Oh my, I wish you could have been at the Animal Behavior Society Conference, just held in Milwaukee, WI. The “Applied Track” and “Public Day” were awesome. I’ll be writing posts about it for many weeks to come. (Next year it will be in Chicago, IL. Be there or be square. More on that in another post.)
Here’s a summary of one of the talks most relevant to dog owners, trainers and shelters–a fantastic presentation by Heather Mohan-Gibbons, ASPCA Director of Research. In a talk titled “What happens when animal shelters stop assessing for food guarding in their shelter assessments?” we learned that the answer was crystal clear: Nothing.
In this study, just published in Animals 2018, nine shelters did food guarding assessments for two months on all dogs deemed otherwise adoptable. But for the next two months, no dogs were assessed for food guarding, and were adopted out without the information provided by those tests. Over the four month period, a total of 14,000 dogs were placed in new homes. (That’s a huge sample size for this kind of work.)
The question this study asked was: Were there any differences between ‘tested’ and ‘not tested’ in the rate of returns once the dogs were placed, or in the frequency/severity of bites or injuries to shelter workers or new owners? This is an important question to ask, because dogs who test “positive” for food guarding are “less likely to be adopted, had a longer shelter stay, and were more likely to be euthanized.”
Were any of those concerns supported by the study? Were there any differences in the rate of returns? Aggressive behavior in any context? The answer was clear: Nope. Food guarding tests are not reliably predictive of behavior once a dog leaves a shelter setting, and they have no effect of whether a dog is returned to the shelter or not.
This work supports the work of others in recent years. Dr. Amy Marder found that 45% of dogs tested as FA+ (or ‘aggressive around food’) exhibited similar behavior in a home. It also found that the return rate of the dogs was lower than that of the general population. Wowser.
In another study, Dr. Amy Marder and colleagues found that 45% of FA+ (food aggressive positive) dogs did not guard food in any way in their new homes, and 22% of dogs who did not RG in the shelter did so at home. Perhaps most importantly, “Most adopters, including those whose dogs were reported FA+ in the home, did not consider FA+ behavior to be a challenge to keeping the dog as a pet.”
In a study on the predictive value of shelter assessments, Patronek et. al. wrote in 2016 that false positives were so problematic that the results were “no better than flipping a coin.”
So, what are shelters to do? Dr. Mohan-Gibbons suggests dropping the food guarding tests, because they appear to add little to information gained in a more organic way. She notes that shelters usually screen out dogs who are clearly aggressive, including around food during feeding times. She also recommends maximizing the information taken during intake, to train all staff and volunteers in body language, and to explain to adopters that “food guarding” is a normal canine behavior that can be conditioned and managed. Good advice all around, I’d say.
Let me add one thing here, because I know that this issue is controversial and a bit of a hot button issue for some. First off, I think it’s important to avoid negative statements about people and organizations who have done food guarding tests with the best of intentions. Yes, we have all seen some done poorly, such that the best of dogs is so harassed it is basically turned into a food guarding dog, but thousands of people have done the tests believing that it was the best way to keep the public safe from serious injury. Here’s a video from 2010 from the ASPCA that gives you an idea of the test itself (if you haven’t seen it) and how perspectives can change over time. And, truth in advertising, here’s a link to my own post in 2014, in which I warn of the dangers of doing the test incorrectly, but suggesting the value of assessments in a general sense. Of course, I now wish I’d specifically asked for some data re food guarding assessments, but hind sight is 20/20 for all of us.
This is a perfect example of the importance of science and keeping an open mind–what do we think we know, because it makes sense, and what do we know for sure, based on clear, factual information? It often takes science a while to answer some of those questions (just as it takes time for us to figure out what needs asking), but in the end, we all need to keep questioning and testing our assumptions.
I should add that the article by Dr. Mohan-Gibbons et. al. emphasizes there are some complications and unanswered questions in this study, and if you are involved in any way in assessing dogs I strongly recommend you read the entire article.
There’s lots more to talk about from the ABS conference; I’ll be writing about it in posts to come in the next few months. As mentioned earlier, stayed tuned for more information about next year’s conference in Chicago. Here’s the place to check in to get details.
