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Today we had our first session with Brody the Shih Tzu, the black one, and Honey.
Brody is stealing items then guarding them and has bitten in several occasions. He also barks constantly out the window and is always on guard duty, when the postman comes, he redirects his aggression onto the window sills which have already been replaced twice now.
Brody also acts like he wants attention, then growls when he gets it.
Finally, he is showing some anxiety around their toddler and had started to growl at them.
Today was about setting up management to avoid any further situations and starting basics of training.
Here’s what we did:
Increased enrichment in the presence of guardians and introduced a resource guarding counter conditioning protocol.
Taught an emergency call away for if he does steal anything.
Increased management of items being left around.
Blocked off his view through the windows to stop him barking at people in the street.
Ensured guardians are following the rule of “if the dog dives at the toddler, they can get their first”.
Vet check to rule out pain or discomfort.
Brody and Honey are actually super lovely dogs, and these issues really should define them.
Some small changes and a bit of training and they will do just fine
Well done guys!
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