# Aggression / resource guarding in young Springer



## flecker (Jul 7, 2012)

Hi all

We've been struggling with aggression / resource guarding with our 17 month old springer spaniel since we've had him (we got him as a small pup). It now controls every aspect of our lives and I'm reaching the end of my tether, so thought I'd try posting here. I know we've done / are doing something very wrong but I'm just not sure what. 

He's never been aggressive with anyone else (or any other dogs) but he's extremely aggressive with both my partner and I - by which I mean he regularly bites us quite seriously (we both now have several scars on our arms / hands / legs / faces).

This used to happen in all sorts of situations: taking leads on or off, touching his collar, moving a hand suddenly when he was near us, getting him in or out of the car etc. As we've found strategies for avoiding / coping with those situations, that has lessened and now most of the aggression centres around food.

Every time he anticipates food, he goes growls / snarls / sometimes bites us. So, for example, filling up his bowl sends him into a rage. Putting him into a sit makes him snarl because he associates that with treats. I tried clicker training and had to stop immediately because, as soon as he'd associated the clicker with treats, he went for me every time I clicked. Obviously, with food / treats being a trigger for aggression, training in general is becoming very difficult.

We've never been violent with him (in fact our families blame his behaviour on our 'liberal parenting' - ie refusal to use a rolled up newspaper etc). My partner has had other dogs without problems (and I grew up with dogs). But somehow there's been a complete breakdown of trust between this pup and us and it's devastating. When he's not being aggressive, he's gorgeous - affectionate, playful, very smart. 

Last week we had our first holiday since we got him - camping. He was sleeping in the porch bit (half inside) and I was inside. When my partner tried to come to bed, he attacked him and wouldn't let him near. In the end, my partner had to sleep in the car. He also went for me when I tried to get out of the tent the next morning. (The camping trip only lasted one night...) 

As you can see, he now controls our behaviour rather than us controlling his - not a good situation for him or us.

Two vets we've been to have found no physical problem and suggested neutering him (which we did last year) and seeing a behaviouralist (which we also did). The behaviouralist said the root of the problem was a combination of him being very bright and bored, and him having a quick ladder of aggression (so we were being bitten rather than just growled at). She suggested lots of coping strategies to help avoid situations of conflict and ways to desensitise him to certain things eg touching the collar etc - very helpful for those situations but didn't seem to get to the root of the problem? Or am I judging too harshly? We are planning to ask her for another visit soon and if that doesn't help, trying another behaviouralist.

We play loads of games, he gets masses of exercise (walks for a couple of hours a day) etc, we both work from home and he's never alone longer than two hours. I've read up a lot on canine body language, which has helped a lot, and on resource guarding and aggression - but we don't seem to be getting anywhere. If anything, he's getting worse as time goes on.

Other than getting a behaviouralist in again, does anyone had any suggestions / thoughts? 

Sorry so long and thanks for taking the time to read.


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

First of all can I just say that

a) resource guarding is hard wired into all dogs to a certain degree
b) it can often be an issue with Spaniels of all type
c) it does not mean that your dog is a nasty dog.

I am not sure if you have read any of these links

http://www.apdt.co.uk/documents/Preventresouceguarding.pdf
http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/resourceguardingandfoodgame.pdf
Resource Guarding « Ahimsa Dog Blog
ClickerSolutions Training Articles -- Help for Object Guarding

Or if you have read Mine! A guide to resource guarding in dogs by Jean Donaldson.

The good news is that it is relatively simple to solve IF you get the right advice and help and IF you follow those rules to the latter.

The above book is a state of the art tome on how to prevent and cure it.

I am not sure where your behaviourist came from, but most, not all, reputable ones will belong to the APBC, CAPBT, or the UKRCB and will not see dogs without a vet referral.

Where do you live perhaps I can recommend someone?


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

flecker said:


> Hi all
> 
> We've been struggling with aggression / resource guarding with our 17 month old springer spaniel since we've had him (we got him as a small pup). It now controls every aspect of our lives and I'm reaching the end of my tether, so thought I'd try posting here. I know we've done / are doing something very wrong but I'm just not sure what.
> 
> ...


There is actually something called Rage syndrome, sometimes called cocker or springer rage or idiopathic rage syndrome, no ones seems to be able to agree on causes, although it is possiby thought to be some form of epilepsy or thats one of possible explanations. Interestingly too, Hypothyrodism is also found in the springer spaniel, this can be linked to agressive behaviour too, and requires a specific blood test a thyroid panel. Epilepsy that can also come in may forms and types of seizures is apparently also known in the springer spaniel and hypothyroid can be associated with seizures. If your vet just did a physical normal exam check up, then it maybe worth looking deeper.