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Argh, Maggie has a rear leg injury and I had to pull her from the Cedar Stone Farm Trial coming up this weekend in Cambridge, WI. Of course, it’s only an hour away and the easiest one of all the nearby trials for us to attend. But if I push her recovery I risk her not running in 3 more trials this season, and heavens knows what else, so it’s one of the “simple but not easy” decisions. The next trial is Labor Day, and I’m not sure she’s going to make that either. Damn. But hey, it’s just a game and what’s important is her long term health.
Willie, on the other hand, is loving it. He’s now the go to herding dog at the farm, who has to bring the sheep down every evening and split out the lambs for their daily portion of grain.
Most of the lambs and momma ewes look really good right now, although there are two lambs who look a bit thin to me. We just wormed them last night, and I’ll keep a close eye on them until they look hardier. One has the full mouth in the photo on the right, good for her for eating up!
Annette says
All dogs in our home are fed separately, no matter their level of food aggression. It’s something we started when we added our second dog, who ate much slower than our first dog. He would inhale his food, and then shove her aside to eat hers. Once we started adding foster dogs to the home, we continued the practice.
We use it as some of the first lessons in house manners that new dogs get. They learn to sit nicely outside the kitchen and wait while the dishes are prepared, and then they each learn where their bowl goes and to not rush other dogs’ bowel, and then to sit nicely before they get their bowl.
Currently, our tiny terror gets his bowl outside and then waits to come in until our elderly, and very picky dog decides she’s finished with her bowl inside.
Minnesota Mary says
Ah, another topic near and dear to my heart! My younger dog that I recently adopted was actually a foster fail. He was at the local animal control, taken in from a breeder-hoarder. He had Giardiais and was emaciated from the parasite. When given a pig’s ear he growled and threatened the person with the fake hand trying to take it away from him (if you were starving and someone gave you food, then tried to take it away, wouldn’t you growl?). He was also labeled dog aggressive after getting into a fight with another intact male about the same age after being in the shelter for weeks. I agreed to foster him, despite the reported food and dog aggression and found a sweet sensitive guy who wouldn’t hurt a fly. He’s my pup now. Here is a great book I recently read called “Beware the Straw Man” that has an entire chapter based on the food guarding tests in shelters and how ineffective they are at defining aggression. I found all chapters to be very informative! https://smile.amazon.com/Beware-Straw-Man-Explores-Training/dp/1495389774/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1533673087&sr=1-1&keywords=beware+the+straw+man
Elizabeth Throckmorton says
Interesting article Dr. McConnell! I am considering pursuing animal behavior consulting as a career…if I’m not immersed in it quite yet, would it still be advised to attend that conference next year? I’m a Michigander, so I don’t want to miss this opportunity since it’s so close!
DIANE says
Environment, past experience, and circumstance is as important as anything “in the genes”. Food guarding at a shelter may not translate anywhere else, or vice versa. How interesting. I am so sorry I missed Milwaukee…but I will definitely check out Chicago! It is all so fascinating to me. Best recovery wishes to Maggie and GO Willie!
Mason says
The longer I live with dogs the more I think that behaviour/character traits are context dependent and fluid, not static. In a three dog household, none of my dogs ever got aggressive or showed interest in anyone else’s food bowl or bone treats, until the oldest dog in the family died. Suddenly the second oldest dog became protective of his own food, and interested in stealing his companion’s. All bets were off, much to my and perhaps to the other dog’s surprise.
It reminds me of a study I read about, the “Good Samaritan” study, where it turned out that a situational factor, in this case time pressure (seminary students were told they were late for a meeting, to various degrees) was the main determinant of behavior, ie. of whether they offered help to an actor playing a man in need of assistance.
Now, instead of telling myself “You won’t know the dog until they’re two years old,” I tell myself “This is who they seem to be for the moment.”
STACEY Gehrman says
Finally it is being recognized that dogs in shelters are stressed! No kidding. It’s not a reasonable thing to add stressors and then expect animals to react as they would when they are calm and unstressed. I have been a critic for years only wish I had enough presence to be heard.
Wanda says
I always feed our dogs separately. Quinn, an Irish terrier, believes all food is his! (Even mine.) Ben, a Shih tzu mix, is sometimes slow to eat, so I have to keep an eye on his bowl. If he walks away, it goes up so Quinn doesn’t finish it for him and Ben gets it later. When I fostered dogs, a third “space” was theirs and I stood “guard” to make sure no one bothered another’s bowl and everyone got his/her fair share. When I fostered a starved mix, she ate everything so fast I had to feed her in small servings or on the pizza pan. It’s like feeding children, which dogs are, you know. Keeping a watchful eye on everyone is important.
