Resource Guarding between Dogs
By Scotty Valadao and Ady Hawkins
If a bite, or multiple bites have occurred or the dogs behaviour is extreme and you do not feel equipped to undertake an exercise such as this, then don’t try! Get help from a behaviourist – set yourself up for success, not failure. A list of behaviourists can be found at www.animal-behaviour.org.za.
We, as our dog’s ‘people’ may see their behaviour of staring, growling, snarling/lunging etc towards another dog that comes close to its food or a treasured toy as unacceptable, undesirable and even dangerous behaviour, but is it unnatural or unexpected? My Granddaughter always says ‘sharing is caring’ to her sister – this is a nice sentiment and something we should all learn to do, but in reality, especially in a dog’s world, this is not how it works.
Guarding resources is a natural behaviour which humans and dogs (and many other warm blooded animals) do all the time. We keep our possessions under lock and key, put money in the bank for safe keeping, and even pay security firms to guard our properties – we are definitely not always sharing our own resources – yet we often seem surprised when our dog attempts to guard its own!
Our dog’s natural inclination to guard its food stems back from their original descendants where if they did not guard their food and shared with all, the odds are that they would die from starvation. Just because our dogs are now far removed from their origin and we offer plenty of ‘free’ food does not mean automatically that the dog will share – one of its main resources is being challenged.
Dogs on average should be allowed to sort out their own problems with the minimum of interference from us, their people. Dogs ‘speak’ a language of their own using their bodies and vocalization to get that information across to other dogs, and as long as their own language of getting the message across does not increase, or become extreme, they should be allowed to sort out situations themselves as much as possible. In the excellent article by Suzanne Clothier ‘Learning about punishment from dogs themselves – Lessons from the Masters’ she describes how her own dog, Ruby, showed the puppy by way of using her body language that the behaviour of trying to jump up onto her couch was unacceptable – first came the hard stare, then the lift of the lip, then the snarl and finally the air bite. It is when the initial warnings are ignored by other dogs, or if the dog’s reaction escalates (normally due to previous warnings being ignored), that problems develop, and this is when we need to step in.
Ways to rectify
a. Management – you know you have a dog that is prone to resource guarding and each and every time this happens and the dog gets away with it, what is happening is that the behaviour is being reinforced and if the warnings that are currently being exhibited are ignored, the behaviour from the resource guarding dog will simply intensify.
Rather go the management route when you want to give your dogs lovely big chewy bones to get stuck into. Separate the dogs and allow them to enjoy the treat in peace. Make sure you take the chews away before the dogs are brought together again. Another example of management is that if you have a dog that guards its food bowl and when you have no time to do the exercises below, feed the dog separately and when the dog is finished eating, pick up the bowl, wash it and put it away.
b. Reducing stress - The more a dog is exposed to a situation that will cause a reaction, the more likely it will be for the dog to do the behaviour. So, in addition to the management methods above reduce stress in your dog’s life wherever you can. I personally believe that you should use as many tools in conjunction with one another as possible, to achieve a successful outcome.
If your dog is not getting out for regular walks, start walking it and having games in the garden. This will give the dog something else to think about rather than guarding its food or toys.
Have good routines in place, especially where feeding is concerned if resource guarding is food related. Prepare meals at the same time every day; feed at least two meals per day and monitor all feeding.
Consider modalities such as TTouch to lower stress levels and in a case where the behaviour is extreme, you can consider bringing in the tool of the Pheromone Collar (this is a collar that mimics the pheromones released by females when giving birth. It serves to calm and settle the dog and promote bonding – dogs recognize this pheromone throughout their lives). You can also speak to your vet about the possibility of a medication such as Clomicalm. You can even consider using a combination of some of the Essential Oils that Dr. Anuska Viljoen recommends in her excellent article ‘Adoption and Related Stress Factors”. Please note that all these should be used under the guidance of your vet, a behaviourist or a registered homeopath.
In my own experience I have never come across a dog where the only unacceptable behaviour that is exhibited is resource guarding. On average there is some element of break down in the relationship between dog and owner and you would do well to improve your everyday interaction with your dog by bringing in simple House Rules. These will serve to raise you higher in the combined human/canine structure and your dog will be more likely to listen to you.
c. Desensitising and counter-conditioning - What we are going to do is change the dog’s emotional response to another dog being near its food bowl/toy/chewy, to a rewarding experience, rather than one where he reacts too aggressively. This is called counter-conditioning. Several things need to be considered here:-
(i) The Location – if the resource guarding always occurs in the kitchen when food bowls are brought out then change the location completely and start the exercise in an area where no resource guarding has occurred.
(ii) The Items Guarded – any and all objects guarded must be removed so that accidents cannot occur.