If you want to read more on these subjects so that you can maybe decide if its worth persuing here are the links or some to get you started.

Cocker Rage Syndrome Fact or Fiction

Are your dogs seizures caused by Canine Epilepsy or Autoimmune Thyroiditis?

Behavioral changes associated with thyroid dysfunction in dogs.

There is something too called psychomotor seizures that can cause odd or agressive behaviour sometimes on waking Ive mentioned that as he seemed to be sleeping when there seemed to be the unprovoked attacks whilst camping.


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## flecker (Jul 7, 2012)

smokeybear said:


> First of all can I just say that
> 
> a) resource guarding is hard wired into all dogs to a certain degree
> b) it can often be an issue with Spaniels of all type
> ...


Thanks for the reassurance and the links - really helpful. Jean Donaldson's book looks excellent so I've just bought it. Part of our problem may be that my partner and I are both reading different material and approaching the problem slightly differently, so we've agreed to both read 'Mine' and follow its advice completely consistently.

We're in North Yorkshire (in the Dales) in case you do have any recommendations. Thanks again!


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## flecker (Jul 7, 2012)

Sled dog hotel: thanks for the info - all interesting reading. The description of rage syndrome is so, so close to what we're experiencing (and he's from a line of working English Springers) but the triggers for him are mostly repeatable (food, objects, places) - which makes me think it's behavioural rather than hormonal. Although I now wonder whether it could be a combination of the two. 

We did ask the vet about spaniel rage when we first talked to her about his aggression but the vet thought it unlikely, and my feeling is that he isn't having seizures - I think he is fully 'all there' when it happens. But I may be wrong. 

The hypothyroidism thing is interesting. While I'm not convinced he's having seizures, I'm going to ask the vet to dig a bit deeper and do some blood tests etc (so far he's only had normal, physical exams) just in case. I'll also look into psychomotor seizures, for info.

Thanks again.


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## flecker (Jul 7, 2012)

smokeybear: i wrote a long reply which apparently needs moderator approval - i just wanted to say a quick thanks until it gets approved!


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

flecker said:


> Sled dog hotel: thanks for the info - all interesting reading. The description of rage syndrome is so, so close to what we're experiencing (and he's from a line of working English Springers) but the triggers for him are mostly repeatable (food, objects, places) - which makes me think it's behavioural rather than hormonal. Although I now wonder whether it could be a combination of the two.
> 
> We did ask the vet about spaniel rage when we first talked to her about his aggression but the vet thought it unlikely, and my feeling is that he isn't having seizures - I think he is fully 'all there' when it happens. But I may be wrong.
> 
> ...


Worth looking into more I think, the first link on thyroid although it mentions seizures is a lot about behaviour too and in the study around 40% of the dogs that had aggression also had low thyroid levels.

The reason that made me think there may be a medical element is that his behaviour seems so unpredictable and even to the point of bizarre sometimes and very extreme. Dogs do resource guard and etc, but the mention of the camping made me really wonder that seems almost unprevoked, dogs do have triggers yes but some of his also seem so random.


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

flecker said:


> smokeybear: i wrote a long reply which apparently needs moderator approval - i just wanted to say a quick thanks until it gets approved!


No problem, you are welcome, I see a lot of this.

As I always say in such situations, when you hear hooves, think horses, not zebras.

His behaviour sounds entirely predictable to me, thus I think someone who specdialises in this field may be of great assistance to you.

good luck


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

smokeybear said:


> No problem, you are welcome, I see a lot of this.
> 
> As I always say in such situations, when you hear hooves, think horses, not zebras.
> 
> ...


In the Ops own words "he doesnt growl just attacks and bites"
Filling his food bowl sends him into a rage,
Regularly bites quite seriously, have several scars on arms, hands, legs and faces.
Its happened in all sorts of situations,
When she tried to train with a clicker and treats he went for her.
Last week on holiday he attacked her OH for trying to go to bed and attacked her for trying to get out the tent.

No mention of growling or warning or posturing and standing over food.

You think thats entirely predictable behaviour and not just a tad on the extreme side??


