Resource Guarding - how do you handle it?

[JanM]

I'm looking for help to resolve Amber's resource guarding issues. There's absolutely no problem with my taking a bone - or anything else from her but another dog is a different issue! She will guard her toy, her stick - whatever she has - and will fight to guard it.

Any suggestions?

[allymack]

if there is another dog around will she let you take what she has? or will she fight you then too?

[luckypenny]

If a toy is going to create too much stress between our dogs, I just remove it . Bones and such are fed to them separately while they're in their crates. Lucky is the only one that sometimes guards toys but only from puppies. Most of the time, we allow him to as it teaches the youngins not to take anything away from another dog. He'll never hurt them though, usually "the look", a low growl, and rarely, he snaps the air in front of them. Even the most persistent of pups learns rather quickly.

When you say that Amber will "fight" to guard her possession, what exactly does she do?

[JanM]

Originally Posted by luckypenny

If a toy is going to create too much stress between our dogs, I just remove it . Bones and such are fed to them separately while they're in their crates. Lucky is the only one that sometimes guards toys but only from puppies. Most of the time, we allow him to as it teaches the youngins not to take anything away from another dog. He'll never hurt them though, usually "the look", a low growl, and rarely, he snaps the air in front of them. Even the most persistent of pups learns rather quickly.

When you say that Amber will "fight" to guard her possession, what exactly does she do?

My problem is mostly swimming - when I throw a stick for Amber, if another dog comes along and wants to play with her stick when she comes out, she growls. If she carries her stick after swimming - or her ball after playing fetch - and another dog comes near - growl. She has been in two actual fights over a stick - one dog was walking towards where she dropped her stick and she went after it and there was quite a fight. Another time she and another dog arrived at a stick at the same time - another dog fight.

Bobby and Amber each get a bone when they are out in the yard - no problem - they each chew their own until one leaves it and then they each try the other's bone but no fights.

[allymack]

Originally Posted by JanM

I can take her treasure with or without another dog around - just not the other dog!

Hmm, i'm not sure if this would work, but wheni want to "claim" something of Enzo's i make him drop it and then step it front of it, so its more like i am guarding it ( when gaurding they give what ever they are gaurding their back) and i wait untill he settles down. Some people say this could make the problem worse, making him want to gaurd it better next time but i didnt find that happened.

Anyways, so try taking the stick or whatever from her and have another dog handy. Get the other dog to do a stand stay ( if possible, if not, a sit stay, i reccomend the stand stay so it will be easier to see the stick behind her) and then put the stick behind the other dog, this way the other dog is claiming it and she will see it as the otehr dogs, if you repeat this she should learn that she can have it one minute but she needs to give other dogs a turn too.

[JanM]

Originally Posted by allymack

Hmm, i'm not sure if this would work, but wheni want to "claim" something of Enzo's i make him drop it and then step it front of it, so its more like i am guarding it ( when gaurding they give what ever they are gaurding their back) and i wait untill he settles down. Some people say this could make the problem worse, making him want to gaurd it better next time but i didnt find that happened.

Anyways, so try taking the stick or whatever from her and have another dog handy. Get the other dog to do a stand stay ( if possible, if not, a sit stay, i reccomend the stand stay so it will be easier to see the stick behind her) and then put the stick behind the other dog, this way the other dog is claiming it and she will see it as the otehr dogs, if you repeat this she should learn that she can have it one minute but she needs to give other dogs a turn too.

I'll have to think about this one - my initial reaction is that it probably would make Amber worse but I'll think about it and see how it feels later. Right now I'm pretty edgy about the whole thing and am being very, very careful who is around when we play fetch!

[JanM]

Originally Posted by allymack

if there is another dog around will she let you take what she has? or will she fight you then too?

I can take her treasure with or without another dog around - just not the other dog!

[JanM]

I started a new "regime" this morning - just a start that I ***** think **** may help - when Amber brings her stick back from swimming for it, I take it and walk around a bit with the stick in my hand then I go somewhere else and throw it again. Usually when I tell her "all done" - it means no more fetching and she runs off with her stick to chew it to shreds. This morning I made her drop it and leave it and didn't let her chew it at all.

So, we'll see how it goes.

[kigndano]

awesome idea.

telling her to drop and leave it lets her know that the stick is YOURS to control, not hers!

[Ford Girl]

Originally Posted by JanM

My problem is mostly swimming - when I throw a stick for Amber, if another dog comes along and wants to play with her stick when she comes out, she growls. If she carries her stick after swimming - or her ball after playing fetch - and another dog comes near - growl. She has been in two actual fights over a stick - one dog was walking towards where she dropped her stick and she went after it and there was quite a fight. Another time she and another dog arrived at a stick at the same time - another dog fight.

Hi Jan, as you know, Dazy's the same...the exact same, cut from the same golden cloth , she will drop her ball/stick and pick a fight before the other dog even shows interest. She doesn't share with dogs she doesn't know, but dogs she knows - no problem. She will even guard me if a puppy comes up to me for pets. And she's all to quick to correct inapproprioate behavior and her response is over the top - not porportionit to the situation. I dont bring balls to the park anymore, she does find sticks tho, but once she lays down to chew - I take it away from her and we go home, she can chew sticks at home.

How is she at the lake without an item to posses?

Originally Posted by JanM

when Amber brings her stick back from swimming for it, I take it and walk around a bit with the stick in my hand then I go somewhere else and throw it again. So, we'll see how it goes.

This is one thing the behavorlist told me, walk around, standing still causes tension and gives the dogs opportunity to strut their stuff, we never stand still at dog parks, and as Dazy comes towards me I move along, quick pace, her eyes are on me instead of on the other dogs around her. And if I see the tail and ears perk up - I correct her with a verbal sound, and tell her never mind, and we move on. Its good to never just stand there.

[JanM]

Originally Posted by Ford Girl

How is she at the lake without an item to posses?

She "mostly" ignores other dogs now when there's nothing to possess. She will chase rabbits with or without other dogs and will usually watch me to see if I am getting a stick for her. If I do pick one up and there's another dog around, she will chase the other dog away.

This is one thing the behavorlist told me, walk around, standing still causes tension and gives the dogs opportunity to strut their stuff, we never stand still at dog parks, and as Dazy comes towards me I move along, quick pace, her eyes are on me instead of on the other dogs around her. And if I see the tail and ears perk up - I correct her with a verbal sound, and tell her never mind, and we move on. Its good to never just stand there.

The behavourist I work with told me the same thing - keep moving and I do. Sometimes people with dogs just stand and talk and I notice the dogs start to find other things to do - not always what you want - so we keep moving. Some people think I'm being antisocial but that, I figure is their problem - not mine! I don't go to the dog park when there's a group there - all the owners just stand or sit and figure the dogs will play. I don't subscribe to that theory so I just don't go.

[Etown_Chick]

I agree with Kigndano,
YOU own the toy (stick, whatever) not the dog, so what right does he have go guard it? None, in my opinion.
Scruff will share anything except water - that he tries to guard at the dog park. Funny, he's ok with drinking everyone else's water but not with sharing his.
I deliberately push him away after he's drunk and let another dog in, just to let him know it's not his and to keep him from running away with his water dish. Then I give him some more so he knows he's not going to die of thirst, or whatever he thinks will happen.
So far it's working for us.