Jim Crosby MS CBCC-KA says
Agreed Patricia. Testing for food guarding, like so much of the rest of “testing”, is often misapplied and not scientifically valid. That is why, in bite cases and others, I look at testing as diagnostic, not predictive, and wish more would do the same. Specifically, I look for triggers for the event that already happened. Sensitivity to approach to food/toys/resources can help me explain why an event happened, not try to predict whether it will happen. That lets me form a plan to either reduce triggering in the future, desensitize to particular circumstances, or more to the point, figure out why a bite makes sense to that dog at that time in those circumstances.
Erin James says
I volunteered at a local shelter and occasionally participated in administering these tests. Too often the dogs failed and too often that led to euthanasia for the dog. It was heartbreaking to see a dog come so willingly to the room where the tests were given and watch them fail-usually due to stress, and know what the outcome was likely to be. I’m glad to know that this is being studied, and hope that the shelters who follow ASPCA guidelines (as the one I volunteered for did) will do away with this testing.
margo Harris says
All my dogs were (are, for the 2 who are left) fed separately. I actually never thought too much about it, I just figured it was easier, safer and more relaxing for everyone that way. I knew someone who wanted to get rid of her dog because he eventually growled at the kids when they kept trying to take away his food. Go figure. Seems to me that some people have very unrealistic and unfair expectations of their dogs. I say, good dog to only growl at such bad behavior!
Hmm, guess this topic makes me want to growl… but never bite, promise!
So sorry to hear about Maggie’s leg injury!
TERRI OPGENORTH says
I always laugh at food guarding tests. I don’t think they should be done. If I am hungry and sitting down to a delicious plate of food, wouldn’t I have something to say to the person that reached in and started to take it away or play with it? YOU BET! And If I didn’t speak I would bite too.
Teach the kids to let an eating dog alone. Give the dog a crate or a safe place to eat. Problem solved!
Alice says
This topic is a good example of “when you know better, you do better” in regard to the testing, and “don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater” as the old ways aren’t always bad. When I was a kid you were told clearly to leave the dog alone if it had food or a bone. If you got growled at, you got yelled at.
Hope Maggie’s on the mend quickly. Go Willie!
Teddy says
Both of our dogs were rescues, but not from shelters. They came from different situations where they were abandoned, one as a 5 month old, one as a 3 month old. Neither were abused, sick or underweight. The younger one can be possessive towards people, toys and food, but not in a huge way. Her primary issue is possessive behavior when with my husband, with whom she is very close. We treat it by speaking firmly, and removing the object of her possessive behavior – usually the person. Dad just gets up when she growls at her sister (who just wants attention too), speaks firmly (the Dad voice), and ignores her. We’re fortunate that they both get along so well, and these occasional episodes are mild and easily corrected.
Dotti says
I can only speak to my experience with a border collie foster that came to me. Star was going to be put down because she failed the food aggression test & the border collie organization in our area took her in. She was great with my other 2 dogs. I feed her in between my guys with no problems & started petting her on her behind after putting her food down. At first she would tense up & growl a bit. Over time, I could pet her all over with no problem & even put my hand in her bowl. She turned out to be an awesome dog & went to a great home.
Tricia says
As one who sees families with dogs with resource guarding, often over things not involving food, and risking family members being harmed, I have to say that I think many shelters and rescues are neglecting their responsibility to the families that are adopting dogs. It also has an impact on future homeless dogs since the friends, families, and neighbors of these people will then be less likely to get a dog from a shelter or rescue. So these dogs will tend to remain homeless.
J says
My blind border collie was deemed “unadoptable” by the shelter after he bit the rubber hand during the test. Maybe he didn’t even know what it was, just a stick poking him while he tried to enjoy his treat. Certainly it didn’t smell like a person! Given his disability, that could have been a death sentence. Fortunately a private rescue eventually took him and I adopted him from them. Does he guard food? Yep. Especially when he’s stressed. But it has been fairly easily managed, and after working on it, he’ll surrender objects to me if I need him to. Glad to know that there are efforts to evaluate evaluations, so that all the dogs possible can still have the chance to find homes.