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## Guest (Jul 7, 2012)

flecker said:


> Sled dog hotel: thanks for the info - all interesting reading. The description of rage syndrome is so, so close to what we're experiencing (and he's from a line of working English Springers) *but the triggers for him are mostly repeatable (food, objects, places) - which makes me think it's behavioural rather than hormonal.* Although I now wonder whether it could be a combination of the two.
> 
> We did ask the vet about spaniel rage when we first talked to her about his aggression but the vet thought it unlikely, and *my feeling is that he isn't having seizures - I think he is fully 'all there' when it happens*. But I may be wrong.
> 
> ...


I think you should start here - with what I have bolded. The triggers are predictable, he hasnt aggressed with anyone else, and you say he is otherwise affectionate and playful. 
Additionally, it sounds like you have found success desensitizing him to other triggers, such as grabbing his collar.

I dont know what you have tried as far as the resource guarding, but have a look at this video. It might have some ideas for you.





Is this dog desensitized to a muzzle? I think you could probably modify a plastic basket muzzle for him to wear in the initial stages of this exercise.

Whatever you do, it should definitely be under the supervision of a qualified, credentialed trainer who is experienced in this type of issue.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

ouesi said:


> I think you should start here - with what I have bolded. The triggers are predictable, he hasnt aggressed with anyone else, and you say he is otherwise affectionate and playful.
> Additionally, it sounds like you have found success desensitizing him to other triggers, such as grabbing his collar.
> 
> I dont know what you have tried as far as the resource guarding, but have a look at this video. It might have some ideas for you.
> ...





> Every time he anticipates food, he goes growls / snarls / sometimes bites us. So, for example, filling up his bowl sends him into a rage. Putting him into a sit makes him snarl because he associates that with treats. I tried clicker training and had to stop immediately because, as soon as he'd associated the clicker with treats, he went for me every time I clicked. Obviously, with food / treats being a trigger for aggression, training in general is becoming very difficult.





> Last week we had our first holiday since we got him - camping. He was sleeping in the porch bit (half inside) and I was inside. When my partner tried to come to bed, he attacked him and wouldn't let him near. In the end, my partner had to sleep in the car. He also went for me when I tried to get out of the tent the next morning. (The camping trip only lasted one night...)





> The behaviouralist said the root of the problem was a combination of him being very bright and bored, and him having a quick ladder of aggression (so we were being bitten rather than just growled at). She suggested lots of coping strategies to help avoid situations of conflict and ways to desensitise him to certain things eg touching the collar etc - very helpful for those situations but didn't seem to get to the root of the problem?


The dog isnt even in actual posession of treats or food and he attacks and goes for them, if its predictable how do you explain the tent episode last week. That as far as I can see has nothing to do with any food. He goes for them at the sound of the clicker.

Predicatable to be is a dog standing over its food bowl and warning with a growl, or a pig ear. He doesnt aways give a warning on all accounts.


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

ouesi said:


> I think you should start here - with what I have bolded. The triggers are predictable, he hasnt aggressed with anyone else, and you say he is otherwise affectionate and playful.
> Additionally, it sounds like you have found success desensitizing him to other triggers, such as grabbing his collar.
> 
> I dont know what you have tried as far as the resource guarding, but have a look at this video. It might have some ideas for you.
> ...


Absolutely, the behaviours are totally predictable and i agree about the need to use a reputable behaviourist.


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## Guest (Jul 8, 2012)

Sled dog hotel said:


> Predicatable to be is a dog standing over its food bowl and warning with a growl, or a pig ear. He doesnt aways give a warning on all accounts.


SDH, Im just offering my opinion, the OP is welcome to take it or leave it. It is my opinion (as a non-professional, but someone with more experience than average with resource guarding) that this is predictable aggression. Resource guarding is not limited to food, its limited to anything the dog considers a resource. Also, warnings are not limited to growls. Body stiffening, tight lips, stopping movement, all of these are perfectly legitimate and predictable warnings.

Certainly this is not anything minor, nor do I mean to imply anything like that. Its definitely a high-stakes situation, and like I said, I hope the dog has been desensitized to a muzzle and definitely needs professional help.


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## EmCHammer (Dec 28, 2009)

I think that everyone is sort of in agreement, I read predictable to be 'repeatable' rather than random behaviours, rather than predictable following a normal resource guarding pattern i.e. when the dog actually has the food.

(strangely and not particularly relevantly one of my dogs becomes very protective of the tent when camping and has twice lunged and snapped at strangers who have tried to come in the awning/porch)

I have no advise to give apart from ruling out anything medical as suggested by others and continuing with the behaviourists - again anyone from ABDC (is that the right I can never remember, or COAPE etc) - someone needs to see im in action to be able to advise


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## ant720 (Nov 9, 2012)

Hi, newbie here so please be patient. I have a 4 1/2 year old male English Springer (neutered) who has very similar behaviours to this (post quoted below), which I am now finding a problem.

