Excuse me, but I need this lantern for official wolf-business...
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In all seriousness, Lorne really likes that lantern. I don't know what he finds so interesting about it, but there isn't much he chooses to bicker with me over and apparently this light is one of those things.
I thought this video would also serve as a reminder that wolves and high content wolfdogs are difficult to work with and potentially dangerous. The behavior he is displaying by temporarily refusing to respond to my command to release the lantern is called resource guarding.
- Does Lorne sound and look a little scary to you in this video? -
Remember that I am working with him one-handed with the other holding a large video camera. But he still responded to my command only after about a minute of protest.
HOWEVER- I have also put considerable effort into working with him and though it may appear that this situation was easily defused, without proper handling, this incident could have resulted in serious injury or death. And not his.
So remember, if you think he looked even a little bit on the scary side there... think about how an improperly raised wolf might have responded if you tried to take his new favorite thing away from him. One handed in the dark, with no motivation to give it back to you, other than choosing to yield to previously established respect.
Without his decision to submit to my request, there isn't a chance that the lantern could have been retrieved. Wolves are incredibly strong, with a bite force that exerts pounds of pressure nearly unmatched by any other animal.
Even their teeth are larger when compared to any domesticated dog, which allows them to grip and tear more effectively. Wolves bring down Elk, so it's not hard to guess why they evolved these incredible effective tools. They are also obsessive and once they focus on something- it is difficult to redirect them.
Resource Guarding in Wolves & Dogs - Learn More
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Another example of the wolf's natural tendency to become fixated on keeping whatever they can get a hold of- no matter what.
Wolves are naturally very possessive animals. They have to be in order to survive. They have an instinctual drive to feel that everything they take- could be their last for a long time- or even forever...
They are 'hoarders' in a sense, never knowing when another resource will come about. Of course, their biggest drive is the motivation to feed- to sustain life. Therefore, it probably comes as no surprise that wolves- which are possessive about everything- are most possessive over food.
I've been teaching Lorne to 'release' on command since he was 7 weeks old. He lets go of favorite toys and even food, typically with ease. Which is uncharacteristic to the nature of a wolf. This is an important command to teach any canine, but especially one lacking thousands of years of human intervention to distill that strong drive.
I've been wanting to show more 'raw' training videos with Lorne to see how I work with him. But it is very difficult while also holding a camcorder. But I was playing around with Lorne the other day and decided to just film what I could and throw him some basic commands. Release being one we work on a lot.
You'll see in the video that he responds readily to releasing a tennis ball, but then after given one of his very favorite treats, he decides it's worth challenging me over. This isn't always his response, but I think it's critical to show how easily any dog or wolf can produce this type of reaction and how important it to consistently train a strong release throughout life.
For this being a wolf's strongest motivator (food) and this being Lorne's very favorite- I consider his response pretty successful! But I continue to give him things he loves, and take them away as routine and I recommend this is done often with any animal that resource guards.
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