# Resource Guarding in 16 week old puppy



## Skeene (Jul 6, 2013)

I have a 16 week old Golden with Resource Guarding issues. She first displayed this at 8 weeks right after we brought her home. The problem we are having with training, is we can't figure out what her "high value" items are. It is not her food. I can take that away all day long. It is so random what she decides to guard. Yesterday it was a cardboard box that had not been a problem before. She is on a leash and my 8 year old saw her chewing the box, so she grabbed the leash and lovingly said, come here Sadie. She snapped around and growled at her. How do I prepare for this? I have small kids in the house. 

I wrote about this about a month ago and was corrected by someone because I called resource guarding aggressive behavior. I am so sorry to say this, but it is. Growling and trying to bite us is aggressive behavior. We are working with her, but ready to give up. The last 2 days have been the worst, a box, a remote she got somehow and tonight, my daughter just got near her and she growled. These past 2 days have involved the kids only and I am scared to death. There was nothing she was chewing tonight or eating that we know of. She was under the table so there could have been crumbs, but saw nothing. 

Any thoughts? What would you do with small kids in the house? I can control what I do and what my husband does, but my kids are what scare me. Kids are impulsive and actually a little harder to train regarding handling the puppy than the puppy is They want to love on it. My 3 year old just does not get it that this dog can hurt her and just wants to love on her. 

Please only reply if you have small kids or have something other to say than keep them away from her. It's not that easy to keep them away at all times. I need help with training, not avoidance. We do tie her to our belt but as she has gotten older and is now potty trained has been given time to be on the leash but not attached to us. It is easier said than done to just keep your kids away from the long time begged for puppy. Signed, Ready to Give Up!


----------



## Leslie B (Mar 17, 2011)

So what do you do when she growls at the kids? Does she ever bite? Snap but never make contact with skin? What did your daughter do when she was growled at?

Have you called your breeder for support? 

I suspect your pup is trying to figure out her place in the family by seeing who she can push around and the kids are the obvious targets. Pups push by growling, biting, jumping. I watch all pups try to dominate each other in this way. It is not true aggression but the growling sounds bad when it is at you.


----------



## Skeene (Jul 6, 2013)

It is aggressive, showing teeth, I am very angry growling, snapping around at us with a warning. Is this type of growling and snarling really not true aggression? My vet and trainer think otherwise. So I welcome other thoughts as I am at the end of my rope. 

Anyway, my daughter did nothing. She just stood there. The dog has never bitten, just growled and lunged our way. I rushed over and pulled her by her leash as suggested by our trainer for correction. We were then told to make her helpless by lifting her slightly off the ground by her leash for a couple seconds. This does not hurt her so please no one freak out on me. We do not yell, hit or punish, she just does not like being helpless. You can tell she knows she did not behave properly when we have done this the last few times. Our trainer is of the mindset that no dog ever has the right to behave this way and must be corrected. Along with that we train with treats with the leave it command. I have researched again tonight and found an article I like. I am throwing treats on the floor as I say leave it. Not using any particular toy since I don't know what her "high value" is. I am sure I will get lots of opinions on what our trainer has suggested to do. I agree with the positive reinforcement, but when the dog misbehaves in this dangerous way, I don't think I should just ignore it.


----------



## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Tomorrow contact your vet and make an apt. to have a physical exam and full blood panel drawn. You will need this done before the behaviorist can help you. Contact the certified veterinary behaviorist I've listed below. He will have extremely specialized training. You need professional help at this point. It will not be cheap, but it will be worth the investment. A certified veterinary behaviorist has extensive training that a trainer who specializes in behavior will not have. It is worth every penny for your peace of mind. 

I have lived through a similar issue, and I have 3 daughters who at the time were 3, 7 and 12. I do not want to give you a hard time, but you absolutely are going to have to manage this puppy more closely. I don't care if you have to attach her leash to your belt loop. Your kids (with the exception of the three year old) are old enough to understand that you mean it when you tell them they had better not take anything away from that puppy or they may be bitten. And yes, from what you describe, it may very well be that serious. You don't know for sure until you have an in person evaluation from a professional.