I would say his symptoms/situations follow the exact same patterns as described below by Flecker, but around 20% as severe. It is heartbreaking and I really feel for you. He is bright as a button, we do lots of exercise, tricks and play but he can become aggressive very quickly.

Basically, in any situation where there is a conflict of interest - e.g. resources, food, space, objects, being approached if he's not in the mood - he can growl and/or can go very fast into a very stressed state (rigid body, head down, staring, growling, aggressive barking). Being smart, he sometimes starts to anticipate these issues in advance which creates more stress for him!

There are 2 things that can trigger an instant aggressive bite - pulling a leaf or twig out of his fur. Or people scuffing mud off their boots in front of him, while we're waiting to go back in a door. I have no idea how or why this behaviour occurs.

But otherwise the situations are 'predictable', in that I know when they might occur and can pick up early warning signs.

I have only been bitten a handful of times on my hand thankfully, and never too bad. I saw one behaviourist who showed some desensitisation exercises, and ways to mitigate and work around certain situations, but like Flecker, I was left feeling that these coping strategies were great for certain situations but not addressing a root cause, and the whole situation seems to be getting worse.

In particular, I was doing a lot of desensitisation exercises about picking stuff out his fur (seeds etc), I felt like I was making some ground, but a day later someone pulled a twig from the dog's ear and he suddenly bit him fiercely, I was really disheartened by this and sadly stopped the exercises.

Another factor in this for me is that my lifestyle is quite transient at the moment. Because of my work, we are sometimes living in different places with different people, which constantly creates new situations which I can see may be problematic, and it means that in each place, I have to be super aware and watchful of all the new people who cannot predict his behaviour as I can. This is phenomenally stressful to the point where I feel like I am holding my life back, avoiding certain situations and places, because of the dog.

Sorry to write so much!

I guess the point of what I am writing is to ask

1. Flecker (or anyone else with a similar journey) how are you finding working with your dog since your post? Thanks for writing on this forum, I was both relieved but also saddened to find there are people with a very similar situation to me. Perhaps PM is better.

2. *Anyone with any specific advice? Or any recommendation of excellent behaviourists in the London, Herts, or Cornwall area? *As I am willing to try anything at this point.

3. I have to confess that right now I'm feeling not great, maybe that I'm simply not cut out for this dog, and I have spent time thinking what-if-the-worst. I think that someone with time, experience, patience and stability could make it work with him, but I increasingly suspect that it's me who isn't retrainable enough for him.... With an aggressive dog like this,* is there any way to rehome him safely?
*
thanks to anyone who took the time to read this. any messages or feedback really welcome.

Anthony



flecker said:


> Hi all
> 
> We've been struggling with aggression / resource guarding with our 17 month old springer spaniel since we've had him (we got him as a small pup). It now controls every aspect of our lives and I'm reaching the end of my tether, so thought I'd try posting here. I know we've done / are doing something very wrong but I'm just not sure what.
> 
> ...


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## Bonsai (Jun 9, 2012)

To be honest I can't give masses of advice because I have been facing the same issues with my 9 month ESS for around 4 months now. I took some great advice from some people who have responded to your post and its getting better. It's a slow process but I'm seeing changes.

However, what I have been doing hand feeding, swapping possession for that of a higher value, dropping tasty treats while he has something he is guarding If your dog is growling before the food is even brought out wouldn't really apply.

All I can say is to listen to some of the people here who give great advice / links and know that you are not alone. It is upsetting and scary bonsai becomes a whole other dog and for a while it completely broke my heart.

Good luck and keep us updated on any progress!


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## ildsarria (May 20, 2013)

Hi guys, 

I know what you're going through its not easy, we have a similar issue with RG with my 8 month bull terrier boy, and its scary and gets us down sometimes. We all just want a pet to love and cuddle and instead we sit with daily anxiety wondering if today will be an incident free day or not...

I'm not a professional but can share a bit of info I've learnt from working with a behaviourist for the last 3 months. Flecker not sure if all of these will help you as your problem varies to mine as your dog is aggressive on seeing food.

