A Unique Solution To Dog Food Guarding – Not Seen Elsewhere
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How I Learned to Curb My Dog’s Food Guarding
OK, first things first, my dog is an older chap. He’s a 10-year-old Labradoodle, and as a senior citizen, he’s been exhibiting some slightly strange behaviors. For instance, he now halts in front of stairs, requiring a nudge to proceed. He stops at curbs, similarly needing a gentle push to move forward – like he knows he’ll be in pain if he steps down. I’ve also observed that he needs to be walked more frequently and his bladder control isn’t as robust as it once was, though it’s not a severe issue. Prior to these changes, he’s been an incredibly friendly, sweet, lovable, energetic, and playful dog – everything you’d want in a dog. So this is what I learned about dog food guarding.
The Emergence of Food Guarding
Lately, he’s taken up food guarding. He commences his watch as soon as I place his meal down – a raw frozen feast of chicken bones and muscle meat, beef organs, and fish. Almost instantly, he starts growling, so ferociously that you might fear he’s about to attack. It’s not just a growl; he barks repeatedly, holding his post by his food, barking again after around 20 to 30 seconds.
Understanding the ‘Now’ in Dog Memory
In response to this alarming behavior, I plunged into research on food guarding. A striking fact I unearthed and arrived at through my own observation is the dog’s concept of memory. Unlike us, dogs don’t dwell on the past – they live in the now. With repeated actions, they do develop associations (like front door equals outside), but they don’t really ‘remember’ in the way we do. They are always in the present.
Trust and Assurance: The Strategy to Overcome Food Guarding
Realizing this ‘now’ mentality in dogs, I decided to get up close and personal with my growling dog during meal times. I got down at his level right next to his mouth and the food. Trusting he wouldn’t bite, I took the food from him, reassured him, and returned the food. He would resume growling viciously, but I would repeat the process: take, reassure, return.
The Breakthrough
I repeated this process fewer than 10 times, and to my relief, he seemed to understand. My dog associated/learned I was on his side, even when it came to his food. What had been a months-long issue with food guarding abruptly dissipated.
Through patience, trust, and a deep contemplation on canine cognition, I was able to alleviate a problem that once seemed insurmountable. Hopefully, my experience might be of assistance to others facing a similar challenge. Have a nice evening, everyone!
PS—
PS — Most of this was dictated into a computer and then processed by an AI for clarity and tweaks. That’s why some of it sounds too cutesy and perhaps annoying. I felt like telling this story and lesson with an AI tool, rather than writing the whole thing myself. Next time, I’ll write the entire thing. Maybe. Does this matter? Does this example mean that humanity has lost its essence and the robots are taking over? Perhaps. This post was a hybrid of my words and the machine’s output. Maybe that’s the point. Perhaps we need to disclose our sources, or this is just the new, overly inhuman version of humanity.
It’s not too questionable, but it is indeed quite cutesy.
–GB
How about a great digital camera?
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