calm, fun way. (We tried collar training and lure training at first but that’s a different story!) He's not perfect but I can manage him much better now.
Stephanie Weaver
I wrote an article on what
I wrote an article on what to do about dogs who guard their food bowl.
I think with a Hovawart you're probably going to have to learn to live with territorial guarding and protective behavior. Certainly a good level of control should be obtained through clicker training in order to make this manageable.
Decide what behaviors you accept, exactly what you want those behaviors to look like, then train them. Break them down into small steps and use controlled set-ups to stack the odds in your favour.
An experienced clicker trainer should be able to help you successfully. Good luck!
Regards,
Aidan
http://www.PositivePetzine.com