- Definitely see a behaviourist! We see one once a week and every week we get a chance to ask questions. It really helps having one who truly cares about dogs, ours is always available and always replies to emails, phone calls, emergencies. We always come away feeling a new confidence that we can solve this problem. They can interpret and analyse things in a way that we can't. Sometimes you might think they are wrong but often you haven't given them ALL the information. be forthcoming with all the details. I write emails to mine so that I don't leave anything out. Something you might think is irrelevent may be very relevent.
- I keep a detailed diary of incidents, training, any unusual behaviour, etc you might pick up patterns from here. Also very useful to write down reminders of what exercises to do daily with the dog, bowl desensitisation, crate desensitisation, impulse control exercises, the exercises Bonsai mentioned etc. 
- If you manage to catch any of the incidents on video it might help. Once I quickly grabbed my phone and recorded and only picked up on the off body language by studying the clip afterwards. 
- What I've picked up from my dog is once theres been one incident in a day the rest of the day he's edgy, it's like he hasn't recovered from the first incident and we have to be extra careful the rest of that day, so avoidance is really key to keeping him relaxed. When we have had full no-incident days they can go on for several days at a time. When we have incident days they often go on for days at a time and we have to apply extra care to avoid incidents that day. Unfortunately that normally involves leaving him in the garden until bedtime.
- We have a 10m leash we put on him at home so that we can move him from a distance if we need to.
- NO super high value resources eg bones. They will guard them more intensely and esp if you can't take it away from them they guard it for as long as its lieing around even if the dog is not chewing it any more! This definitely intensifies the aggression in my experience. The most aggressive my dogs been was when he had a massive ostrich bone and i came with 2m of it even after he'd stop chewing it. We have been advised to keep food very bland and take the bowl away a short time after even if he hasn't eaten it, so that he doesn't feel he needs to guard the bowl all day (full or empty). For any resources rule of thumb is he can't have anything he isn't prepared to give back. 
- Perhaps you could try with a different sound to replace the clicker like a whistle maybe? We find the clicker the only effective and fastest way to calm him down when he is guarding.
- To rebuild the trust: we've been told to be consistent and give our dog as much structure as possible, put patting on cue for example so he isn't taken by surprise. Have a routine so to speak, so that theres no anxiety from his side.
- There are drugs like Clomicalm that may or may not be advised by the behaviourist (they take a while to start working). We also bought a Pheromone collar and we're going to try a more natural preservative free food which worked for another lady I know. There are also other supplements that may help
- There are alot of great books: Mine, Click to Calm, Culture Clash, when pigs fly and probably more. I've learnt a ton from reading.

That is all I can think of right now. Best of luck to all here with this problem, it is a heartbreaking situation, but everything I've read says that behavioural issues are very manageable and treatable! So there is hope


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

Since this thread has been resurrected see text below from the Whole Dog Journal

Ever had a dog who won't give you his bone or chew toy if you try to take it from him? Or one who gets uncomfortable or growls if you get close to him when he's eating his dog food? Or snaps at you if he's on the sofa and you want him off? Or lifts his lip in a snarl if your friend tries to get close to you?

Answer yes to any of the above, and you've successfully diagnosed your dog as having a guarding issue. The catch-all, technical term is "resource-guarding," and can include guarding of dog food bowls (or food), places (dog crate, dog bed, sofa, etc.), items (rawhide, bones, balls, tissues, etc.) and less commonly, people.
Resource-guarding simply means that a dog gets uncomfortable when we (or other humans) are around him when he has "his stuff." He's nervous that we're going to take it away, so he tries to warn us off in a variety of ways, ranging from simply consuming his food faster, to an all-out bite.

Although canine resource-guarding appears to be more prevalent in certain breeds or classes of dogs, it can appear in literally any dog, including that sweet Papillion that lives down the street, or the goofy Golden Retriever who greets you happily on your morning walks.

It's important to recognize, identify, modify, or at least manage this behavior because a dog who is repeatedly pushed or punished in these situations is highly likely to eventually bite. Sure, it might be you that he bites, but it could also be your child, your neighbor's child, your boss, or your grandmother. Children are most apt to be at risk for a number of reasons. They tend to disregard warnings to "leave the dog alone" when he's eating or has a toy; they frequently fail to notice the dog's warning signs (stiffening, growling); and they are closer to the ground, so if the dog decides to bite, most likely the child's face will bear the brunt of the attack.

*Nature or nurture?*

Resource-guarding "is a perfectly normal survival skill that allows smaller, weaker, and lower-status dogs to keep possession of a highly valued object even when that object is the target of a larger and stronger dog's desire," says Pat Miller, a trainer, Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, and Whole Dog Journal Training Editor. In her book, The Power of Positive Dog Training, Miller notes that, "Natural behavior or not, resource-guarding is a serious problem when it results in open aggression, especially toward humans."

