# Bed Guarding - don't know how to handle it



## jjohnson (Nov 9, 2011)

So Gus is almost 3 now, and we've dealt with a variety of issues with him, mostly related to fear aggression, which we have mostly handled/under control (not to be confused with cured). I've done a lot of studying and reading on this behavior and am somewhat educated on how to handle it. I am not THAT familiar with resource guarding though, since he has only developed a tendency towards it in the past several months, and I could maybe use some suggestions.

In the last few months, Gus has developed a weird thing. He sleeps in bed with us, has ever since we brought him home when he was 10 weeks old. He sleeps on my side of the bed, and the moment I wake up, he is all over me, giving kisses, wagging his tail, begging me to get out of bed, and as sweet as can be. On weekdays, I leave before my husband for work, so I let Gus outside to go potty, then he climbs back into bed with the husband while I get ready. Well, for the past couple months, if I go to pet him or get near the bed after I have gotten out, his body stiffens, his hair goes up on his back, and he growls, (very loudly) at me. My instinct is to ignore him, because I don't want him to think that growling works or that I am scared, and I give him the "off" command, to which he growls louder and acts all weird. My husband tells me to get away because he's afraid Gus will bite me. But I just feel like Gus needs to know that I am boss, and he can't "order" me around with growling. I also feel like if he does bite me, at least we will know he is capable of biting and then it's bye-bye Gus from our house.

Any ideas on how to handle this? It's kind of going along with weird behavior around his food lately, to which we've just banished him to eating downstairs by himself. This dog, I swear, is mentally ill. On the plus side, my brother and sister in-law can now come in our house and he doesn't growl at them, so there is progress on that front 

I guess my question is, would you recommend we kick him out of bed? Ignore his growling? give him treats when I pet him or something? Whatever I am doing is not working.


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## lilyloo (Jun 20, 2012)

I admittedly have no experience with fear aggression or resource guarding, BUT --- are you sure he's guarding the bed? Maybe he has started to associate your morning routine with you leaving him, or with him having to get up when he'd rather stay in bed and sleep.

I would suggest putting him somewhere else while you are getting ready instead of brining him back into bed with your husband. He's okay when you first get him up to potty, right?


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## getsome (Oct 14, 2013)

What's Gus's relationship like with your husband? Is HE being guarded?
~B


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

If a dog is growling with hackles up, the last thing I want to offer him is my hand. My reflex would be to want to yank him off the bed, but there is a good chance I would be escalating the growl into a bite.
The easiest way to handle it, is to not let him back in bed.
You could put a leash on him. Then if he sneaks back in, you can remove him without reaching for his collar.
I don't know your dog, so I would not be able to say if he would still come after you.
It may just be time for Gus to lose his bed privileges.


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## WillowyndRanch (Apr 3, 2012)

Intellectual Property removed by Author.


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## jjohnson (Nov 9, 2011)

Thanks. Not really sure what exactly he is guarding. It's possible he just doesn't want to get out of bed. We make him get down, but he defiantly keeps getting back up, and quite frankly we're afraid to physically handle him and make him get off, so a leash is a good idea. Also, perhaps its time he start sleeping in his crate, as suggested. It would be a tough transition, but with soon to be two little girls in the house, I don't want to take any chances as they get older and want to hop in bed with us.


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## KellyV (Feb 9, 2014)

The book Mine! by Jean Donaldson is an excellent resource for resource guarding, which it sounds like your vizsla is doing. 

http://www.amazon.com/Mine-Practical-Guide-Resource-Guarding/dp/0970562942


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## sniper john (Jun 17, 2010)

The only time my older Vizsla Blaze was ever aggressive towards me out of over 9 years was exactly this. She slept in the bed anytime she wanted. One night when I went to bed, she growled at me. When I tried to push her off the bed, she snapped at me. I ended up throwing a blanket over her, picking her up and carrying her outside, putting her down, and walking back in the house leaving her ignored and sleeping out in the cold that night. 

Next night she growled at me again. She slept outside in the cold again. She also was not allowed in the bedroom or on the bed after that. She never growled or snapped at anyone in an aggressive manner again. Eventually we started finding her on the foot of the bed with us in the mornings even though she was not allowed to when we went to bed. One night I woke up and caught her. she was ever so carefully climbing up the foot of the bed like a monkey trying to be as careful and quiet as she could so she would not get caught. Eventually we just gave in and started letting her sleep on the bed. Other than those two nights she challenged me, we have never had a problem with her.


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