Again, I have been through this and if you are seeing things that you are this concerned about you need to schedule the evaluation and get some direction.

ILLINOIS
John Ciribassi
DVM, DACVB
Chicagoland Veterinary Behavior Consultants
1042 Mountain Glen Way
Carol Stream, IL 60188
United States
office tel: 630.231.1544
office fax: 630.231.1544
[email protected]
Chicagoland Veterinary Behavior Consultants

Find a Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist « ACVB Here is the link if you would like to read more about it.
Please feel free to PM me if you would like to chat more. I am happy to talk to you. The bottom line here is that you are responsible for the safety of your children and any friend of theirs who comes into your home. Please, please confine the puppy with baby gates or an exercise pen and do not allow the puppy to find things to guard. It is very exhausting but it can be done. Talk to your older kids and be very blunt with them. If your concerns are correct than you don't have a choice and they will have to obey you.


----------



## Skeene (Jul 6, 2013)

I forgot a question in there. Yes, our breeder is involved. He will give our money back or give us a new puppy. Whatever we want to do. I have been a little disappointed though with his lack of suggestions. He almost immediately offered the return. As I am typing this I am starting to wonder if he has had other issues? Just a late night thought of mine.


----------



## Skeene (Jul 6, 2013)

Thank you very much for the information. We already have an appointment with the vet next Monday so I will talk to him about this. I would do it sooner but will be out of town all week. Again, thank you very much. I am just so very sad we picked a puppy with these issues. This is the reason we went with a Golden so we would have the best chance at a friendly trusting dog. This has really caught me off guard. We have spent a lot of money on training and a ton on vet bills for recurring bladder infections (inverted vulva issue) so you can imagine why I am at the end of my rope. Thanks again.


----------



## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Skeene said:


> I forgot a question in there. Yes, our breeder is involved. He will give our money back or give us a new puppy. Whatever we want to do. I have been a little disappointed though with his lack of suggestions. He almost immediately offered the return. As I am typing this I am starting to wonder if he has had other issues? Just a late night thought of mine.


Good. And unfortunately, there is probably an inherited component of what is going on with this puppy. You will probably never get a straight answer. Is this a reputable breeder? Did you meet the mother and spend time with the breeders other dogs? Have you asked him point=blank if he has ever had this type of problem before or if the mother or other close relatives exhibit any shyness or temperament issues? 

I know you said earlier you are looking for training suggestions and not looking for avoidance but at this point you need professional help in person, not suggestions from a forum who haven't observed your puppy or your family. Do you own an exercise pen? If not it is worth every single penny. You can keep it forever and use it with future puppies and your kids will love to throw a sheet over it and use it for a 'fort' on a rainy day. 




I am very sorry for what you're going through. Golden puppies are require a lot of time, training and patience but no, it is not supposed to be like this and I believe your instincts are correct and there is something going on with this puppy that may be a combination of resource guarding, owner-directed aggression (and yes, this is an actual diagnosis).


----------



## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

I'm really sorry the problem has escalated. I agree with seeing the vet behaviorist, but I also would not think badly of you if you decide to return her to the breeder. I would suggest you get a refund though if you do, I'm not sure I would trust the temperament out of his dogs.

Keep your kids safe, and don't feel bad about whatever decision you need to make.


----------



## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

I like the suggestion of the xpen, but I suggest 48 in tall, most puppies can easily climb out of a 24 in one.


----------



## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Skeene said:


> ... I am just so very sad we picked a puppy with these issues. This is the reason we went with a Golden so we would have the best chance at a friendly trusting dog. This has really caught me off guard. We have spent a lot of money on training and a ton on vet bills for recurring bladder infections (inverted vulva issue) so you can imagine why I am at the end of my rope. Thanks again.


Again, I'm so sorry. I don't know how you found your breeder, he may be very reputable and do everything right and this could happen. However, I would be willing to bet that you will tell me that he doesn't compete with his dogs in obedience or field training or agility etc. After going through a very similar experience to yours I re-evaluated my definition of what an excellent, reputable breeder means to me. I will never again buy a dog from someone who does not compete their dogs in performance/obedience venues in addition to confirmation. The assessment of trainability and reliable temperament that it gives is too important.

p.s. MylissyK - that Xpen is 36" tall, the width is 24. I have had no problem with puppies respecting the 36 inch height. If they move it try fastening it a crate or putting an eye hook in the wall to hold it secure.


