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Resource Guarding

A Primer

Here is a hodge-podge of important information to kick off your resource guarding knowledge. 

How to Recognize Guarding

A resource guarder may...
  • Freeze over object or food

  • Hover paws or chin over object

  • Watch you with eyes but not move head (whale eye)

  • Gobble while eating

  • Growl, snarl, snap, lunge, bite

A picture of an upset dog
A picture of an upset dog
A picture of an upset dog
A picture of an upset dog
A picture of an upset dog
A picture of an upset dog
A picture of an upset dog

Types of Resource Guarding

dog food
Food Guarding
  • When approached while eating

  • If eating some 'illegal' found food

Dog with Toy
Object Guarding
  • Could be anything from scraps of fabric, toys, garbage, socks, towels, etc.

A Puppy in Bed
Location Guarding
  • Protecting sofa or bed once resting

  • Dog reacts when moved or touched while resting

  • Guarding crate or car

Hunting Dog
Owner Guarding
  • Happens near owner

  • Could be while on leash, or not, or both

Safety

a yellow star
We can't overstate how important safety is when working with resource guarders. It's really important.
  • Get to know your dog's body language. See the body language resources below to learn how to speak dog.

  • Take any freeze or stiffening as a warning and stop what you're doing and give distance.

  • Don't punish any communication from your dog, even growling, snapping, snarling etc. Punishment could lead to your dog not communicating and going straight to a bite.

  • Regressions can happen – look for a buildup of stress or triggers followed by a regression. This could be lots of people around, thunderstorms, etc.

  • Using a tether can provide a layer of safety when working through the modification plan, especially with a lunger.

  • If your dog has a bite history – she has likely warned but not been “listened to” and felt forced to escalate to the highest level of threat.  Use a muzzle during exercises with these pups. A tube muzzle will work better than a basket muzzle for treat delivery.

  • Use a muzzle when your dog will be around children.

  • Did we say muzzle? See the muzzle section below for how to train a muzzle.

  • One of the foundation behaviors to teach your dog is drop.  The other is leave it

a yellow star

Management

Management is a critical part of safety.
  • Management is prevention of guarding behavior by identifying guarded items and keeping them put up. If it is food, and your dog guards from you, create a safe way to feed using a different room or a crate.

  • If one dog guards food from another, feed them in separate locations.

a yellow star
a yellow star

Emergency

NOTHING is more important than your safety.
  • If you need to get something your dog has, throw a handful of his most favorite treats far away from the item. When the coast is clear, and only when it's clear, go get the item - preferably while your dog is still foraging for the treats you threw.

an exclamation mark

The Threat Sequence

Check out the ladder of aggression. This shows how communication may escalate if your dog doesn't feel heard. Punishment of any step can lead to that step being muted, and your dog may appear to skip that step. Learn your dog's threat sequence - every dog is different and the sequence may jump around steps and vary from time to time.
ladder of communication
Muzzle training

The goal of muzzle training is to go slow so that your dog develops a positive response to it. â€‹The goal is to pre-train the muzzle, so your dog is ready to wear it whenever needed.

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Chiraq Patel demonstrates muzzle training in this video. He does this perfectly. Just be sure not to rush any steps of the training.

Want to learn more about the different types of muzzles? Watch this video from Michael Shikashio.

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