Resource Guarding?

[Paws4Thought]

Hi Everyone,

Wanybody like to share with me what kind of behaviours and physical cues you would expect to see from a dog who is resource guarding? And do you know of any variations in behaviour and physical cues that can be misconstrued as resource guarding, or are there any "variations" (for lack of a better word) worth mentioning?

I've done quite a lot of reading on this subject but I'm interested in your views.

[Miranda]

A dog who guards resources wants to keep something that he considers of high value all to himself and doesn't want to share it with another dog (or sometimes even with a human). Dogs aren't altruistic by nature and they don't share, this is a survival mechanism as in the wild it's 'every dog for himself' in most situations and a dog that shared would lessen the chances of its own survival. A bitch will share food and other resources with her pups, but even then it's only for a limited amount of time and once the pups reach a certain age the bitch will expect the pups to fend for themselves.

I would considering the following scenarios as resource guarding. You are petting one of your dogs, another dog comes up to you and the dog who was there first will stiffen and go very still, eyeball the other dog, growl or even attack unless the other dog backs off. You are petting your dog and a human comes up to speak to you or touch you and the dog reacts as above. Some people misconstrue these two situations and think that the dog is 'protecting' them, but this isn't strictly true, the dog is actually protecting his resource (you, because you are petting him) and acting accordingly.

Your dog is eating his meal and another dog or human comes near his bowl and he reacts as above, this may also occur if the dog has a bone, a chew, a toy or even just a stick that he happens to be playing with or chewing. You are preparing food in the kitchen and your dog is watching from a few feet away, another dog tries to get closer to you and the food and once again the same reaction. Your dog is lying on a dog bed, a rug or a favourite chair, another dog comes close to him and once again they get the stare, a growl or the dog may just attack. Your dog is lying on the couch and you decide to sit next to it, the dog growls or snaps. Your dog is lying on your bed or on the couch and you attempt to remove it, the dog growls or snaps.

I would class all these situations as forms of resource guarding although others may disagree. Dogs who do this usually lack leadership from their owners and consider themselves above the other dogs and even the humans (especially children) in the household. TOT and the NILIF program usually work wonders with dogs who guard resources, but if the dog in question is actually growling and attacking humans I'd recommend that the owners engage the services of a qualified behaviorist and trainer.

Edited July 4, 2008 by Miranda

[Paws4Thought]

Thanks for your response!

I must admit I am hesitant to detail my particular issue here for a few reasons. One is I don't want anybody to think I'm not trying as hard as I can to do what's right for my dog, and any signs of aggression are often taken as the handler/owner being completely inexperienced. Secondly, I don't want to risk the thread escalating or derailing as I've seen some others go, and I admit its a bit of a sensitive issue for me! BUT! Having said that - here's the story (I apologise for the length).

I have a two year old Rhodesian Ridgeback X Rottweiler. He was brough home too young (unbeknownst to me then - around 6 or 7 weeks old) but he's turned out pretty much to be a great dog. He has his idiosyncracies, like any dog, which we try to work on. He's been to puppy school, obedience training, etc since he was able, and has continued. We currently go twice a week, after moving interstate recently.

Now he's generally responsive to all training, but all his life I've had a problem with what I thought was resource guarding. He can't be given a bone, because he growls and carries on - the lips curl back, the teeth show, the sound level changes and the sounds vary. You can get the bone off him, but I always knew this behaviour was unacceptable. Likewise, if he gets anything of higher value than dog biscuits, he has similar behaviour. He growls, curls the lips back, goes more still, makes lots of loud and varying noises, and generally expresses his dissatisfaction. Now I pay a great deal of attention to my dog and I know his limits. He's never bitten. I have never thought he would. But that's not the point. This is unacceptable.

We've tried heaps of things. To clarify, I read a great deal, I talk to a great deal of people with varying approaches and styles. I've tried the 'scare' method by throwing an object on the floor nearby to make a sound. I've tried the 'fair exchange' system (though more with the bone than the food bowl). I've tried growling at him and telling him no sternly. I've tried taking the bowl from him and not giving it back until he exhibits the correct behaviour. Repeatedly. I've tried showing him me coming to hsi food bowl and touching him are ok because I add higher value food to the bowl. I've tried these methods (and maybe more that I can't recall at the moment) over periods of time for success.

Eventually, at the recommendation of a trainer who's opinion I valued highly, I stopped giving him high value foods. The principle was that if he couldn't behave the right way he simply wouldn't get them.

Now normally I can add a few bits and pieces to his food bowl and he's fine. Mind you, I haven't 'tried' him much lately, but then he's only had his dry food. I do recally that for quite a long time we did have him accepting touching and closeness will eating, and taking the food away - but always low value food, and I accepted that.

Yesterday I put some left over diced bacon in his food - just a TINY bit! I fed him, and the other dog. I patted him on the bum as I walked past, as I always do (and he always was fine with that) and he started up again. I thought to myself that it wasn't acceptable, so I stood next to him. He carried on. I tried to take his food. He let me, and carried on. I gave it back when he quieted, he carried on again the minute he got it. No matter what I do, he seems to escalate.