Trisha says
“This is who they seem to be for the moment.” Wonderful line. It is interesting, isn’t it, that although so many owners think of their dog as family members, they expect them to behave consistently from one context to another…. when humans almost never do that. It also reminds me of all the times I had to assuage the fears of clients who were afraid that their dog killing a rabbit was not a predictor of biting their children. Love the ‘good samaritan’ study reference, such a good reminder to us all.
HFR says
I remember I hated that test even when it was considered very cutting edge. Years ago, I saw a documentary on a very well known rescuer who did the fake hand test on what appeared to be a sweet, black spaniel mix. When it failed the test she took the dog to be euthanized. It seemed to be a simple rule for her to follow. I was so heartbroken for that dog because even to my untrained eye this was not a problem dog. I still think about that dog every so often all these years later. I don’t believe the rescuer was doing it maliciously, I think she felt it was the right thing to do. Not just for safety reasons, but because she reasoned that there were so many homeless dogs that we can’t afford to hold on to any that are a problem. We need to make room for the adoptable dogs. But to me it was just wrong.
When my feisty sporting dog was just a puppy and I just taken him home, I remember I went to take a toy from the floor and he grabbed for it at the same time I did and was clearly not pleased. I just started trading things with him and before you know it he was over it and has never shown that kind of behavior again. He will still sometimes rush to grab a toy if he sees I’m going to pick it up, but it’s a playful gesture. I actually think the first time he did it may have been play too, but it sure didn’t look like it. Dogs can change and they can easily be misinterpreted especially when they don’t know their lives depend on it.
Gayla says
Thank you for sharing those very interesting study results.
I agree with everything previously said. This is not a perfect system, and the ‘finger is on the scale’ to protect the humans. It results in too many dogs being deemed problematic or un-adoptable. But what’s the right solution? Shelters absolutely must attempt to assess the dogs they allow to be adopted out…
em says
I’m among the crowd glad to hear that this type of testing is being reconsidered. I’d also echo what so many have observed- in my experoence dog behavior is so complex and situationally dependent (much like our own) that being ‘forewarned’ of past problems can sometimes do more harm than good. I have always had more than a sneaking suspicion that expecting trouble from our exquisitely sensitive canine companions has a nasty tendency to create the trouble we’re worrying about.
Obviously, there are times when forewarned is forearmed- ‘never been housebroken’ springs to mind- but even there, past success can’t be taken as predictive of behavior in a new setting, so maybe we’d all be better off with just a quick caution about not making assumptions in that department, too. 🙂
Maybe that’s the best advice I can think of when building or sustaining a relationship with a dog- don’t borrow trouble, expect the outcome you want to see, but try to hold yourself in a relaxed-but-ready emotional place.
Maybe it’s silly, but when my Great Dane was going through a leash-reactivity phase (plenty of potential for disaster there) I used to pep-talk myself through walks. “We are going to walk right by, smooth as you please. Nothing is likely to happen, and if something does, we’ll deal with it”. I couldn’t imagine scenarios in any detail “if that dog lunges, Otis will lose his gourd and everyone will stare and be scared and I’ll have to….” or that exact scenario WOULD happen. I’m sure that different people succeed with different strategies, but for me, I’d rather know as close to nothing about a new dog as I can. I know not everyone feels that way, but it works for me.
Speaking of working for me, and back on the topic of food guarding, I am yet another member of the take-no-chances pack (though it might be fairer to frame it as set-up-for-success). When I added a second, much faster-eating dog to our household, I established some fairly structured rituals around feeding. Otis and Sandy never once displayed any resource guarding aggression toward one another, but 1) much smaller Sandy would likely have snarfed her meal and wriggled in to steal most of Otis’ as well, good for neither of them 2) I wanted them both to be happy while eating – to feel calm and secure while eating, neither racing to bolt as much as possible before someone came to steal it nor gulping as fast as they can in the hopes of bowl #2.
So I taught them to wait on their mats (these doubled as ‘while humans are eating’ waiting areas until their bowls were placed across the room and out of one another’s sight lines, then, when they had finished (Sandy always first), not to approach the other’s feeding area but to come to me at a third point of a triangle, away from both. Once there, I’d give out a very high value treat (cheese, often, or roast meat).
Since Sandy was so comparatively quick, I’d stretch out her treat with some quiet tricks training, to keep her attention from wandering back to Otis and his bowl. When he finished and came over, he got his treat too, and the meal was complete. Now that Sandy is a single dog, we still keep up the routine, though it seems a bit silly now that i don’t actually need to distract her from anything-she’s essentially getting a treat for eating her breakfast, but that’s now The Rule, so thus it shall be.
