# Rescource Guarding...Again :(



## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

How long have you been working with her? How long has the problem been going on?


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## Burd (Aug 11, 2011)

nolefan said:


> How long have you been working with her? How long has the problem been going on?


Since Aug. 2011. Just this week I've let her start using her bowl again with me nearby. 
She started going after the one little dog in August and she had started growling at other people a few days after that. My older sister's dog won't heed her warnings and he's the only one she'll go after. :/ The other dogs don't bother her and she doesn't bother them.
Dixie growls at my mom, my little sister, and my older sister when they come near but she won't growl at me or my dad.


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## Selli-Belle (Jan 28, 2009)

For right now I would feed her in a crate or work with her in a room where there are no other dogs or people. She may be stressed by the other dogs and feel that she needs to protect her food. Given that she is resource guarding, she may always have to eat apart from the other dogs. It may not be ideal, but if she can learn to be calm and sure no one is going to steal her food, you may be able to get further working through her issues.


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## Aislinn (Nov 13, 2010)

As Selli-Belle suggested, I would feed her in her crate. I actually feed all my dogs in their crates.


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## Burd (Aug 11, 2011)

Selli-Belle said:


> For right now I would feed her in a crate or work with her in a room where there are no other dogs or people. She may be stressed by the other dogs and feel that she needs to protect her food. Given that she is resource guarding, she may always have to eat apart from the other dogs. It may not be ideal, but if she can learn to be calm and sure no one is going to steal her food, you may be able to get further working through her issues.


Okay, I'll be doing that.  But I should still stay with her, right? She gets VERY tense when ANYONE is around. 
I'm a teenager and homeschooled so I have time to work with her.
Thanks guys for trying to help out!


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## shortcake23 (Aug 15, 2008)

I was told that it's fine if they don't like other pets getting near their food...as long as they don't bite them... but that a growl was was okay... but that definitely it's NOT okay if they do that with humans... Not sure if this any help at all....


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## Aislinn (Nov 13, 2010)

Personally, I don't stay with mine while they eat, I leave them alone. I would recommend teaching her a solid 'leave it' command. Whatever you do, do not baby her or hug on her at all after she goes after or growls at someone. I know there is a tendency sometimes to try to tell them it's okay, but her behavior is not okay. If you give her any kind of reassurance that no one will eat her food she is getting reinforcement to growl or snap.


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## Aislinn (Nov 13, 2010)

To clarify, the 'leave it' command is not to leave her food, but to leave other things alone. For example, when walking my doberman years ago if another dog charged her, I could tell her to 'leave it' and she wouldn't respond. Dakota, my Golden is told to 'leave it' if she starts to chase one of the cats outside. She stops chasing and come back to me. If someone drops something, food, a toy, anything and a dog goes to pick it up, the 'leave it' means they can't and they stop.


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## Burd (Aug 11, 2011)

Aislinn said:


> Personally, I don't stay with mine while they eat, I leave them alone. I would recommend teaching her a solid 'leave it' command. Whatever you do, do not baby her or hug on her at all after she goes after or growls at someone. I know there is a tendency sometimes to try to tell them it's okay, but her behavior is not okay. If you give her any kind of reassurance that no one will eat her food she is getting reinforcement to growl or snap.


Okay, we're working on leave it right now but it still needs a bit of work. She'll leave food lying there while in a sit down, or stand-stay until I say it's okay. But when we're out and about it's another story. :doh:
There's no way she's gonna get babied for sure. My dad would never allow it anyway. 
After she went after the dog this morning, I gave her sort of a time our alone away from everyone and the other dogs. Was this right? what should I do when and if she does it again?


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## Burd (Aug 11, 2011)

Aislinn said:


> To clarify, the 'leave it' command is not to leave her food, but to leave other things alone. For example, when walking my doberman years ago if another dog charged her, I could tell her to 'leave it' and she wouldn't respond. Dakota, my Golden is told to 'leave it' if she starts to chase one of the cats outside. She stops chasing and come back to me. If someone drops something, food, a toy, anything and a dog goes to pick it up, the 'leave it' means they can't and they stop.


