 |
| Resource Guarding is a natural instinct, brought
on by anxiety, especially in a dog who is under-confident about other things in
his life. This puppy is at the first
level of warning, freezing in place and giving a hard stare, his paw on his toy,
because his Alpha sister is standing right there, in a play stance, ready to
jump in and grab his special toy. Know the signs so you can avoid trouble! The timely
distraction of a training session, with “sits” and “downs” and great treats, avoided further escalation in this case. |
Resource
Guarding
What is resource guarding?
Resource guarding (RG) is when a dog has possession
of an object that he/she thinks is valuable, and is growling/snapping/biting in
an effort to protect/keep that object.
The object may be something we deem silly, for example, a piece of
Kleenex is a common object dogs guard...or even empty bowls. Some dogs will even guard spots, like a bed
or couch. And in few, rarer cases dogs
will see their owner is a resource and guard that person.
Why
does my dog do this?
Generally speaking, RG is a genetic, inborn behavior.
This
behavior evolved because in the wild, possession of something is important, and
not allowing that thing to be stolen is a matter of life and death. Many dogs retain this behavior, despite there
being ample resources. Just like
hunting, playing, and mating, RG is a survival skill built into the dog.
In some cases, RG can be learned. This
happens most often when a bored dog starts to chew objects. The owner approaches and removes the object,
often times scolding the dog. Unfortunately,
this only teaches the dog to steal/chew objects out of the owner’s sight to
avoid punishment, and/OR it will teach him that he needs to protect the object
from the owner, as he sees the owner as a thief.
Things like anxiety, being in a new
home, or the addition of another dog or pet can increase these behaviors, or
cause them to appear seemingly spontaneously. Dogs that are under-confident in other aspects
of their lives tend to be guarders.
What’s
with all the biting, snapping, growling?
These behaviors are part of the dogs hierarchy of warnings. The warnings play out like this:
- Freezing in
place/hard staring
- Placing face
against the object, putting more paws on the object
- Warning/air
snapping (these will not make contact)
- Warning
snaps with contact (does not break
skin)
- Full attack fight
that must be broken up.
Generally speaking, most dogs will travel up the hierarchy, over time, giving
stronger and stronger warnings, until they finally end up biting or attacking. Now, how hard the dog bites, depends on his
learned bite inhibition. Bite
inhibition is learned as a puppy from littermates, and from his owners when he
comes home. If a dog has good bite inhibition, he will be very restrained in his
bites, if he has poor control, he may bite very hard, and sooner than a dog
with better control.
Some dogs go up this hierarchy, gradually, over time. For example a dog being pestered by another
dog while he eats may progress over weeks or months until they finally fight,
but other dogs may go up the warning hierarchy VERY quickly - so quickly that
they run through all the signals in a blink of an eye. These are the types of dogs that many people
site as “biting without warning". What
actually is happening is perhaps the owner did not see the signals, or chose to
ignore or punish the lower level signals.
The point being, dogs do not want to attack over their object, they want to do everything possible to keep
their object, but without causing harm, this is ritualized aggression.
Its when the issue is pushed (for
example a human that continues to take objects away despite warnings, or
another dog that continues to bully the RG) the dog's behavior can, and usually
does, escalate.
Should
I use corrections to stop this?
Isn't my dog trying to dominant me?
Dogs that RG are not trying to climb a social ladder, or overthrow the humans
as the "leader". In fact,
these are the dogs in the household with confidence or anxiety issues. These
are dogs that are, in a sense, "paranoid" that everyone is out to get
their "valued thing". Confident dogs do not feel the need to RG
most objects, as they are positive no one is even going to try to take their
stuff.
However, most "normal" dogs, with average to high confidence, may
guard something of very high value - like a piece of raw meat, a new toy, etc.
- when the dog doesn't normally get to have those things. It is the abnormally
high value of the object that elicits the behavior.
Strangers can also create the behavior. A dog that would never RG from the family may
snap at a guest, the anxiety from not knowing the person as well triggers the
behavior. Or, in the case of a party or
gathering at the house, the dog may simply be over-stimulated.
Corrections for this behavior, such as yelling at the dog, making
hissing sounds, physically punishing the dog, poking him, or removing the
object as punishment are all methods with a very high likelihood of backfiring,
plus making the behavior worse. Since this is often anxiety based,
punishment will only increase anxiety, and also damage your relationship with
your dog. It puts you two in
conflict every time he finds an object he likes.
What
should I do first?
First, we want to manage (prevent)
the behavior as much as possible. Pick
up your clothes and things, remove dog toys and treats from the floor, moving
and covering trashcans, and so forth. Use
x-pens and baby gates to keep your dog out of areas where he is going to find
objects to guard.
The reason this is so important is that
every time the dog practices the behavior, it is becoming more and more
ingrained. Preventing it helps keep
the dog at the level he/she is already at, while you implement training. If the dog guards food/food bowls, feed him
separately from other dogs, preferably in his own room or crate.
For
dogs that guard food bowls/food management:
If the dog is being aggressive with
humans, one of the best things you can start is hand-feeding ALL meals. Many dogs do not make the connection that food
comes from YOU, and instead think it magically appears in their magic bowl
(hence guarding an empty bowl).
Couch/bed
guarding management:
Attaching a short leash to help guide the dog off the spot will work in an
emergency, but placing cardboard boxes or other objects on the surface that discourage usage is preferred. Also remember to close doors or use baby gates
to keep the dog away from the surface they guard.
Make sure to discuss the management plan with all family members so that
everyone is on board and there is a better chance of success.
Ok, so
I am preventing the behavior, can I start training now?
Yes, but first...
All this training advice is meant as a guideline. Different dogs will progress at different
rates due to temperament, history, environment, handler skill, and so forth. It is very important to understand that RG
takes a decent amount of time to "fix" with most dogs, and the
training will have to be repeated, from the beginning, with all other family
members to ensure the dog has generalized the behavior. Patience
is key.
Also, if your dog is breaking skin, you are otherwise afraid or intimidated by
your dog, or you in any way feel you may be harmed (dog size is a factor to
consider), then its time to hire a professional to help you. Keep in mind, most trainers are not experienced in aggression cases and
will not take them on. Also be aware
that many of the trainers that agree to take on aggression cases may not be truly qualified to do so. Your
best bet is to select your trainer very wisely or hire a good behaviorist, in either
case, one who understands and practices Relationship Based Training.
Read About Relationship
Based Training Tips from Suzanne Clothier:
