I don't agree that dogs understand "stealing" is bad or wrong any more than peeing in the house. They learn they get in trouble, or you teach them where you want them to go. They don't go outside because they think it is wrong to pee on the carpet, they go because you get them into a learned habit to do so. Food guarding is a normal behavior. We teach them not to, or they comprehend we are the food controllers, but I would rather have food aggression than any other type because it IS controllable and trainable.
The leave it command is wonderful, but you need to work on it with a variety of objects, not desirable food, and get it SOLID before food. I also think treating a dog is simply good common dog sense. FOOD they understand, so why not reward good behavior.
You must step back and reteach that food, ALL food, is under your control. K9Deb (Debbi McKean) has a very good article on it:
http://k9deb.com/foodguar.htm
Additionally, Mary's site helps with leave it command. http://www.clickerlessons.com/
You want to deal with things in a way where you do NOT get bitten. If that means you leash the dog while working with food, do so. But I promise you, being food aggressive doesn't mean your dog is bad, unhinged or on the verge of Cujoism. I have worked with dogs who starved on the streets and were highly aggressive about food because, well, they'd have starved otherwise. Even these adult dogs with little relationship to me learned by obedience training, food training, and the leave it command.
I do have to say though, I teach "look at me" even before leave it. (use a shorter word– such as FOCUS or whatever) Usually if you teach a dog to make eye contact, you help break the current obsession (that roll) and give it a moment to focus on you, realize it won't be hurt, be able to comply with the next command.
Eeefarm, Oakley is very good at retrieving, he keeps at it and doesn't lose interest quickly. I try to keep it controlled but fun so all I ask is that he sits before I throw it, and very rarely does he not bring it back to me. In fact he will keep nudging it to me if I don't pick it up in his idea of " quick enough". It's always been a good bonding activity with us and he will retrieve a variety of objects. I am lucky to at least be able to say Oakley is as close to 100% trustworthy regarding comfy place disruption anger. I heard that basenjis in general have this behavior and fr day one I worked on getting him used to touch while sleeping, I pill his ears, open his mouth, play with his gums, rub up his legs and in between his paws, he has no reaction to suddenly being touched when in a deep sleep, he is very comfortable with knowing that being touched is a good thing while sleeping.
Debra, thanks for the articles, I'll certainly read them. I appreciate the consoling words about food aggression, first time it happened it felt like the end of the world! I absolutely need to work harder at the leave it command and then treating, he isn't very good at it as I described. I'll need to build up my expectations as you said, I can't expect him to leave a valuable stolen item before I can expect him to leave a sock alone. Good point about the looking too, we don't always have great eye contact as I find he always looks at my hands; which is the bad part about teaching him target touching my hands as his first command! I'm also thinking of maybe sitting next to him while he eats, because although his outbursts only come from stolen foods, he isn't entirely comfortable with me petting him while eating, he would prefer I stand across the room but in the same room! He doesn't growl or show displeasure but he shows the slightest stiffness and stops eating, as if to wait for me to finish petting him. That says to me that he would prefer I just leave him alone, and I want that to be curbed before developing into an issue. Appreciate all the advice.. Gives me a lot of tools
On a side note: I really need to get Control Unleashed! I keep saying I'm going to but this time I really will
When he brings it back does he give it to you readily? I find it interesting that he enjoys retrieving. It isn't usually a favourite activity for Basenjis, and all of mine had to be taught except for my current boy, who would bring back his plush toys. I subsequently taught him to retrieve objects he doesn't prefer to carry, and to deliver them into my hand, rather than dropping them. (somehow I don't think I could persuade him to retrieve a food item without eating it, but that would be an interesting challenge!)
Could Oakley's snarkiness when caught stealing be because he is anticipating a correction, or do you feel it is all about wanting to keep the food?
we don't always have great eye contact as I find he always looks at my hands; which is the bad part about teaching him target touching my hands as his first command!
Do you clicker train? Easy, peasy to teach eye contact. Just wait till he looks at you, then click/treat. Rinse, repeat. Did it with mine in about 5 minutes and put it on cue. My cue is "eyes" rather than something that takes longer to say. 