Trisha says
Right solution? Good question, but of course, we all know that there is nothing that can predict accurately a dog’s behavior in a new context. That said, I summarized Heather’s solutions at the end of the post… excellent intakes (I always tell people to ask very specific questions–for example, ask “If I dropped an entire chicken on the floor right now in front of Bowser, would he let me pick it up? Would he growl while I did? What if it was in his mouth and I tried to get it out?” The answer is far more informative than the answer to “Does Bowser exhibit food agression or resource guarding?” Who knows how they define it? She also mentions that shelters often see signs of resource guarding in other contexts, and that should be communicated to all staff/volunteers, and that adopters need to be educated about food guarding being a common and species-typical behavior, along with how to prevent, treat or manage it from day one.
Andy says
I really appreciate this post. I’ve been in the odd position of advocating for safety in a city with a very high live outcome rate, and frankly I still find it hard to know what predictive measures have any kind of validity. But the more I learn about in-shelter assessment and observation – both through research (including the great new textbook on dog bites put out by Carri Westgarth and Daniel Mills) and my own observation of predictions vs. outcomes – the more I think shelters really need to examine their role as “gatekeepers” for adoptions and ask if they can address public safety more effectively via other measures.
These days I place the most trust in a) *verified* home incident reports, including follow up to ensure the right dog is identified in reports, b) foster home reports, and c) effective, compassionate field services, including immediate attention to “aggressive” dog reports. That’s not to say shelter observation isn’t useful, but it’s really hard to overstate how stressful and unnatural that environment is.
(also, super-cool to see Jim Crosby on this thread!)
Margo Harris says
Just had to mention that I watched the “food guarding” video with the pizza eating woman, from your link to your 2014 post…. very funny and makes a good point!!
Jenny Haskins says
Great!!! I have seen (on TV) dogs being tested for ‘adoptability’ and being appalled to see the reasons for being judged unsafe and so then put down.
Following from this I used to reach ‘pound proofing’ in my pet dog classes — don’t react to a fake hand or a broom being poked into a bowl of food you have just been given, don’t hide behind your handler when another person comes towards you bent over and bumping a ‘toddler doll ‘ along in front of her, don’t grab baby dolls and play keep away with them. (This also came with an instruction to NEVER buy kiddies’/babies’ toys and let your dog rip them apart. Stick to rope toys.) Sit nicely at heel beside your handler (a good idea to allow swapping dogs for this too) while a stranger comes up and talks to you/shakes hands.
I just hope my Nervous Nellie aka Shrinking Violet never ends up in a pound/dog rescue place because I KNOW she will be failed 🙁
Jann Becker says
“Don’t bother the dog while he’s eating!” as heard from parents, puts the blame where it belongs, on the botherer, not the bother-ee. The idea that you should be able to remove their food would have sounded weird, but back then, getting snapped at or even nipped was also part of learning how to treat the dog.
My guys get fed separately, but the issue isn’t guarding. Our senior gets 3 medications with her supper; 2 wouldn’t harm her much smaller housemate but 1 would buy him a trip to the vet. Making sure dog #1 swallows them and little dog #2 cannot possibly do so is worth choreographing dinner.
Jenny Haskins says
oh, I agree that guarding with aggression is dangerous. But IS a fake hand in a bowl of food justr given a realistic test at all?\I can take food from all my dogs — but I never just go up and grab it from them. I cue that I ma about to take the bowl or even the food from their mouths. I have never been hurt by them.
My dog are all fed at the same time — I try to feed Big Bossy last as this tends to mean that the others are finished before BB gets there. But Mad Millie is a gulper and only gets small meals as she tends to obesity. She might hover around the larger dogs saying ‘You don’t really want all that, do you?”
I think that hovering nearby would be a better test, or even trying to call the dog away from the bowl would be better. I just remember seeing a CM video of him doing a ‘food guarding test, and I thought that it should have been CM who was led away to the execution room 🙁
Barb Stanek says
So interesting. Thanks for posting.
Anecdotally, one of my 2 dogs died two months ago. The remaining dog has changed his eating habits significantly. Both dogs were fed in crates to discourage co-mingling during meals. Before, he ate regularly and efficiently and then waited outside his house mate’s crate for her to finish.
