Resource Guarding in Dogs
Discussion
Has anyone had resource guarding issues with their dogs and any advice how to solve it.
Our 14 month Cockapoo occasionally does this with other dogs and humans and I need to get it stopped. its odd as he can play with other dogs with toys, play tug of war and another time he can get possessive and then snap and go for the other dog.
We have a 4 month old springer cross who has been on the receiving end, and also our dog walkers German Shepard. I want to stamp it out as its not a behavior trait I want him to have, and also if he could do it with a random dog and end up getting hurt.
Our dog walker we spoke to said we need to see a behaviorist, but they all want £150-200 just for a consultation.
Any recommendations, or is this something that needs specialist help?
Thanks
Our 14 month Cockapoo occasionally does this with other dogs and humans and I need to get it stopped. its odd as he can play with other dogs with toys, play tug of war and another time he can get possessive and then snap and go for the other dog.
We have a 4 month old springer cross who has been on the receiving end, and also our dog walkers German Shepard. I want to stamp it out as its not a behavior trait I want him to have, and also if he could do it with a random dog and end up getting hurt.
Our dog walker we spoke to said we need to see a behaviorist, but they all want £150-200 just for a consultation.
Any recommendations, or is this something that needs specialist help?
Thanks
Not an expert by any stretch and my case study is just my dog. So this is possibly horrible advice but it worked for me.
He got attacked by three dogs while on a walk, after that I could see him tense up when he was eating if anyone got near him (Obviously pre bite behaviour, ) I have young kids so I needed to fix it or rehome him.
So to counter it, when I fed him, I used to sit with my hand in his bowl and invite him over to eat, keeping my hand there the whole time.
Only took a few times before the food possession disappeared entirely.
He got attacked by three dogs while on a walk, after that I could see him tense up when he was eating if anyone got near him (Obviously pre bite behaviour, ) I have young kids so I needed to fix it or rehome him.
So to counter it, when I fed him, I used to sit with my hand in his bowl and invite him over to eat, keeping my hand there the whole time.
Only took a few times before the food possession disappeared entirely.
It's a long job, in reality in many cases a job for the rest of the life of the dog. In really bad cases they're never actually cured, but you can do a lot to deal / cope with the situation. Sorry for the depressing start to the answer, but you need to be realistic.
Reading Mine! by Shirley Donaldson A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs
Secondly you need not be despondent. Shirley makes the point that we set impossible standards for dogs, we expect them to be models of good behaviour with family, friends, children, strangers out on the street, the man who comes to fix the washing machine, but instinctively know that the burglar has to be given no mercy.
Next you need to identify where the risky situations are, which I guess you have done and continue to do. Then need to recognise the early warning signs from the dog, unless he's very unusual and goes straight for the snap or bite, he will have probably stiffened, moved the item away, given a little curl if the nose, given a bigger nose curl, a little growl, all are escalation in his signals to leave him alone.
Then you need to figure out a really high value training treat, something he will absolutely go for under significant distraction, liver cake, recipe here https://youtu.be/nXzBAFNT_zo fellow PHer.
Then work through the programme as outlined in the book. You have to get the dog to trust you. Try not to panic as this demonstrates to him what he has is really valuable, so keep calm. Hopefully you get to a situation where things work well and the dog is always willing to trade, but every so often you need to have a training session just to remind and reinforce the rules with the dog. If you forget and ignore the warning signs because it's maybe something he really shouldn't have and he goes it will be a shock.
Ours thankfully guarded only things he had found or nicked, but 99% of the time is willing to readily trade. Often he looks at us, gets no reaction, and then he drops it having been conned that it's of no value. Hence my comment at the beginning you don't ever completely cure it but cope.
A behaviourist is recommended though, Nick lays out his charging very clearly, not cheap but usually covered by your pet insurance.
Good luck though, it's a long and trying road, one behaviourist told us to give him back to the breeder, but we've stuck with it, he's as gentle as anything now. Touch wood.
Reading Mine! by Shirley Donaldson A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs
Secondly you need not be despondent. Shirley makes the point that we set impossible standards for dogs, we expect them to be models of good behaviour with family, friends, children, strangers out on the street, the man who comes to fix the washing machine, but instinctively know that the burglar has to be given no mercy.
Next you need to identify where the risky situations are, which I guess you have done and continue to do. Then need to recognise the early warning signs from the dog, unless he's very unusual and goes straight for the snap or bite, he will have probably stiffened, moved the item away, given a little curl if the nose, given a bigger nose curl, a little growl, all are escalation in his signals to leave him alone.
Then you need to figure out a really high value training treat, something he will absolutely go for under significant distraction, liver cake, recipe here https://youtu.be/nXzBAFNT_zo fellow PHer.
Then work through the programme as outlined in the book. You have to get the dog to trust you. Try not to panic as this demonstrates to him what he has is really valuable, so keep calm. Hopefully you get to a situation where things work well and the dog is always willing to trade, but every so often you need to have a training session just to remind and reinforce the rules with the dog. If you forget and ignore the warning signs because it's maybe something he really shouldn't have and he goes it will be a shock.