I too was shocked Oakley liked to retrieve as I heard its uncommon in the breed, since day one he would chase balls, plush toys, sticks, and bring them back to me and give them to my hand… He also does the feet drop but I see his wheels turning that say " if I hand it to her then she will throw it faster"! Needless to say he also has his goober moments where he retrieves but stops short of me and plops down with the object.
Oakleys behavior is BOTH his anticipation of a correction and not wanting to give up his stolen good! I can't even say it's one more than the other; it's a total 50:50
Yes, we are a 100% clicker train household, he responds very well to this method
Oakleys behavior is BOTH his anticipation of a correction and not wanting to give up his stolen good! I can't even say it's one more than the other; it's a total 50:50
Yes, we are a 100% clicker train household, he responds very well to this method
If it's anticipation of a correction, then absolutely go with what Debra and others have been suggesting. What I do with mine will likely make it worse. It's not a game you want to play if you're not certain of winning. I make no bones about being a bit "old school" in some things, I started with dogs a long time ago and I use what works for me. I also use all the tools in the bag, and I love the clicker for teaching new behavior. It works faster than anything else.
I do hope eventually I will be able to just take a forbidden object because he is not territorial nor guarding with anything else, toys, treats, kibble, vegetables, even cheese and meat that I give him, he's so spoiled I even hold his apples for him so they dont roll around my floor! At the very least I'd like to be able to predict reactions in the future to know whether taking or trading is necessary. I do understand what yOu mean when you say, basenjis can catch onto stealing as a means to get a good trade
Do you play It's Yer Choice with him? I start mine with the way the video shows with them earning their treats by just showing enough to control to let me give them the treat without them moving toward the treat but as we advance I add eye contact versus focusing on the treats as a criteria for earning them.
Chelsea both Sayblee and now Cara love to retrieve. However Cara only does it in the house, never outside.
Yes, dogs would prefer you leave them alone when eating. And if there weren't an issue, I advise people to do just that. Sadly, you have an issue. I would not just sit beside. Every bite that goes in his mouth should come out of your own hand. I have done things like put my hands in bowls once I knew biting not a risk, and deposit a REALLY nice treat. Before long they want your hands in there to see what you leave. However, first, from your hands only. He no longer gets to own a bowl. It won't take long to link person/eating as a dual connected thing.
Are you able to feed him pieces of kibble/treats when sitting? How about giving pills? I train all my dogs including my rescues to be able to do these things. I also train them that when they have a nylabone I am able to take it away and then give it back to them. I start out with a very short time frame that I have it and increase the time. I make it into a game.
Most of my dogs eat in their crates but I am able to put my hand over the food while they are eating and then remove it. I am also able to pet their head while they are eating also. With rescues, this is after they are extremely comfortable with me and feeding. I have not rescued a dog that has been starved and I doubt this would work with a dog like that.
Jennifer
Debra, you are probably right, i should hand feed him, I ha a feeling I should do more during feeding so this doesn't develop into a problem. I'll start that tonight.
Jennifer- I can absolutely hand feed him without problems, it's only with stolen food which had now progressed into a mild discomfort with me around his food. He's even great with regular nylabones and toys but if it's an edible toy like an edible nylabone he growls at you if you try to take it, he will lete touch him during feeding but he stops eating and I feel the slightest tension in his body so I know he is trying to tell me " mom, not now.. I'm trying to eat!"
The only thing I have to add is I think you need to be very careful with him around children if they have food or toys until you get this under control. I think if a kid dropped food or a toy and he was loose it is possible a similar "theft/bite" situation could occur.
I completely agree, which is why Oakley will not be in contact with kids without direct supervision, and I will refrain from putting him in the same house with anyone under ten until I can hopefully, fix this behavior. Unfortunately that means he will be crated at home and bot enjoying the Christmas festivities but its in his and my best interest
I just had a thought - this is not just a basenji thing, it's a dog thing. Could it be that protecting the self found 'garbage food' is a throw-back from times when dogs/wolves had to hunt to find their food and then guard it from other predators?