In the wild, "a group-hunting carnivore would have reproductive advantage over one who gladly relinquishes. It's a good trait, like a well-developed immune system or legs that can run fast," says canine behavior expert Jean Donaldson, in her highly educational book, Mine! (devoted solely to the topic of resource-guarding). Of course, she adds, "In a domestic environment, it is undesired."

Sarah Kalnajs, trainer and Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, describes resource-guarding as having both nature (genetic) and nurture (upbringing) components. A dog might be genetically inclined to guard, but depending how much he is allowed to practice the behavior throughout his life also contributes to the severity of the problem.

Resource-guarding from other dogs is a much more "acceptable" or natural behavior in terms of a dog's ability to cohabitate with humans. It can certainly lead to big problems, and should not be dismissed, but for the time being, our discussion will focus on guarding from humans. Note: A dog who guards from other dogs will not necessarily resource-guard from humans.

*What's your type?*

"Food-guarding" seems to be the most common kind of canine guarding behavior, and is present if the dog "threatens" or bites when:

¡ö Approached while eating from his bowl
¡ö The owner tries to take back a food item the dog has grabbed
¡ö Approached after he finds some kind of food item in the gutter or on the street

"Some dogs may be compulsive, guarding all food items and even an empty dish," says Donaldson, but she also notes, "The majority will guard only when actually in possession of sufficiently motivating food." The fact that a dog does not guard a particular food (say, a Milk Bone) does not rule him out as a guarder. It just might not be worthy enough to him as, say, a chicken wing. The only way to determine whether a dog will guard a particular highly motivating food item is to test whether you can readily take that item when the dog has it.

With "object-guarding," the extent of guarding is dependent upon the value of the object to the dog. Items can include, but are certainly not limited to, bones, rawhides, pig ears, favorite toys/balls, laundry items, tissues, wrappers and other garbage, sticks, and/or any "forbidden" objects the dog happens to pick up - which are made more valuable by extreme owner reaction, such as chasing the dog around the room to get the item back, or screeching at the dog to give the item up. While some trainers classify bones, rawhides, pig ears, and edible garbage as "objects," Pat Miller classifies them as food as the dog's intent is to eat them; therefore, she classifies the dog's behavior as food-guarding.

As with food-guarding, the dog may show signs of guarding simply when a person is in the vicinity, as the person approaches, and/or if the person tries to take the object from him. It is very common that a dog won't want something unless you want it. "Location-guarding" is also common in modern, dog-loving households. This would describe the following:

¡ö A dog who does not allow owner or spouse into the bedroom or on the bed once the dog is on the bed
¡ö A dog who is grumpy if jostled while on furniture, or when someone tries to move him
¡ö A dog who threatens passersby while he's in his crate, car, or favorite rest spot

The severity of resource-guarding depends upon the value of the item, and who is approaching. In the case of location-guarding, the dog might allow "the wife" on the bed, but not her husband. "Owner-guarding" seems to occur fairly frequently when other dogs are present. Occasionally, however, the dog will guard his person if the dog is on leash with the person, or near her. Some people interpret this as "protectiveness."

Pat Miller differentiates these behaviors. "A good 'protection' dog recognizes a legitimate threat to his person and acts to deter the threat, or waits for instructions from the human to act. A dog who is 'guarding' his person - in the sense of resource-guarding - covets his owner as a possession that he's not willing to share with other dogs, or sometimes other humans. He sees the approaching dog/person as a threat to his enjoyment of his resource, rather than a physical threat to the person."

Owner-guarding can also become somewhat muddied if the owner has in his possession some resource - food or a bone, for example - that is valuable to the dog. He may react if his human carries treats or a bait bag. In this case, what, really, is the dog guarding: item or owner?

Trainer Virginia Broitman notes that many dogs who guard their owners are actually very insecure, and might feel empowered to act out because their humans are there. Or, the dog is on leash and cannot escape, so he resorts to an impressive display to keep the stranger away. Were he without his handler, or not on leash, we might see a different reaction.

*Stay positive*

You've shouted "No!" You've stomped your foot. You've used a physical correction. But your dog still freezes and growls when you get near him when he's eating or when he has his "stuff." What can you do?

First, you need to understand that shouting, stomping, and using physical corrections on the dog will only make matters worse.

I recently saw video footage of a trainer working with a large, young dog who had a history of guarding his food bowl. Over time, the owners had tried a variety of approaches: yelling at the dog, leaning over him while he ate and yelling, hand feeding, and petting the dog while he ate. Unfortunately, the owner reported that the dog had become reactive to the owner when the owner was at a greater and greater distance from the guarded food. And when the owner tried "dominance" - in which he stood over the dog while the dog ate and "made" him do things for his food, then physically reprimanded the dog for being aggressive - the owner got bitten.