Then I noticed his body language - it was wierd. His head was down, his ears were back (that bit wasn't surprising) but he had to look up from me from his more crouched position, and he was 'braced' (again, not entirely unexpected). But his tail was the strangest - tucked tight into his backside and curling right underneath his body. He looked like he was in a fear position, but with teeth and growling. It surprised me.

Tonight, I thought I'd go back to just normally dry food and a hand on the back. It escalated again! I took the food from him. He carried on. When he stopped, he got it back. But after the third or fourth time, I put it back down and this time he made growling noises he's never made. I wasn't prepared to push it further. This is the first time he's sounded like that. I've been told to persist, but I'm not sure its worth it if I'm escalating and making it worse, pushing him to bite. He was even eyeballing me!!! He has never not looked away before.

This has escalated beyond my control, and for the life of me I can't find any material that helps me.

To clarify, I do EVERYTHING else I can in the house to ensure my position in our 'pack' is clear. I'm well aware of the importance of being 'top dog'. Feeding hasn't been an issue for such a long time, but clearly something has happened somewhere to change things. I'm not sure what I'm missing??? He always works for his food, we work on NILIF, etc.

Suggestions? I want to avoid paying for a behaviourist (sp?) if I can, but if not, so be it. I've put this to people with 20-30 years experience (more than one person) and so far I'm at a bit of a loss.

[Jigsaw]

Maybe because you have concentrated so much on this problem with food he has now become anxious every time food is put before him because he doesn't know what is going to happen to it?

Have you tried feeding him completely separately, containing him whilst food is prepared and set out and then feeding him by himself like in a separate room or outside, no dogs no humans around and watching him (I mean if he's outside through a window)?

Sorry I don't really have much else to offer. Hope someone else has some better words of wisdom for you.

[haven]

Maybe because you have concentrated so much on this problem with food he has now become anxious every time food is put before him because he doesn't know what is going to happen to it?

This is my thinking also.

FWIW, I don't believe food aggression necessarily has anything to do with dominance. All pack members, even puppies, can and do guard their food from higher ranking members because this behaviour has a survival value ie if their food is taken they don't eat and if they don't eat they die.

I'm hesitant to give you any advice without seeing exactly what is going on for myself, but I do think you need to quit stuffing around with his food so you can get back to a clean slate so to speak. You could try something like the TOT, which is pinned at the top of the forum, otherwise perhaps you can feed your dog in a crate or separate area and leave him to it for awhile, at least until things settle down.

[Paws4Thought]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

You know, that's just the strange thing. I haven't focused on his food as an issue for months. I left him to it. He was eating it separately fine, eating it while being watched fine, no dramas. Its certainly not something I've fixated on for quite some time now. I relaxed significantly after his responses were better with lower value food (i.e. dry biscuits).

Maybe its a blip on the radar? Perhaps if I give him a few weeks of eating without interference, he might relax. I've only tried to get involved two nights in a row now, so perhaps I'll consider ignoring him after the food bowl goes down again.

Thanks. (of course, any more suggestions are most welcome).

PS: TOT works well with him. Its only after he starts eating that interruptions are not tolerated by him. I liked the pinned TOT stuff, plan to keep it up, it was a nice variation on our previous theme of just sit, wait, do as I ask then eat when I tell you kind of thing :cool:

[Paws4Thought]

By the way, can anybody recommend a good behaviourist to engage if I do decide to go that way, regarding this?

I'm in Springfield, Queensland (if it helps).

[Kelpie-i]

I've tried taking the bowl from him and not giving it back until he exhibits the correct behaviour. Repeatedly.

I tried to take his food. He let me, and carried on.

took the food from him. He carried on.

Paws4thought, do you see a pattern here? You keep taking the food bowl away. If someone did that to me, I would punch them one! Some dogs are more prone to resource guarding than others.....just like humans.

Try putting down an empty bowl and keep dropping food into it (ie his daily meal ration) slowly. Keep replenishing and as your dog finishes the current morsel. Now your dog sees you as the person who "fills" the bowl, rather than the person who continuously "takes it away".

[Paws4Thought]

Paws4thought, do you see a pattern here? You keep taking the food bowl away. If someone did that to me, I would punch them one! Some dogs are more prone to resource guarding than others.....just like humans.

Try putting down an empty bowl and keep dropping food into it (ie his daily meal ration) slowly. Keep replenishing and as your dog finishes the current morsel. Now your dog sees you as the person who "fills" the bowl, rather than the person who continuously "takes it away".

Thanks Kelpie-i. You make an excellent point.

I agree, but I must clarify I have tried that method too. I did that with high value food, too. I also tried to make sure that when I used the method of taking the bowl away, I instantly gave him a high value treat from the other hand, then replaced the bowl immediately.

I think you make a good point about what drives the behaviour - I too would sock somebody one for snatching my food. Even if they gave me bits of chocolate to placate me!

I'm thinking of leaving him alone for a bit to hit the "reset" switch so to speak, then I might try the method we're speaking of again. Thanks for your suggestions, much appreciated.