Possessive Aggression

[Falling_dawn]

My dog has what has been descried as "POSSESSIVE AGGRESSION" (the breeder called it 'Guard Instinct' ) apparently it is quite common in her breed CKC with 50% showing signs of this behaviour by 7 months

In Her it manifest with bones and raw hide but can sometime be with other food she finds (example last night it was a piece of cheese another time it was a piece of bread) and can also be toys but this is not as common

We are having a Dog Behaviourist come but we could not get an appointment for a week

Just would like some idea's on what I can do to manage this problem while I’m waiting for her to been seen by an expert

Edited July 20, 2007 by Falling_dawn

[poodlefan]

My dog has what has been descried as "POSSESSIVE AGGRESSION" (the breeder called it 'Guard Instinct' ) apparently it is quite common in her breed CKC with 50% showing signs of this behaviour by 7 months

In Her it manifest with bones and raw hide but can sometime be with other food she finds (example last night it was a piece of cheese another time it was a piece of bread) and can also be toys but this is not as common

We are having a Dog Behaviourist come but we could not get an appointment for a week

Just would like some idea's on what I can do to manage this problem while I’m waiting for her to been seen by an expert

If you do a forum search on "+resource +guarding" you will find some threads. I wouldn't advise you do ANYTHING other than perhaps feeding her in a crate and not giving her bones before you see the behaviouralist.

I hope you are seeing a qualified behavioralist and not just a dog trainer.

Edited July 20, 2007 by poodlefan

[Falling_dawn]

yes we are seeing a qualified behavioralist

I am just trying to remove everything in the house that has caused it so far and making sure there are no toys she can get and take to bed with her

trying to make her feel safe

and when she in doing her growling nasty thing making sure none of the kids or anyone else goes near her

not that she coulds really hurt as she is quite small but it really stresses her out

In the event that she find somthing that she is getting possesive over should I try and distract her( for example call her away outside for a game of fetch or somthing) and remove the item that is causing her distress ?

Edited July 20, 2007 by Falling_dawn

[poodlefan]

Falling dawn, with kids in the house crating is the safest option.

I think you need to think more about the fact that this dog is guarding things she values from family members, rather than "getting distressed". This is aggesssion we are talking about here.

If there was a reason to need to take something from her, I'd be offering her something of equal or higher value .. like a treat. Suffice it to say, the kids will need to be supervised closely around her.

[Erny]

...and when she in doing her growling nasty thing making sure none of the kids or anyone else goes near her ...

At least until you have seen the behaviourist, I would suggest that you prevent the children going near her when she has possession of ANYTHING that could trigger this resource guarding.

By only preventing the children from going near her when she growls is reinforcing her behaviour. Eg. She gets to think "ah, when I am growling they don't come near me".

Also, in the interim, I would also suggest that you lift all her toys and don't give her anything of high value until the behaviourist has visited and advised.

Edited July 20, 2007 by Erny

[Sarah L]

My dog has what has been descried as "POSSESSIVE AGGRESSION" (the breeder called it 'Guard Instinct' ) apparently it is quite common in her breed CKC with 50% showing signs of this behaviour by 7 months

A few things could have caused this problem in the first place. Firstly, maybe the temperaments of the dogs being used by your breeder are not sound. Secondly if your breeder fed all the puppy's from the same bowl then it looks like your pup may not have been one of the stronger ones, and would have been running around the bowl to try and get in to feed, this can sometimes put an early association into a pup of resource guarding once it goes to a new home. Also what you have done since getting the pup home is important.

Can we have more info on what you have done on a day to day basis with your pup on how you feed and use toys with your pup. Also how your children have interacted with the pup.

In Her it manifest with bones and raw hide but can sometime be with other food she finds (example last night it was a piece of cheese another time it was a piece of bread) and can also be toys but this is not as common

This does look like a classic case of fear of loss in resources in your pups mind from this quote.

We are having a Dog Behaviourist come but we could not get an appointment for a week

I am glad you are doing this, however if you get some information that goes like this: "No toys till your pup has learned to behave". "Make it wait for its meal and if not eaten within 15 mins take it away". Or "Do not pat your puppy" and worst of all throw something or use a water spray when the pup displays bad behaviour. Can I suggest you stay well away from doing any of the above. Come back to the forum and there is a excellent exercise called FLOODING I can give you, which will help you a lot. But we need more info on your day to day life with your pup. This is needed so the best possible advice can be given.

Just would like some idea's on what I can do to manage this problem while I’m waiting for her to been seen by an expert

I wholeheartedly agree that your children's safety comes first and the best idea would be for them not to interact with your pup until you get professional advice.

Keep us posted on how your lesson goes

wishing you every success.

Edited July 21, 2007 by pinnacle dts

[Falling_dawn]

My dog has what has been descried as "POSSESSIVE AGGRESSION" (the breeder called it 'Guard Instinct' ) apparently it is quite common in her breed CKC with 50% showing signs of this behaviour by 7 months

A few things could have caused this problem in the first place. Firstly, maybe the temperaments of the dogs being used by your breeder are not sound. Secondly if your breeder fed all the puppy's from the same bowl then it looks like your pup may not have been one of the stronger ones, and would have been running around the bowl to try and get in to feed, this can sometimes put an early association into a pup of resource guarding once it goes to a new home. Also what you have done since getting the pup home is important.

Can we have more info on what you have done on a day to day basis with your pup on how you feed and use toys with your pup. Also how your children have interacted with the pup.

In Her it manifest with bones and raw hide but can sometime be with other food she finds (example last night it was a piece of cheese another time it was a piece of bread) and can also be toys but this is not as common

This does look like a classic case of fear of loss in resources in your pups mind from this quote.

We are having a Dog Behaviourist come but we could not get an appointment for a week

I am glad you are doing this, however if you get some information that goes like this: "No toys till your pup has learned to behave". "Make it wait for its meal and if not eaten within 15 mins take it away". Or "Do not pat your puppy" and worst of all throw something or use a water spray when the pup displays bad behaviour. Can I suggest you stay well away from doing any of the above. Come back to the forum and there is a excellent exercise called FLOODING I can give you, which will help you a lot. But we need more info on your day to day life with your pup. This is needed so the best possible advice can be given.

Just would like some idea's on what I can do to manage this problem while I’m waiting for her to been seen by an expert

I wholeheartedly agree that your children's safety comes first and the best idea would be for them not to interact with your pup until you get professional advice.

Keep us posted on how your lesson goes

wishing you every success.

thanks for the advice we have removed any bones and raw hide from the house ( we orinanally tryed giving her lots of bones but this caused a major melt down she stood over them growlling and barking then wimpering and shaking even when no one was in the house "we had a web cam set up " it was like she was forced to protect it but it was all to much as she could not eat it all ) since removing these items we have had no problems and so far she has not shown any signs of protctiveness and we are working on making her calm and trusting

the kids have been fine with her and are not allowed to play with her alone and if they want a toy she has they comand "sit" and replace it with a toy that is hers with supervision of course we will see what the expert says when she comes

sorry about the lack of info have to run will post tomorow

Edited July 22, 2007 by Falling_dawn

[Sarah L]

You tried the right method just used the wrong things to start off with. Bones would be to high in value to begin this method with.

Good luck in your lesson not long to go now.