----------



## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

mylissyk said:


> ... I also would not think badly of you if you decide to return her to the breeder. I would suggest you get a refund though if you do, I'm not sure I would trust the temperament out of his dogs.
> 
> Keep your kids safe, and don't feel bad about whatever decision you need to make.


I missed this comment last night, I agree 100%. Although I believe strongly in our commitments for the life of the dog, ultimately our #1 priority has to be safety of other people, especially children. Nothing is more important than that. If you choose to return the pup, because he is not suitable for a family pet for small children, don't take another pup, get the money back.


----------



## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

I think a puppy resource guarding to that extreme at 16 weeks is definitely a problem. We have 38 puppies of different breeds for this session of Puppy K, and none resource guard like that nor have I ever owned a golden who did. However, we have had four board and train dogs with serious resourse guarding problems over the years, and all were able to be addressed and resolved. It is challenging but not hopeless. One of the first things to do is let her drag a light six foot leash that you can quietly step on, so you can control her without putting your hands on her or having your hands associated with bad things in her mind. You are right to take it seriously. 

Sometimes it can be a simple chain of events- not a poor temperament etc that creates this in a cheerful pup- maybe she tried it out once on a meek littermate and it worked awesome, lesson learned, she will do that again; othertimes, the pup was bullied or feels bullied and is reactive; maybe the pup does have an iffy temperament and is starting it- it is hard to speculate from a distance. 

However, lifting the pup off her feet by her neck, and punishing her is only going to show her she is right in not trusting the humans and feeling her space is invaded. I would get rid of that trainer immediately. 

It is such a balancing act that needs skill and finesse to address resource guarding. You can't let her behavior be rewarding by backing off, and you do not want to have her "practice" the scenario any more. One idea would be to separately work incredibly hard on a default behavior like "down" to a hand signal. Reward the heck out of it, make sure she knows, knows knows her down and likes to do it. That way, if she resource guards something, you can be neutral and ask her for an alternative you can reward- the down. You can trade her in some situations, but you can't back off and you can't punish her- in one case, she learns her bad choice works great and in the other she learns she is right to guard things from you and you are aggressive. 

As the adult, the interactions between the puppy and the kids must be watchfully brokered by you for a good while, no exceptions, no hanging out casually. If she has been rehearsing and practicing this from 8 to 16 weeks, you are going to have a project in training. I feel bad about this, bc the dream is the kids and the pup will have a love fest. In reality that rarely happens as even the best golden can be bitey as a baby, and three year olds cannot understand this. 

Try linking two expens together in the middle of a common room, so the pup can play and be near the kids, but they can't get to each other without you right there officiating for both sides.

I also agree if you look within your heart, and you do not have an interest and energy for dog training on high as a learning project, than returning her now to her breeder is absolutely honorable. I also think you can really do a great job and you can resolve the problem, but the kids are going to have to back way off the puppy for 3 to 6 months except when you sit right in the middle of everything watchfully.


----------



## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Control Unleashed: The puppy program is a great read.


----------



## kiki (Jun 21, 2013)

All great suggestions. Here comes my experience with my 8 week Kiki, who I had for 5 days only. I have a 3 and 5 year old boys and Kiki was really calm when we first got her but now after 5 days she is extremely playful and jumpy. She scratched my 5 year old on the hand with her teeth yesterday..she went in her xpen after me saying 'NO BITING' and he was crying. That taught him, as I had already requested, to NOT get her out of her xpen without asking me first. He understands this now. My point is that the Xpen is working wonders for my family. My 3 year old has never gotten her out..I stress to him that Kiki is a dog and she will bite..so he tends to stay away or goes on the sofa when she is running around with so much energy. I also take her to the back yard, as she still can't go out on walks, and run with her on her leash for about 10 times. This really helps because she gets rid of her energy and calms down..specially in the morning. 

