# Random resource guarding ! Any advice appreciated



## heliraptor (May 26, 2012)

Hi,

Bella is now just approaching 6 months and she is progressing really well. She has her moments like that all do, but she's getting there.

At the 5 month point we were out in the garden and I had been cleaning something with a toothbrush, Without me knowing she had snook it away and began to chew it, my wife saw it and approached her and she was met with a growl, as she went to grab the toothbrush she was met with a more fearsome growl, I was close by so quickly grabbed her by the scruff of the next (Bella that is ;o) took the brush from her, shouted 'No' and off she went to her crate for 10 mins. She looked very sheepish after and butter wouldn't melt. Taking a tip I'd read earlier on one of the post I then took her on a short leash round the block at a fast pace not acknowledging her, she had some more quiet time when we arrived home then was allowed to carry on with her normal business.

Two days later I approached her whilst she was eating her food (previously a non event) and she did the same to me, the same treatment followed.

Anyhow, this has been going on for a month now and is very random and I just wish we could cure it, it does worry my wife, not for her sake but if we have guests and they unwittingly approach it may lead to a situation I don't want Bella or the guest to be in.

I will explain what I've been trying based on post I've read here and elsewhere.

I have made her sit and fed her holding the bowl - no issues
I have fed her bit by bit holding the bowl feeding her from my hand - no issues
I have knelt on the floor with her, made out I was eating, allowed her to eat, then took it away and made out I was eating again shielding from her, she just laid down and waited until I gave it her back, regularly removing it from her - no issues

If I give her the bowl, allow her to stand over it as if it were fully hers, then approach, I get the growl. Seems she is happy to share and be fed by me, but once I give the bowl over, that triggers her behaviour.

It's the same with some of her chews. Her toys have never been a problem, I can take them off her at anytime. Same with her nylabone , no possessive qualities are displayed at all. if I allow her to have a rawhide chew and go to take it away, I get the growl and her heckles go up. On one occasion I was met with a very aggressive snarl and lunge, again this was dealt with by a swift no, scruff of the neck and away.

I have sat with her and allow her to chew it whilst holding it, she is fine to start with, and whilst not attempting to take it away after a few minutes I can see her tense up, her eyes change and I get a growl, it seems for no reason. Let me just explain the growl, needless to say its not a playful one, we all know the difference I'm sure.

Its been a month now with very little improvement and we are still plugging away determined to get to the cause and allow her to trust us more.

What makes it hard is the random nature of it all, and that's what we are struggling with.

Other than that she is the most amazing loving dog you could ever wish for, and that is what we find hard, its such a contrast to her normal behaviour. Oh she is of course and absolute fruitcake too !!!!!!

Any thoughts ??? 

Lee


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## Neoflyte (Aug 21, 2010)

FYI - I think you may want to redirect to this thread (behavior problems) http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php/board,8.0.html


That said, it seems your little girl is growing up!  6 months = entry into adolescence, you've got a teenager! Oh Boy. 

Seems to me Bella is doing what most dogs do in adolescence, trying to assert her position in the pack (your family). She's challenging you both to try and gain dominance. Fortunately, you are doing great work (scruff of the neck/ignoring/etc) which is always terrific to hear. So don't fret, this is actually all very normal dog stuff. At least in my experience.

Okay, a few thoughts:

You need to *BIG DOG* your puppy! Bella is a pack animal, pack animals put their rivals on their backs (or something similar) when challenged, meaning they force submission. An easy way to do this and to establish that each person in your family is higher in the pack than Bella, is the maneuver my brother coined as "THE BIG DOG". 

Quite simply, you sit/lay on the floor with your puppy next to you, gently get her into a "down" position, then being careful to keep her safe from your full weight, you partially lay on top of her. You should end up on your side with her tucked into your chest and belly, leg draped over her rear haunches (legs - not stomach - don't crush her for heaven's sake!) and an arm over her shoulders. This is a very dominant position and at first she will resist. When she does, stroke her and tell her "easy" until she submits. Then stay there for several minutes until both of you are comfortable and she's not trying struggle or escape the instant you move. Follow this up with an enthusiastic "Good Girl!" after release and a quick play session. Rinse and repeat.

Remember, while a bit of a struggle at first, this is a firm, but gentle reinforcement of your dominance. I would start doing this when you aren't having a confrontation, then after a couple of times, start incorporating it whenever she is aggressive. I'd also make it a part of training. Quickly this will become a non-issue and should ultimately develop into a mutual love session with lots of petting and scratching, etc. After all, once the struggle is over - it's a hug and cuddle position!

With the food, I usually give them their food, then almost immediately take it away, pretend to eat some, then put it back down. While you don't want to get snapped at, you don't want to lose either. You are pack leader and must project confidence as you train. Neither of you can let her know you are afraid, even if you are!

Hopefully you are also teaching her Drop. There is nothing she shouldn't willingly give you when commanded and this is something you need to practice a lot until she is submissive and obedient. 

Another, much subtler, part of dominance is being able to handle your dog however you need to - whenever. When I first get a puppy I immediately start handling his body like a toy - my way of rough housing with him/her. I play games with my hands that involve his mouth/face/head/ears, give him a gentle brotherly shove to his haunches or shoulders, tap at his feet with my fingers, eventually we have pillow fights, it's all play. 

I also also do non-game training designed to get him comfortable with me manipulating and touching him when and as I choose. These include:

- Playing with his tail, ears, every part of his body. I grab his tail and hold on a couple seconds (it's part of wrestling so he equates it to an invitation of fun!) same with ears, snout, etc. 
- "Finger in the Foot!" - I take a finger and roll it around in the pads of his feet and between his toes - drives him nuts, but he loves it - it's play, affection, attention. 
- "Tick Check!" - Once you've got her on her back - inspect every part of her body. Move her around with your hands, look into her ears, under arm pits, stomach, rear end, between every toe, everything, soothing her a few times and announcing several times "tick check". She needs to understand that "resistance is futile".

The bottom line is that no child is ever going to get bit because they pulled on my dogs tail, stepped on his foot or touched some part of him he felt was verboten. This is especially important if your dog ever gets hurt. You want your dog comfortable and trusting of you touching/inspecting/helping her when she's scared and in pain.

Sorry for being so verbose - no I'm not a dog trainer - others will probably disagree with some of what's above, but it's worked for me. Just be gentle, firm and the pack leader and you'll have a confident, trusting, happy V.

Good luck!


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

Neoflyte said:


> You need to *BIG DOG* your puppy! Bella is a pack animal, pack animals put their rivals on their backs (or something similar) when challenged, meaning they force submission. An easy way to do this and to establish that each person in your family is higher in the pack than Bella, is the maneuver my brother coined as "THE BIG DOG".


http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2009/12/history-and-misconceptions-of-dominance.html?m=0

I suggest *both* of you read this blog post on the misconceptions of dominance. 

NEVER use the crate as punishment. The crate is your dog's save haven from the world. 

NILIF - "Nothing in life is free" - Google it and try it. We used this with Riley (and now with Cooper). 

Let me add - we have NEVER forcefully rolled either pup onto their back & they do not challenge us over items. Riley had a brief period of freezing a bit when we tried to take items from her, so we made her work even harder for things & she was back to her usual, submissive self.


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## NeverGiveUpRAC (Aug 27, 2012)

NILIF is amazing with the best results!! Be consistent with NILIF!! It is such an easy solution to many problems. Taught my boy a LOT of things!

Alpha rolling is very dangerous for everyone involved. I would suggest learning how to be "Alpha" in your house. Most of that includes the NILIF principles.

Resource guarding is apparently very common and its a natural instinct. But it can turn ugly fast...i am still working it out of my puppy, after three months. I will not give up working with him. Stay patient, strong and consistent, it will work out!


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## NeverGiveUpRAC (Aug 27, 2012)

P.S. She is in her adolescence as someone else said...It will pass, I think as long as you continue with teaching her. My boy used to bite us. No growling. He just shows his teeth now...but we tell him no. 

When the dog has a chewy or even something bad, like the toothbrush...try the trade method. I do this. It helps me from getting bit, teaches my boy to trust me and that when I come to get something from him, its NOT a bad thing. Its a good thing. 

If you made her sit, gave her the chewy, let her go enjoy for a few min and then grab a treat or some hotdog walk over to her. Trade the cookie for the chewy, tell her good girl!! Hold the chewy and maybe ask her for paw! "Good girl!" and give her the chewy back. Get in the habit of doing that...she will begin to welcome you to take the chewy.

If she has something she shouldn't, same idea...hurry and get a treat. Make sure she doesn't get the chance to growl. Talk to her as you walk over to her. "No, Bella...Give that to me, here you go..." show her the treat, when she stops focusing on what she's eating, distract her face away and tell her good girl. As you give her the treat, grab the bad item. Good girl and tell her to come with you..just to distract her. 

You can take this farther as time goes on, by getting her attention and making her sit and stay away from the item while you grab it! tThen give the treat.

Now, my boy has developed a " I know I shouldn't take this, but Ill drop ot as soon as you see me, cuz I wil get a treat!" attitude. Lol I like this attitude better, tbh. So, we have an easier problem to deal with now! Haha


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## Neoflyte (Aug 21, 2010)

threefsh said:


> Neoflyte said:
> 
> 
> > You need to *BIG DOG* your puppy! Bella is a pack animal, pack animals put their rivals on their backs (or something similar) when challenged, meaning they force submission. An easy way to do this and to establish that each person in your family is higher in the pack than Bella, is the maneuver my brother coined as "THE BIG DOG".
> ...


I think that's an excellent article, the last several paragraphs are especially good, thanks for sharing. 

I tried treat based training in the past and while I understand it's definitely the accepted norm, I wasn't very good at it. For the most part I'm into enthusiastic praise as reward. Question: does trading treats for objectionable items in any way train the dog that to get a treat they should just grab X?


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## NeverGiveUpRAC (Aug 27, 2012)

Neoflyte... Yes! Cole def started doing bad things for attention and treats. Little brat is smart! lol. After we got over the hump of him grabbing things and showing teeth we started putting him in timeout when he would get annoying with grabbing stuff and dropping it immediately for a treat! I say again little brat!! He would grab something, pen for instance, and stand up and say no...drop it. He immediately does so and sits. Waits for treat. He does but if he picks up.something again I say no timeout and pit him in timeout!

Slowly fazing out the treats and telling him being annoying is bad lol good luck to everyone! Haha


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

:-[ heliraptor.... What happened? Just because it is a cute looking $V, it is still a dog. 

Same rules apply... First establish a safe, working relationship (treats and praise)... Followed by some formal obedience at 5 months (some form of NILF which consists of intermittent varied pressure, vary treats and amount but always praise because this dog is not an attack dog).

I have always kept my dogs close, handled them, touched them, put my finger in their mouth, etc.

Compared to GSD pups is the Vizsla more stubborn? 
I found they listen the same if I allow time for some V quirks. For insrance, "Sit" and the boy will obey but first must find a carpeted or dry, clean grass area. Won't sit easily on damp, cold dusty places. 
A GS dog will pluck its behind like rock once trained 8)

 Have fun... Enjoy every minute... They grow so fast. But, basic obedience is a must. 


Julius


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## flynnandlunasmom (May 28, 2012)

I watched an episode of The Dog Whisperer a couple of weeks ago about a yellow lab with resource guarding issues when she ate (she bit Ceasar's hand). 

Ceasar actually fed the dog with the food higher up on a pedestal because he didn't want the dog to be able to physically put herself over the food bowl on the ground and "possess" it. By feeding her higher up, she had to keep her body away from the bowl and could only put her mouth in the bowl but couldn't put her body over it. 

I feed my dogs about a foot or so off the ground because I heard it aided in digestion but now I see there's another benefit too. Maybe try one of those feeding bowl/systems where the bowls sit up high to see if it helps at all?

On a side note, you may not completely "cure" your dog of this behavior but you can make definite improvements. Just this morning my Flynn went to eat the rest of Luna's food because she didn't finish hers. I don't like him to do this because I don't want him to become overweight. So, I walked up to him and said "Flynn, No. leave it." He gave me a low growl. I firmly said "Don't you growl at me" (and though he didn't know what those words meant, he knew the tone of my voice was not happy) and then I physically put myself myself in between him and the bowl (while standing). No hands went in there - I just took over his space with my body. He retreated and then I picked up the bowl. He's 7.5 and this may happen once or twice a month or so at this point so it's not constant at all. He just likes to test me sometimes.


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## NeverGiveUpRAC (Aug 27, 2012)

Ooo! I saw that episode of The Dog Whisperer too! I never saw him use that technique before so it's always nice to see something new! I believe her name was Molly... And they had a young child in the house. 

Heliptaptor, you should def check out some of Cesar Millan's techniques in dealing with this problem. I truly believe his way is the best way and he has many different versions of helping this problem. 

I too, think I will be having to deal with resource guarding for most of Cole's life, but I am hopeful with trust and time he will learn better behavior.


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