It is mine! Using clicker training as a treatment of object guarding in 4 companion dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)

Aggressive behaviors in companion dogs are a serious problem to owners, which often result in important physical and emotional damage on the victims. Aggressive incidents frequently happen during human-dog interactions (i.e., reaching toward the dog or petting it) while the dog is engaging with a preferred item (e.g., a toy, sock, or shoe). The present study investigated whether a clicker-training approach, backward chaining, could decrease the frequency of category II (e.g., ears flattened and/or hovering over the object) and category III (e.g., staring and/or stiffening up) behaviors by establishing an alternative target response of releasing preferred item on cue.
Source: Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research - Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Tags: Canine research Source Type: research