Ah! Okay, Thanks! 
She'll leave her ball when I throw it, but I hadn't thought of her 'leaving-it' if she chases something like one of the dogs or a squirrel. Thanks again! I'll be working on this as well. 
How should I start out if we were to start with one of our other dogs in the yard with her? Should I keep her on a lead first?


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## Aislinn (Nov 13, 2010)

I would do the same, alone, by herself, as in you are not with her either. Would your family be willing to have a trainer come in to work with you and Dixie?


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## Burd (Aug 11, 2011)

Aislinn said:


> I would do the same, alone, by herself, as in you are not with her either. Would your family be willing to have a trainer come in to work with you and Dixie?


Okay.
Unfortunately, no.  My dad thinks it's a waste of time and money.  Not that I think so too. From what I've read, I think a trainer would help. A lot.


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## Aislinn (Nov 13, 2010)

I wouldn't start out with all the other dogs in the yard. Yes, keep her on a long line. Use other things, one of your brothers or sisters running in the yard. Don't start her out on the long line though, start out with her on a leash and have a treat for her when she responds to you. Since she already has a basic understanding of 'leave it', that will help.


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## Aislinn (Nov 13, 2010)

Would he allow you to take Dixie to an obedience class? That would help her to be a better pet for all of you.


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## Burd (Aug 11, 2011)

Aislinn said:


> I wouldn't start out with all the other dogs in the yard. Yes, keep her on a long line. Use other things, one of your brothers or sisters running in the yard. Don't start her out on the long line though, start out with her on a leash and have a treat for her when she responds to you. Since she already has a basic understanding of 'leave it', that will help.


Okay, thank you again!


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## Burd (Aug 11, 2011)

Aislinn said:


> Would he allow you to take Dixie to an obedience class? That would help her to be a better pet for all of you.


I'm saving my money for obedience classes now but I'm not sure what he'd say. When I heard him talking to our mom about how much people spend on their animals he didn't sound happy about how much they spend on training classes. 
But I'm crossing my fingers so when I get enough money saved and I ask him!


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## Aislinn (Nov 13, 2010)

Saving up your money will hopefully show him how much it means to you to do it.


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## Selli-Belle (Jan 28, 2009)

Is she tense when you feed her out of your hand?

My suggestion would be to feed in her in a room apart from the other dogs and just be in the room with her but across the room. Don't touch her, don't pay attention to her (reading a book is a good way to be relaxed and unobtrusive). Try to gauge how comfortable she is with you doing this. 

When you have a dog who is resource guarding, when you work with her, you want to do it below "threshold," or in other words while she is still calm. If she is already tense when you are working with her, it makes it very hard for her to learn because she has adrenaline and cortisol suffusing her brain.

Take it slow, don't rush her and be calm and relaxed and it will help calm her.


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## turtle66 (Feb 19, 2010)

Lilly has a little bit of resource guarding, too....

I bought the book 'Mine' from Jean Donaldson and I really liked it. There are a LOT training tips about food guarding in there.

Heike


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## Burd (Aug 11, 2011)

Aislinn said:


> Saving up your money will hopefully show him how much it means to you to do it.


I hope so. And thank you so much once again for all of your help!


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## Burd (Aug 11, 2011)

Selli-Belle said:


> Is she tense when you feed her out of your hand?
> 
> My suggestion would be to feed in her in a room apart from the other dogs and just be in the room with her but across the room. Don't touch her, don't pay attention to her (reading a book is a good way to be relaxed and unobtrusive). Try to gauge how comfortable she is with you doing this.
> 
> ...


Not out of hand, just with her bowl or when there are other dogs around.

Okay, I'll have to try this too.  Thanks so much, you guys! You have no idea how much this all means to me.


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## Selli-Belle (Jan 28, 2009)

So she is not tense when you feed her out of your hand, but she is tense if you feed her out of her bowl even if no one or no other dogs are around?


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## Burd (Aug 11, 2011)

Selli-Belle said:


> So she is not tense when you feed her out of your hand, but she is tense if you feed her out of her bowl even if no one or no other dogs are around?


Only when there are other dogs around is she tense when I feed her from my hand. She growls or gives them a warning signal with her body.

She's tense if there is someone (besides me) or one of the dogs around when she's eating from her bowl.

The past few days she has not been so tense though.  And we're just making sure she's not in the room with the other dogs when treats are being handed out.


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