Ours thankfully guarded only things he had found or nicked, but 99% of the time is willing to readily trade. Often he looks at us, gets no reaction, and then he drops it having been conned that it's of no value. Hence my comment at the beginning you don't ever completely cure it but cope.
A behaviourist is recommended though, Nick lays out his charging very clearly, not cheap but usually covered by your pet insurance.
Good luck though, it's a long and trying road, one behaviourist told us to give him back to the breeder, but we've stuck with it, he's as gentle as anything now. Touch wood.
FiF said:
It's a long job, in reality in many cases a job for the rest of the life of the dog. In really bad cases they're never actually cured, but you can do a lot to deal / cope with the situation. Sorry for the depressing start to the answer, but you need to be realistic.
Reading Mine! by Shirley Donaldson A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs
Secondly you need not be despondent. Shirley makes the point that we set impossible standards for dogs, we expect them to be models of good behaviour with family, friends, children, strangers out on the street, the man who comes to fix the washing machine, but instinctively know that the burglar has to be given no mercy.
Next you need to identify where the risky situations are, which I guess you have done and continue to do. Then need to recognise the early warning signs from the dog, unless he's very unusual and goes straight for the snap or bite, he will have probably stiffened, moved the item away, given a little curl if the nose, given a bigger nose curl, a little growl, all are escalation in his signals to leave him alone.
Then you need to figure out a really high value training treat, something he will absolutely go for under significant distraction, liver cake, recipe here https://youtu.be/nXzBAFNT_zo fellow PHer.
Then work through the programme as outlined in the book. You have to get the dog to trust you. Try not to panic as this demonstrates to him what he has is really valuable, so keep calm. Hopefully you get to a situation where things work well and the dog is always willing to trade, but every so often you need to have a training session just to remind and reinforce the rules with the dog. If you forget and ignore the warning signs because it's maybe something he really shouldn't have and he goes it will be a shock.
Ours thankfully guarded only things he had found or nicked, but 99% of the time is willing to readily trade. Often he looks at us, gets no reaction, and then he drops it having been conned that it's of no value. Hence my comment at the beginning you don't ever completely cure it but cope.
A behaviourist is recommended though, Nick lays out his charging very clearly, not cheap but usually covered by your pet insurance.
Good luck though, it's a long and trying road, one behaviourist told us to give him back to the breeder, but we've stuck with it, he's as gentle as anything now. Touch wood.
Thanks for the information and book recommendation. We have certainly been trying to manage the situation between our two like meals desperately, always make sure they have toys each to play with and always supervised. Toys that have triggered it before are banned for the moment. Reading Mine! by Shirley Donaldson A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs
Secondly you need not be despondent. Shirley makes the point that we set impossible standards for dogs, we expect them to be models of good behaviour with family, friends, children, strangers out on the street, the man who comes to fix the washing machine, but instinctively know that the burglar has to be given no mercy.
Next you need to identify where the risky situations are, which I guess you have done and continue to do. Then need to recognise the early warning signs from the dog, unless he's very unusual and goes straight for the snap or bite, he will have probably stiffened, moved the item away, given a little curl if the nose, given a bigger nose curl, a little growl, all are escalation in his signals to leave him alone.
Then you need to figure out a really high value training treat, something he will absolutely go for under significant distraction, liver cake, recipe here https://youtu.be/nXzBAFNT_zo fellow PHer.
Then work through the programme as outlined in the book. You have to get the dog to trust you. Try not to panic as this demonstrates to him what he has is really valuable, so keep calm. Hopefully you get to a situation where things work well and the dog is always willing to trade, but every so often you need to have a training session just to remind and reinforce the rules with the dog. If you forget and ignore the warning signs because it's maybe something he really shouldn't have and he goes it will be a shock.
Ours thankfully guarded only things he had found or nicked, but 99% of the time is willing to readily trade. Often he looks at us, gets no reaction, and then he drops it having been conned that it's of no value. Hence my comment at the beginning you don't ever completely cure it but cope.
A behaviourist is recommended though, Nick lays out his charging very clearly, not cheap but usually covered by your pet insurance.
Good luck though, it's a long and trying road, one behaviourist told us to give him back to the breeder, but we've stuck with it, he's as gentle as anything now. Touch wood.
I'll get that book ordered and have a read through.
Challo said:
PositronicRay said:
I can't help but that's a ridiculous amount for a behaviourist. We pay £40-50.
Is that per hour? The ones we have contacted are 150-200 for a 3 hour consultation. The above poster has a good point, dogs trust have qualified behaviourists. They'll help even if your dog is not from them.
Challo said:
Thanks for tip on rescue behaviorist. I'll do some research and I think there is a local dogs trust near us in Newbury.
Dogs Trust are also a good start, but also a quick Google to see who runs the 'dog pound' contract for the council. They're often independent and very well run (Hope Rescue in South Wales are a good example).Gassing Station | All Creatures Great & Small | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff