# Possible Resource Guarding?



## MCD (May 4, 2013)

This is a fairly new issue for Dharma and the family.
Since we have been giving her these Naked dental chews she will growl at us if we get near her or even touch her. She doesn't seem to do this with any thing but these. Also if you touch her when she is sleeping(possibly in a deep sleep) she will emit a low growl. She doesn't have to defend herself or any of her stuff from us and she is completely spoiled rotten.
We do have 2 cats who she has to share attention with and the cats do try to drink her water or occasionally eat her food.
Dharma is almost 3 now and this has never ever been so concerning.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Try to think if there are any recent changes in your lifestyle that could be effecting her. Sometimes a change in one area can lead to a dog acting out in another. 
I would work with her on only getting to chew the Naked chews when I was holding them for a week or two. Then see if you can work with her on trading you one naked chew, for a new naked chew. 
As far as waking her, try talking to her first. See if her coming slightly aware changes her response. Some dogs are more prone to be grumps when sleeping, and others love attention anytime they get it.


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## Bob Engelhardt (Feb 14, 2012)

MCD said:


> ...
> Since we have been giving her these Naked dental chews she will growl at us if we get near her or even touch her. ...


What do you do when she growls?


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

Darcy has always guarded her toys, in fact she will sleep with one under her chin or watch it a few feet away,if you move anywhere she will jump up and make a dash for it. She will grab a toy in her mouth then jump up on to your lap wagging her tail and with the toy still in her mouth she will growl in what appears to be a friendly manner whist crawling all over you.
we have never been threatened by this behaviour and its become a bit of a ritual with Darcy, she even has a toy at bed time and only ever has it last thing and the ritual starts all over again.
she will not guard food, and in fact I can leave my dinner on the table leave the room, and it will still be there when I return...I could never do this with my Weimaraner.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Some dogs use the toys (or anything they find, sock, shoe) not only for play, but as their soothing security blanket. They just feel better having something in their mouth. 
Anytime Lucy gets excited, or nervous, you can bet she is going to have something in her mouth. I can rub her, and ask to see her prize. She willingly lets me take it, but I always give it right back to her.



> watch it a few feet away,if you move anywhere she will jump up and make a dash for it. She will grab a toy in her mouth then jump up on to your lap wagging her tail and with the toy still in her mouth she will growl in what appears to be a friendly manner whist crawling all over you.


It just sounds like she is playing. My dogs do this to each other daily, and wind up wrestling in the living room.
My husband even gets down on the floor and wrestles with them. A lot of the dog shoving the toy on you, happy growling, bouncing around with tail wagging.


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## MCD (May 4, 2013)

I give her a firm bad dog. I then take her naked chew and pretend to eat it while she watches me. I then give it back to her. I do this several times. I will continue to do this as long as she keeps it up. I believe we can break her of this with time and consistency. Again this is the only thing she does it with and it may well just be her most favorite thing.


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

Initially, I'd adopt a tolerant wait and see attitude: You've just given her a new, really cool toy, so she's possessive. When that happens for me, I sure am too. Guarding isn't so much a problem, it's when they become outright aggressive. An aggressive Vizsla? One who's fully bonded to it's person? Doesn't happen. I'd bet that this will wear off as she becomes accustomed to the toy and it loses it's novelty.

If you feel threatened or challenged by this behavior, though, I think you need to take a clear, firm stand and not pussy foot around...."NO! OUT!!" and take it away for a while. The plan of taking the toy and putting it in your mouth and pretending to eat it seems really provocative and (to me, anyways) seems like it would increase the likelihood of her being that much more possessive (or worse) when she has it, ask yourself how she likely understands you and the action of not so much disciplining her guarding, but then taking it away to devour it yourself directly in front of her. It's doubtful she understands that your concern is about her guarding, but rather sees you sharing her value in that toy and wanting it for yourself.