While the footage was stellar - the camera caught all of the dog's warnings superbly - the method that the trainer recommended for dealing with the problem was not. Instead of using behavior modification, which has the potential to make the dog safe around anyone, the trainer elected to use force and physical corrections using a choke chain to "show the dog that the people were in charge."

The trainer advised the couple to approach the bowl with the dog on leash and physically correct the dog for lunging toward the bowl or showing any signs of aggression (guarding), then "make" the dog sit about a foot away from the food. Once the dog was "calm," he was allowed to eat, remaining on leash with the owner. If the dog showed any aggression, the handler was to physically correct the dog and yank him away from the food bowl, wait for the dog to "calm down," then start again.

There are several problems with this approach. First, the couple hoped to one day have children, and this "method" taught the dog nothing about interacting with someone who didn't have a leash and the strength to make a physical correction. In addition, the trainer repeatedly triggered a reaction from the dog. Behavior experts agree that, in contrast to the approach used in the video, successful behavior modification works at a sub-threshold level, at a low-enough level of intensity to prevent the dog from reacting. Also, the trainer also did nothing to address the dog's emotional state (nervous, insecure, and stressed) and instead intensified it; what was defined as "calm" was anything but.

It's possible to suppress guarding behavior using force, says Pat Miller. "However, you haven't changed the dog's emotional response to a threat to his resource, just his physical response. It's quite possible that the guarding behavior will return if and when he feels too threatened, or is approached by someone that he doesn't perceive as capable of overpowering his desire for his resource.

"Any time you use force, you risk escalating the level of violence rather than modifying the behavior. You may not know until you've done significant behavioral damage that your dog is one who escalates, rather than shuts down, in the presence of violence."

Here's another dire scenario: If your dog growls at you over his food bowl and you punish or challenge him in some way, it might very well occur to him that his growl wasn't sufficient to warn you off. He may resort to the next warning level - a snarl, snap, or worse - in an effort to more effectively protect his food.

*Behavior modification:*

Get to the problem's root

Experts agree that the best route to take in dealing with resource-guarding is to use a combination of management and behavior modification.

Essentially, "management" entails intervening in (or anticipating and preventing) a situation so that the dog cannot repeat inappropriate behavior. For example, we keep food and toys picked up around a resource-guarder so that he cannot engage in guarding. Management does not necessarily or teach the dog anything; he simply has less opportunity to practice an undesirable behavior.

The most important tools in the behavior-modification toolbox, though, are systematic desensitization and counter-conditioning.

Desensitization involves exposing the dog to whatever it is that previously evoked his fear or anxiety, but at a distance and intensity that does not produce a response.
Counter-conditioning is a process in which we replace a dog's involuntary, undesirable reaction (such as fear) with a more desirable response - one that is incompatible with the undesirable old response (such as the eager anticipation of a tasty treat). We create a positive emotional response by associating an event (your approach) with something good (a reward). This methodology has been proven to work, and is relatively easy and pleasant for both human and dog.
With counter-conditioning, you don't exert your "control" over the dog in any way, but instead, transform your presence around the dog's possessions into a signal that even better things are coming. One event becomes a reliable predictor of another event, and the subject develops an anticipatory response to the first event. By pairing good things (extra scrumptious treats) with the formerly bad thing (your approach or presence near whatever he is guarding), your proximity starts to become a better thing - a predictor of what is to come (treats!).

The goal is to transform a food-guarder who becomes tense or upset when a person approaches him while he's eating into a dog who is happy to be approached while eating, as this reliably predicts the delivery of even more food or treats.

Donaldson stresses the need to work at a low threshold; if at any point the dog shows the original reaction, you have gone super-threshold, and it is necessary to back up and start at a point where the dog does not react. "No good comes of rehearsing the dog's old, growly behavior by replicating super-threshold versions of the trigger. In fact, it can make the dog worse."

Donaldson also makes it clear that when working with a guarder, we need to be sure that the first event (the "threat" to the resource) must come before the delivery of the counter-conditioning treat. For example, in a food bowl exercise, "the approach, bowl touch, or bowl removal must precede the addition of bonuses to the dish." This means that we do not, for example, show a dog the bait in hopes of preventing a guarding reaction. Doing so will not condition the appropriate emotional response.

