Dog Trainer Tenerife

I recently worked with a 6 month old puppy that would guard anything and everything she could claim as her own, her food bowl, toys, bed, the TV remote controller, a dropped tissue, even the stones from the plant pot which she had managed to pinch when no-one was looking. This is known as Resource Guarding and believe it or not it is a normal behaviour for dogs (think about kids not wanting to share their toys or give them up!) and can happen in all ages and breeds of dogs if they are allowed to be the Leader of the Pack and the ruler of the house.

Now this does not mean that you have to take everything away from your dog and make it submit to you as a leader to ensure Resource Guarding (possession aggression) doesn’t happen. Food is usually the biggest resource and as dogs understand the concept of possession and resources they can show signs of aggression when you approach their food bowl or any other object which they have claimed to be theirs. The dog may snap, growl or lunge at the owner if he attempts to retrieve the item the dog is guarding and in more serious cases the dog may bite as he fears that the person is going to take his object away.

Disciplining your dog for guarding items will only make the problem worse as he will see you as more of a threat. Instead you must help your dog to understand that he has nothing to fear when you approach him and his toy as you will give it back to him and of course using a tasty treat will help too. You must go slowly and build a positive association around people when your dog is eating his meal or has his toy to make him feel less threatened. Feeding your dog’s meal to him by hand is a good way to get started for dogs that have shown signs of resource guarding. For dogs that won’t let anyone near their bed or crate, using treats to lure them away can help but don’t get on your hands and knees or in your dogs face until he is more secure with you being near his bed. Eventually you should be able to sit in your dogs bed which sends the message to him that you are the leader and can sleep anywhere you like (including his bed if you so desire!).
Start training as soon as you get your puppy or dog and get him used to the idea that everything belongs to you and it is a privilege to play with your toys and sleep in your bed. Teaching your dog to release objects and give things back to you from the start will prevent these kinds of problems occurring.

For more information about dogs and resource guarding contact me now on info@happytailstraining.com

Posted on May 10th, 2009 by Sharon
Filed under: Dog Behaviour, Dog Training and Obedience