If you still don't have an xpen I would recommend one, like everyone here did. I also play 'leave it' with her and she does great. I also play the 'my and yours' with whatever she is playing with..so I can take whatever from her. I also touch her EVERYWHERE while she is eating or playing. I don't let the kids do this yet..but I am trying to get her used to this. Again, this is my first dog ever so I am really just following most of the advise received/read here. Everyone here is so helpful.

I am crossing my fingers that Kiki stays good . She has never demonstrated any problems with growling or biting..yet, other than playfully bitting- which at that time the game stops. 

I understand your concern as I too have little boys and I would also do anything to protect them. 

Good luck!


----------



## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

It sounds like you are managing Kiki really well. Simple rules like only mom may get the dog out and only dad may feed the dog in the morning etc set up the situation to succeed.


----------



## Leslie B (Mar 17, 2011)

I did not mean to say that your puppy was not acting aggressively toward your family. For me, aggression is an adult dog that wants to take a piece out of me, the cat, or another dog. There is no bluffing involved and someone is going to get seriously hurt. A 16 week old pup can certainly act aggressive and can bite. This aged pups with have loud and furious battles with each other. Seldom have I seen where these battle produce any wound on either pup because it is primarily about seeing who will back down. When directed toward people the aggression is also about seeing if you will back down, but a bite can do serious damage. 
There has been some good advice in this post - use an x pen at home and get a vet exam. I would like to add getting additional exercise for your pup. While you want to protect her joints from excessive exercise, a good rule is a tired dog is a good dog.
I agree that not everything in life is positive and negative behavior deserves negative consequences. Ignoring bad behavior in an independent/dominant dog can escalate the problem. They figure that you did not have a problem with behavior A so they move on to behavior B. Ignoring the problem works best with dogs that are actively seeking your approval and this little girl could not care less if you are like her behavior or not. 
What I do not see is how using a leash to lift her off the ground would work to address her aggression. It is not related at all to her aggression and it is not serious enough a response. When a bratty 3-5 month pup decides to challenge her mom or another adult dog in the household, the adult dog will, in a loud and ferocious roar, grab the pup and put them on the ground. They might or might not shake them, then they will stare them into submission. The adult dog then stiffly walks away and gives the pup a cold shoulder. I have seen pups pee themselves in this situation but I have never had a pup get hurt - skin is never broken. Pups get it after only a couple of sessions like this and some never try it a second time. So if a pup tries to get nasty with me, my response is to mimic her mom. With a roar I grab her, put her on the ground so her teeth cannot touch me and I stare into her eyes and she gets a "NO BITE" once she submits. I am not soft or nice about this at all. She knows that I am mad and she is the cause. Of course it is an act for her benefit. She then gets to go into a time out and when she comes out I give her a very cool reception. She has to come to me and make up - just like she would do with her canine mom. It is easy for her to understand.
Do not let your children try this ever - it is only for adults who are comfortable making the pup uncomfortable. Your daughter was correct in doing nothing when she was growled at. Children can be hurt and adults that are not comfortable doing this kind of correction can be hurt also.
There are a number of members of this forum that will disagree with this method and I agree that it is not for everyone or for every dog. 
Last but not least, several members here have said that there is no shame in sending her back to the breeder. I could not agree more. This pup will take a lot of time and work on your part. Knowing "when to say enough" is a personal success even if it does not feel that way at the time.


----------



## Skeene (Jul 6, 2013)

I wrote this message not realizing there was a second page. You all are so wonderful and I appreciate it all so much. Today is a tough day. Many of the things I mention below were addressed on these later comments so again, thank you!