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## Spy Car (Sep 3, 2014)

I'd work on a lot of trades (give, take, give, take, give) that end in the reward of the V getting the object of his desire interspersed with other rewards for releasing the object to you, which would always include praise and could (optionally) include a high value treat.

If the condition with the dental chews is too difficult as a starting point you could begin the training with a somewhat less high-value object (such as a favorite toy) and work up.

I would not pretend to eat the dental chew, as it would be counterproductive, but hold it a moment and then return it with a command word (like "take") and then re-take with another command word (like "give'). If you don't actually fully let go of the object with "take" (in order to keep a hand-hold) at first, that is OK, but something to work past.

Always reward the release of the object in some fashion. Always have the dog win something in this sort of exchange for its good behavior. Build the dog's trust that it won't be losing in the exchange. Let good things flow from you.

You might consider hand-feeding high value food items in addition to the training making exchanges of objects.

Bill

Bill


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## MCD (May 4, 2013)

I think it has gotten worse......... we can't even sit on the same sofa near her now when she has these. She has snapped and growled at all 3 of us now. Even if she drops it on the floor she is possessive of it and she does sit with it under foot when not chewing on them. At some point she realizes that was not cool and her tail wags- but she is still wary of me. And no I do not eat her chews, any thing that she eats is personally kinda gross! However I think it is time to put these away for a little bit and let her settle down again. I am concerned with this behavior and I personally don't want to see her teeth. This is not to say that I have given up on trading her for them at a future date or seeing if the novelty of them wears off....... I just feel that I personally have failed her again.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Try and not feel like you have failed her. We go through life learning as we go, and so do these dogs. I agree the irresistible Naked chews need to be put on the back burner for now. Work with her on things she has to use her mind, and learns control her impulses.
Her having to wait and walk through a door after you, with a release command.
Her having to sit or stand a few feet away till you set her food bowl down, also with a release command for her before she can come to the bowl.
Work on her taking less valuable treats from your hand, but she has to wait until told to Take it.
Work on Give, and then returning the object back to her.
Next put in miles of walking her on lead.
What all these things do, is build a good working relationship.


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## Spy Car (Sep 3, 2014)

TexasRed said:


> Try and not feel like you have failed her. We go through life learning as we go, and so do these dogs. I agree the irresistible Naked chews need to be put on the back burner for now. Work with her on things she has to use her mind, and learns control her impulses.
> Her having to wait and walk through a door after you, with a release command.
> Her having to sit or stand a few feet away till you set her food bowl down, also with a release command for her before she can come to the bowl.
> Work on her taking less valuable treats from your hand, but she has to wait until told to Take it.
> ...


Sound advice.

I also know that my V, like many, loves a little game play in the "witching hour" before he goes to sleep (especially on days when he's not wiped out otherwise), and even very informal games of fetch can reenforce the "give" command. The V gets the attention and interaction it seeks, gets to mentally wind-up and wind-down, the bonds are deepened, and the specific "give" command can be reenforced as a positive.

Bill


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

I always take the easiest path to begin with, it's a mistake to assume my recommendations reflect an absence of deeper understanding.

If Dharma only does this with this one toy, when she's asleep, take it away forever and be done with it. If this is the only time and the only thing she does it with, there's no need to jump into the rabbit hole of self recrimination and endless training. As much as we anthropomorphize and adore them, they're still dogs (Gasp!), and there's always a part of them we can never fully own or control. This might be a reminder of that.

Again, if this is the only time and the only thing she does it with it might be best to chalk it up to some idiosyncratic thing she developed with this one thing for whatever reason and just respond by eliminating the source of the problem....


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I don't look at it as endless training, and the dogs and I have had a lot of fun doing this type of training. The dogs feel a sense of accomplishmental, and we have bouncing around fun, treats, and praise in between the training. 
Do it right, and the dogs look forward to the training sessions. I've done a lot of this type of training with my problem dog Cash , and it helped him. I also did it with my other two vizslas, because they would see all the praise he was getting and wanted in on the fun.