*Doing the work*

Ideally, you start with a young pup who doesn't guard and teach him early on that your presence predicts good stuff, says Miller. "You do this by offering to trade something wonderful for whatever he already has - such as a toy of moderate value, to start with - working your way up to really high-value items. I teach a 'Give' cue by saying 'Give,' then offering a high value treat in exchange for his object. Repeat until he will happily give up any object when you ask him to 'Give.' "

Trainers use different protocols; there is always more than one way to approach an exercise. The protocol you use should be tailored to your dog, depending on the seriousness of his guarding behavior. "Progress gradually to the next step, only when your dog is totally relaxed at the current step," says trainer Virginia Broitman. "Some dogs will move quickly through the steps, while others may need weeks of work. Don't rush! If at any point you are concerned for your safety or unclear on any step, discontinue the exercises and consult an experienced trainer/behavior counselor for personalized assistance."

One example of a protocol for a dog who already guards objects begins with a good look at all the items in the dog's environment and ranking them according to their value to the dog. For instance, a ball may be a low-value item, while a rawhide may be extremely high-value. A list might look like this:

• Stuffed squeaky toys
• Latex squeaky toys
• Rubbery flying disks
• Pig's ears
• Rawhide chews
• Rope toys
• Balls
• Socks
• Newspapers and magazines

Once the items have been ranked, training begins with the items that the dog doesn't especially care about and does not want. Initially, higher value items must not be available to the dog, because we want to prevent him from "practicing" his guarding behavior.

A session begins with the trainer presenting a low-value item to the dog and telling him to "Take it!" Almost immediately, the trainer gives a cue for "Drop it!" and gives the dog an extremely delicious treat." The idea is that the dog is more than happy to "drop" the low-value item in favor of the treat. This exercise would be repeated dozens of times over a number of sessions.

Note: If the trainer is concerned that the dog may act aggressively in order to take the higher-value treat, she should have the dog on a tether, position herself just out of reach, and toss the treats in such a way to most safely reach for the low-value item. Again, in the case of a dog whose guarding behavior rates higher than a four on the scale found on page 5, the services of a qualified, positive canine behavior professional are recommended.

Only when the dog is comfortable with the first step would the protocol change, first by giving the dog the item and walking away, giving him a minute to enjoy the low-value item, and then returning to trade. As long as the dog continues to respond well to these exercises, you would work up to the more valuable items higher on your dog's list. Training would occur in a variety of locations, and from then on, throughout the dog's life, "spot checks" would be instituted to be sure that the dog retained what he learned.

Note: This example is a summary provided only to give the reader an idea as to what is involved in rehabilitating a guarder. If you have a guarder, you will need to follow a more detailed, structured protocol, and may require the assistance of a qualified behavior professional.

If your household includes children, you will need to take special precautions. Initially, only the adults should work with a dog who guards; kids should be a part of the guarding-rehabilitation program only after the adults have worked extensively with the dog, and only under direct supervision of an adult. Never assume that once your dog stops guarding with you, that he'll stop guarding his items from the kids.
Similarly, you should never assume that once your dog no longer guards his cherished items from you or your family, he will no longer guard them from other people. Plan, manage, and supervise your dog's interactions carefully, to prevent any possible harm to other people.

For location-guarding, follow a similar protocol. Start by using a place the dog does not guard and reward him for coming away from/off the place willingly. Donaldson likes to use target training as part of this protocol.

*Manage in the mean time*

Guarding behavior can be a daunting challenge to overcome, especially if it has progressed significantly. In this case, you must find an experienced trainer/behaviorist with whom to work. Until you are able to get help, management is a valid alternative. This involves avoiding the problem or trigger through environmental control. For example, if your dog guards pig ears, remove them from your home and do not allow him access to them. Keep the bedroom door closed to a bed-guarder.

If there is a "management failure," and the dog gets on the bed, you can either ignore the dog and wait for him to come off the bed on his own, or, more proactively, redirect him to an alternative activity, such as calling the dog to the kitchen for a cookie or inviting him out for a brief walk.

If your food-guarder ever manages to pick up something that's dangerous (such as a bar of dark chocolate) or valuable to you (like your prescription glasses), Donaldson advises trying a quick, calm, "bait and switch." Bribe or distract the dog with anything you can think of. "Although bribery is totally ineffective for fostering actual behavior change, when you're in a jam, anything goes," she says. But remember, repeated management failures teach the dog nothing.

Rehabilitation of a resource-guarder takes time and requires patience. But the payoff in the end - for you, your dog, and your friends and family - is well worth the effort.


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