Wow thank you so much for all of this great information. I apologize for saying I don't want an avoidance answer. What I should have said was avoidance is going to be very hard for our family of 3 small kids and 8 children next door and that I need other options along with keeping the kids away. I talked to my trainer a lot today and feel more guilty than ever. His answer is to keep the kids away until they are old enough to know how to handle the dog. He offered to come to our house and do extra training with us, but keeping my kids away from a dog until they are old enough just does not sound reasonable. To me this is not a fun family experience I want my kids to remember. I have a 3 year old so this will probably be a couple years before this can happen. Why have a dog then if she has to be in the crate if I can't have my eyes on her the entire time my kids are around. I know training a dog is hard work and I am willing to do this with a dog, just not aggressive behavior. I don't think we are the right family to do it. I also don't have the money to pull in a behaviorist and work extensively with this dog. I feel very guilty for this, but I honestly think this dog will be happier with a family that is willing to go the extra mile to deal with aggression. I will always be afraid for my kids. Is it the rare find to get a dog that will naturally let my kids "man handle" him/her and only require obedience training instead of aggressive behavior or am I being unrealistic...please be honest. There was a comment above regarding not getting advise from the forum for this and I agree. I guess it is just nice to hear of success stories or even people that can honestly say, I had to throw in the towel and lived to tell about it. My trainer is telling me I have an unrealistic idea of a puppy and that this is all normal as she tries to find her way. Maybe in my 42 years of life I have been lucky and gotten the "rare" find with laid back dogs that never even thought of growling at us.


----------



## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Your trainer is not entirely wrong, nor entirely right. Every puppy requires work, most puppies try resource guarding along the way but are quick to learn when they are shown they don't have to guard, and most puppies have only the normal to be expected bitey mouthiness everyone experiences. A good number of puppies will enjoy children and just roll with the handling. This puppy, based on your description, is stronger willed and needs more work than the majority of Golden puppies.


----------



## Jaykay (Jul 20, 2013)

Have you read 'Mine!' by Jean Donaldson. She's a trained animal behaviourist and the book is very good. It gives a clear way to train out the resource guarding, which doesn't involve punishment or 'dominating' the dog, as she says these are not what it's about. 

She's says it *can* be trained out and that you wouldn't know the dog had issues in the end, except that you have to have a 'maintenance' training regime.

I've much reassured by it, since my 9 month old new-to-me pup is resource guarding madly. I don't have kids to worry about thank goodness, but I was a bit 'OMG what have I done'. 

Anyway, now we have begun the training and I am optimistic.


----------



## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

I think you have a very difficult decision to make and only you and your family can make it. It doesn't seem like you will ever be able to relax - and I don't blame you for that. Please don't feel guilty. You have to put your kids first and if that means you return this pup and wait a few years before getting another, then that's what you should do. I wish you the best with this tough decision.


----------



## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

Have you sought out a different professional trainer that has experience with this type of behavior? The current trainer sounds like he is lost at sea. Time to jump ship and find a different trainer. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## hesantone (Mar 2, 2013)

What ever happened with your puppy? Similar situation here and curious if you decided to give the pup back or if you kept him how he is now?


----------



## LunaBelle (May 7, 2015)

hesantone said:


> What ever happened with your puppy? Similar situation here and curious if you decided to give the pup back or if you kept him how he is now?


Hello! I'm not the OP, but our pup had some resource guarding issues, some that we are still managing. Maybe if you give us some specifics, we can help you with your unique situation.


----------



## Wenderwoman (Jan 7, 2013)

I know this is an older thread with new interest. The puppy is still pretty young and can definitely be corrected. I worked with a rescue with serious resource guarding issues and all is well now. To begin, I would keep the dog tethered to me or in a pen. I would suggest this even if you didn't have kids. My puppy is 7 months and I still keep her on a leash and always with me. My first puppy was a dream. I think we trusted her off leash with full house access, even if we left for hours, when she was 6 months. Not this puppy. She's a sweetheart but quite a handful yet. She's going to be an awesome dog but, well, she's a puppy and will be for a couple more years. 

The best way I know of to work with resource guarding is trading for treats, several times a day. You should also, as they are eating, randomly throw in a few high value treats. This creates a positive association and trust. They feel that they will get something good and trust that you won't take away their goodies.

I've also heard you should keep them on a predictable feeding schedule. Also, feed three times a day, rather than once or twice and make sure you are feeding them enough.

The most important thing to do is to start trading, and trading a lot, with the dog. If everything you've tried fails, I suggest bacon. I haven't met a dog yet that doesn't love bacon.

Finally, I would work on training for a soft bite so, even if they do snap, they won't cause harm.

p.s. I also recommend getting into training classes as soon as possible. They have been extremely helpful.


----------