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## Spy Car (Sep 3, 2014)

Every interaction we have with our dogs is "training" the dog and shaping behaviors even if we don't see it formally as such.

A dog going down the road of resource guarding (growling and snapping at family members) is on a very bad path, and simply removing the object of desire (in this case dental chews) is not the course of action I'd take.

As TR suggests (and I've stated), there are plenty of ways to condition against resource guarding by encouraging "trades" that involve fun and play. Training need not be "punitive." Hoping bad behaviors will go away on their own is not a good bet IMO, especially when the consequences could be so dire if the bad behaviors escalate into biting.

Hand-feeding, playing fetch, working on trades all work to condition against resource guarding. I would not suggest one beat themselves up or feel like one is a failure, but I'd certainly advise one to act with a conscious plan to improve a situation that is causing understandable concern. 

Bill


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## Canadian Expy (Feb 27, 2013)

Spy said:


> A dog going down the road of resource guarding (growling and snapping at family members) is on a very bad path, and simply removing the object of desire (in this case dental chews) is not the course of action I'd take.


I completely agree with Bill and TR. 

If a dog starts guarding one item, without our working to resolve the issue, it will likely transfer to other items, and escalate. Despite what we might hope, poor behaviours/responses are not likely to resolve without our assistance, and guarding can escalate quickly. 

There is plenty of sound advice here re: trading items, controlled feeding, etc so I have nothing to add to that. If this hasn't been done already, I would also work on getting control of the couch so that Dharma is invited up on the couch at your request, and will leave the couch at your request (she doesn't control the couch). This can be done with a leash (so you can keep your hands out of it and help her do what your asking) and then praise like crazy and treat when she does. 

No one should ever feel like a failure to their pup when trying to do the right thing. You only fail when you do nothing. 

Start with the basics that have been suggested, and build up. If the situation does escalate, and your no longer comfortable dealing with it, I would recommend working with a professional.


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

I think there's a tendency to over pathologize things and then over react to them. Training is fine, but the first reaction to a new, unwanted behavior shouldn't be panic, nor should it put one in an emotional tail spin. A well adjusted dog coveting a new toy isn't necessarily "Resource guarding", but perhaps rather a passing response to a new novel item or situation and it's not a 911 moment. There seems to be a tendency to jump on every issue with a list of responses that in theory sound great but are largely unnecessary for a passing issue or one that is simply resolved by removing the cause.

I'd try taking away the toy and see if the behavior "Generalizes". If it does, then there are alternative training techniques. But unless and until it does, maybe it's best to not over react.


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## MCD (May 4, 2013)

This has all gone way to far for me and is waay to philosophical. Tonight she bit my husband on the hand for just raising his hand while they were both on the sofa.(I was not home) I'm not even sure it's the dental chew at the moment because she has been playing with it and letting me touch her and take it away. As far as I am concerned she is generally a spoiled, well trained and well behaved dog. I have worked on a horse farm for many years, had other dogs in my life, had hamsters, gerbils and guinea pigs. I have cats too. I am Dharma's owner and have done a lot of training with her. Dharma is as I have said many times-my therapy.
Thank you all for your thoughts and opinions- I think we will just see if this improves with time and try to consider all that has been said.


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## MCD (May 4, 2013)

What ever was going on with Dharma seems to have resolved itself. She seems back to her sweet, very Velcro not aggressive self. I can take anything away from her or give it back to her again without any snarling or biting. I can touch her any where on her body and she is fine. The weather has not been good here for the last few days. Just wondering if that was throwing her off and she was not feeling very well. I am happy that she is back to herself again- the girl I love spending so much time with!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I've heard that there is more dog bites, and rescues called after bad snow storms.
I think its due to stress, and the dogs not getting out as much.
I know mine get moody if they don't have enough outings, and time to burn off energy.