Anyway, I know that doesn't help you with the problem, but others have given some great advice. I know you love Oakley and that you will work this out with him.
If this post seems off the wall, forgive me. I have pneumonia and the antibiotics are making me kind of out of it.
Oh gosh Fran, hope you feel better soon. Not that ANY time is good to be sick, but holidays are the worse.
Thanks so much Debra. I've never had pneumonia before… it's kind of nasty. But it will pass with some TLC and a warm basenji on my lap. After all, aren't they almost a 'cure all'?
Hey Oakley's Mom! I have a good book recommended to me from a behaviorist. It is called "MINE!" by Jean Donaldson. Have not read all through it, but your boy may just be a resource guarder. Your vigilance with him at this time is crucial. The trading of the object does not let him think less of you as a leader. On the contrary, a resource guarder does so because things have been 'taken' from him in the past…..The trading allows him to trust you even more, that is won't have to 'guard' anything because you are a benevolent giver! Trading is not weakness. Does not matter what happened to get him here, just go forward from here with exercises that lead him to trusting the 'HAND'. When you said to him 'eat' that was a cue for you to use to divert his guarding mind and pay attention to you and change his little brain synapses to a good thing. No teeth and posturing allowed. I have not read the whole book, but you want to avoid the posture stage. You want avoid this point to avoid aggression. TRADING is good and changing his mind about guarding 'things' is the way to manage this; and possibly never happen again. Good Luck!
@Buddys:
Hey Oakley's Mom! I have a good book recommended to me from a behaviorist. It is called "MINE!" by Jean Donaldson. Have not read all through it, but your boy may just be a resource guarder. Your vigilance with him at this time is crucial. The trading of the object does not let him think less of you as a leader. On the contrary, a resource guarder does so because things have been 'taken' from him in the past…..The trading allows him to trust you even more, that is won't have to 'guard' anything because you are a benevolent giver! Trading is not weakness. Does not matter what happened to get him here, just go forward from here with exercises that lead him to trusting the 'HAND'. When you said to him 'eat' that was a cue for you to use to divert his guarding mind and pay attention to you and change his little brain synapses to a good thing. No teeth and posturing allowed. I have not read the whole book, but you want to avoid the posture stage. You want avoid this point to avoid aggression. TRADING is good and changing his mind about guarding 'things' is the way to manage this; and possibly never happen again. Good Luck!
I don't have time to go thru this whole post right now…and this response is so awesome, I am just going to quote it As some of you know, our Ivy is the queen of resource guarding. I feel her response was heightened because I did exactly what EEE described when Ivy was a young pup. My escalation of response encouraged her to guard harder, and eventually snap. I changed to a trading method, and her behavior softened *some. The damage was done. She never growls at me now when she has something, but she will growl at Tim, and occasionally snap at the kids if they push the issue. The problem with insisting that the dog respects you, is that if it works (which it won't with *every dog) it doesn't generalize to every human for the dog. Where as when you condition the dog to feel "happy" or "glad" when someone wants something they have, that translates in the dog's brain to all humans.
Gotta go!
For what it's worth, I have never dealt with theft in any other way than immediately taking the object from the dog, and I have never been nipped under these circumstances by any of the many dogs I have owned, nor have any of them nipped or bitten any other person. Anecdotal evidence, to be sure, but most people I know (my generation, I suppose) deal with it the same way with the same results. I do think much depends on the relationship you have with the animal, and the consistency of your response. In my household there has always been a clear understanding of what belongs to the dog and what doesn't, and one rule I have is that nothing is ever "let go" because "it really doesn't matter" or "I'm too busy". I'm just throwing that out because I think some problems start very small and we don't notice them until they escalate. Dealing with horses…...who outweigh me by a factor of ten......I have learned to nip disobedience in the bud, before it becomes something I really can't handle. The result is animals I can control with the lightest of touches, that respect me and others, and that are as safe for kids to be around as is possible with a large, reactive animal.
