Growls to Wags: Success Factors Regarding Food Care at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley

The Behavior Modification Program at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley addresses behavioral problems of dogs by using counter-conditioning, changing a stimulus from positive to negative, and desensitization, decreasing the emotional response to a stimulus, on a variety of behavioral issues. One of the most prevalent issues is food guarding and is addressed through the Food Care Protocol. The protocol aims to alter the emotional reaction of a dog to a human approach to the food bowl. The behavior progresses from a guarding response (growling, snapping, etc) to a positive emotional response (tail wagging, stepping away from the bowl, etc). This project analyzed potential success factors of the Food Care Protocol by comparing age, adult weight, intake score, breed aggression, and number of days in the program to overall success in the program. Success was defined as outtake score, received after completion of the program, subtracted from intake score, received upon entry to the shelter. Age was found to be the most prominent predictor of success, and was negatively correlated with success. Using these data, a model was created to predict the number of days each dog would need in order to reach a passing outtake score.