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

personally, and this is just my own opinion, people tend to over think things, read too much into everyday occurences, google everything and then quote some quacks remedy as gospel because it fits with their way of thinking. Resource guarding was the norm in our house as a youngster, ie I was the 2nd youngest of 7 kids, I learned to eat with my fork only and always kept my knife at 90 degrees to the table top haha!...might sound pathetic, but it stopped my siblings stealing my roast tatties ...it din't affect my relationship all these years later with my bro and sisters, we all get on great


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## Spy Car (Sep 3, 2014)

My personal opinion here too, but a Vizsla that is growling and snapping at family members one day, and then actually biting one the next, is not exhibiting behavior I'd call an "everyday occurrence" or something that ought to be perceived as normal.

While I'm sure everyone is relieved Dharma had a good day, she bit a family member the day prior. To not take this seriously would be a major mistake IMO.

The remedies offered by TR and myself are not "quack remedies" learned via google searches, but instead are all training objectives that are beneficial for any dog, not just those having issues, and come from long experience handling dogs.

It is nice to hope all is well, just because, or due to a change in weather, but weather is ever-changing. Best IMO to take the warning signs seriously. That doesn't mean to panic or over-react, but only good can come from the steps and procedures mentioned upthread. Dog bites can be tragic. This V has given fair-warning that positive action to counter-condition the worrisome behaviors it has displayed in recent days is imperative. Don't be lulled into non-action by one good day. Build on good days. Celebrate good days, but do the spade-work that is necessary now.

My opinion.

Bill


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## MCD (May 4, 2013)

I just want what is best for every one involved and I don't ever take anything that Dharma and I or my family does lightly. My husband is very lax when it comes to obedience. My daughter is a little bit better than my husband at enforcing and training. As I have said time and time again- I am the one who puts in the time daily and consistently. I do tend to take everyone's well being very personally- That is just my personality and family dynamic. I just don't know what else to say...........


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## Canadian Expy (Feb 27, 2013)

Well said Bill.

Based on what you have said, I would make consistency a priority at this time, for all member's of your family, and especially your husband who Dharma bit. Step up the training and work on the items mentioned above. This is in your family's best interest, as well as Dharma's. It only takes one bite to the wrong person and the consequences will be heartbreaking.


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

MCD said:


> I just want what is best for every one involved and I don't ever take anything that Dharma and I or my family does lightly. My husband is very lax when it comes to obedience. My daughter is a little bit better than my husband at enforcing and training. As I have said time and time again- I am the one who puts in the time daily and consistently. I do tend to take everyone's well being very personally- That is just my personality and family dynamic. I just don't know what else to say...........


The difficulty with the internet is that you can get a lot of very different perspectives on the same issue, all expressed very intelligently and with great conviction..making it very difficult to know what to accept. In the end, though, you know your dog best.

In this one situation, it would seem that whatever Dharma was responding to...however disturbing....was temporary, and she's back to her usual, well adjusted self. My take on this, again, is that a dog that is behaviorally and emotionally well adjusted that suddenly shows some new, unwanted behavior isn't necessarily pathological.... they're alive and sentient there's a part of them we can never fully control. Maybe she didn't feel well, maybe she really felt possessive of this one toy for some reason... As long as this doesn't occur again, you can certainly do some training to reassure yourself, but the over arching issue for me is to not over react based on one episode.


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## MCD (May 4, 2013)

I am just a human being. I have my good points, my bad points, and my personality is what it is. I accept everyone as that way too. This also includes my pets. I am an emotional person across the board and I was having an exceptionally bad few days on top of everything that Dharma did.
The world would be a very boring-cookie cutter place if we were all the same and thought the same way and did the same things.
I realize that my husband is awful at training and reinforcing commands. She is just his girl and he "spoils" her. This is not likely to change. Between myself and my daughter we can change the situation. I am alone for the summer pretty much with Dharma. I am really looking forward to just us two.


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