Now, two months out, he eats erratically. Most of the time he eats his meal, but sometimes he eats part of it. Occasionally he eats none of it. There is still great anticipation for the food, but not so much interest in it after it is delivered.
Very interesting. Many more questions to ask and answer in this scenario. However, I’m wondering about a dog alone without the company (and potential competition from other dogs) and a dog in the company of other dogs, even if they are all caged. Fascinating behavior to learn more about.
Gayla says
Oops! Obviously hadn’t gotten to the ‘conclusions and recommendations’ before I commented…
Janet Wright says
In my experience, it’s the dogs who had to live on their own who have exhibited FG. This one kind of got away from us.
Katie Rooney says
I monitor feeding time so my dogs (wide variety of unadoptables from an animal shelter where I volunteer). I learned a process called BE THE DESSERT TABLE at a seminar years ago and it works great. I teach each dog to come to me when he/she is finished eating and give them additional kibble or small treats and keep them focused on me. Once everyone is gathered around, we go outside to potty and play. I never leave empty bowls on the floor.
Frances says
Sophy eats slowly and carefully. Poppy gobbles her food and looks round for more. When I brought Poppy home as a pup, Sophy quickly made it clear that she did not like being hassled by a hungry puppy, so I fed Poppy in the kitchen and took Sophy’s bowl into the sitting room where I could watch over her while I drank my coffee. Once I started cooking for them, I would put a towel or something similar down to protect the rug. That morphed into using old damask napkins – just the right size and easily washed. It does raise some eyebrows, though, when visitors see me spreading a clean white napkin before serving Sophy her home-cooked meal!
I am another who was raised on the mantra that if you disturbed a sleeping or eating dog and got nipped it was your fault, not the dog’s. But I think that if I dropped a roast chicken I could get it back if I was quick enough to claim it – with a few grumbles if it had actually already been grabbed, but no more. And then, or course, the dog in possession would get both praise and a big chunk of safe chicken meat, and the other dog would get a chunk for being good and not grabbing the chicken! It is a game we have played over and over again since they were puppies, so they know what “Mine!” means. Prodding them with a false hand would be a very different matter – I think that would be perceived as extreme rudeness and not tolerated.
Laura Lawrence says
I’ve always told my clients to feed their dogs separately. To give them a place where they were not looking over their shoulder wondering if someone was going to sneak up on them. Also,no one would want someone coming along and sticking your hand in your food. The problem I have with clients is with their kids. The toddlers that are left to go after the dog while it’s eating. It just amazes me when I get calls that say “my dog just bit my child!” when I find out what happened it’s hard to understand. I constantly tell people “your dog is a live breathing creature,NOT a stuff toy for your child to poke,pull,annoy. Toddlers and dogs cannot read each others body language,so it’s important that your teach your child at a very early age to respect your dog.” Teach your child and your pet boundries and then be consistent and always present when they are together. This way they will learn the pecking order of their lives.
Dr. Ann Bernadett Coe says
I would want to know the results of the food guarding test if I were adopting a dog. I don’t think a single test should dictate euthanasia. But knowing that the dog has that tendency at that time would tell me that he has a behavior that will need some accommodation or retraining. Many behavior books recommend interrupting a dog’s meal by offering a higher quality treat, starting far from the dish and ending several sessions later by placing the treat directly in the bowl. This worked well for my dogs. A person approaching their dish during meals means they get a special treat. Of course, this works for people approaching the dish, not dogs. Many people above have offered great suggestions for dog-dog food aggression.
Shannon says
I worked in an open door animal shelter years ago just as Sue Sternberg’s Assessment was entering the conversation. Considered imperfect at the time, it was a start in the right direction. Prior to using a formalized temperament evaluation, difficult decisions were made on-the-fly by shelter staff, an unfair responsibility.
“The Hand” was something else. We were not about to go spend the big bucks on the official Assess-a-Hand, so we made our own using a Halloween decoration and a sawed off broomstick. Needless to say it was not a tool we used often, though I still felt it was important to have available for staff comfort and safety. However, we quickly realized that if a dog reacted to The Hand, it really did not provide us with answers, it just raised more questions. I am very glad to read that there are now real science-backed answers to those questions we were asking almost 20 years ago. (Decades? Has it really been that long?)
Thank you for readdressing this. I read your blog to gain insight on how to be better for my own dogs, but these discussions really pull me in. I no longer work in animal sheltering, but the challenges and joys of the work leave their mark.