(iii) The proximity – this is also the critical distance. If the other dog is too far away to worry the resource guarder at all then the exercise is pointless. If the other dog is too close, the dog will react. What you are looking for is the distance where the resource guarder does not react but he is still aware of the other dog’s presence. Start further away, then gradually and slowly start to bring the other dog closer (step by step) and stop before the resource guarder reacts.
(iv) The Trigger – observe by watching your dog closely as to when he is about to react to the other dog coming closer. The easiest way to see this is watch his eyes and body language. If he looks at the other dog, but you can get his attention using the ‘watch’ exercise, he is still fine, if you can’t get his attention immediately using this method; the other dog is too close – back off a bit and go slower. It is vitally important that the dog is coping and not showing reactive behaviour at each and every step closer, before you go further. It is important to end each exercise on a good note.
(v) The resource used – if your dog is a toy resource guarder, start with a low value toy and gradually work your way up to its favourite high value toy. If the dog is a resource guarder over food, don’t feed on an empty tummy initially, allow the dog to have the majority of its food first, and use high value treats for the exercise, interspersed with some kibble.
(vi) Time Period – it really is better to do this exercise often, in short bouts rather than in one long session as this may cause the dogs stress levels to become too high.
(vii) Although this can be achieved with a really reliable sit/stay it is much easier to have two people working this exercise.
(viii) Treats used – these must be high value and preferably something like liver bread or biltong which has a strong smell and is more likely to get the dogs attention than just pain kibble (dog cubes).
d. Before starting this exercise, I ask my clients to practice and obtain a good ‘Watch’ cue, or ‘Look’ cue as it is often known.
Watch
This exercise can be used in any situation to get your dogs attention on you. It is especially good in tense situations such as a visit to the vet, crossing busy roads or even to get your dogs attention away from anything that may set him off, such as bicycles or postmen and also helps with barking at a dog when out for a walk.
In the case where a dog is reactive to other dogs this exercise is invaluable. When the dog looks at you instead of the other dog, this is interpreted as a calming signal by both dogs and will result in a lessening of aggression and give you the time to get your dog out of the situation.
How to
As your dog looks at you, say “watch’ and reward. As your dog becomes proficient at this, you can start to extend the period of time of the watch before you treat and then start to build in different distractions and practice in different locations as well.
Put your dog onto a ‘work to earn’ regime with this exercise and instead of giving food in a bowl, take the days allowance and get your dog to perform a ‘watch’ for each and every piece of food.
Exercises to change behaviour
(Exercise One)
a. You will need a second person and dog to assist here. Have the resource guarding dog on lead with a handful of treats available in the dogs food bowl and the assistant should have a handful of treats and the 2nd dog on lead. The assistant and 2nd dog should be at the other side of the room or far enough away so that the resource guarding dog does not react.
b. Ask food guarding dog for a Watch and then treat (taking the treat our of the dogs bowl) and the other person does the same with the non-guarding dog immediately after the Watch/Treat is done with resource guarding dog. Do this several times until resource guarding dog is totally happy with this situation and you should start to see resource guarding dog looking expectant when non resource guarding dog is asked for a Watch and then receives treat. This will give you the information that the resource guarding dog has made the association that when the other dog gets the treat, his turn is next.
c. Next step is to move the resource guarding dog one step closer to the other dog and repeat over and over as in (a) and (b) above. I personally would not go further at this stage, but practise several times a day until resource guarding dog is comfortable at this specific distance.
d. Practise this over and over, gradually getting the dogs to be a few feet apart from each other with no reaction. Each and every dog will react at its own pace and this must be respected. When you have been successful at this stage, then start the whole exercise again in another location. Your final step will be practising this exercise in the location where the resource guarding first occurred.
(Exercise Two)
To reinforce the dog’s perception that having another dog around food is a rewarding experience you can try this exercise next.
Have the resource guarding dog in a room with you with its food bowl filled with nice treats but out of the way. Totally ignore the dog for a period of time and when it is sitting/lying down relaxed, ask somebody else to bring in the non-resource guarding dog on lead. Ask both dogs to sit, ask for a Watch and give one treat to non resource guarding dog, then do the same for resource guarding dog, but instead of giving only one treat, ask for a watch and treat over and over and do at least 10 -12 times. Do this from the dogs bowl.
Now remove non guarding dog from room, and now all treats stop. In about 10 minutes time, repeat as above and do several more times. This helps to build the association that ‘good things happen when another dog and good bowl/object are around, but stop the second the other dog leaves. Keep an eye for the look of anticipation that comes from resource guarding dog when second dog enters the room.
It is essential that these exercises and variations of same are practised as much as possible and the practice is kept in place to prevent this situation occurring again.
We, as our dog’s ‘people’ may see their behaviour of staring, growling, snarling/lunging etc towards another dog that comes close to its food or a treasured toy as unacceptable, undesirable and even dangerous behaviour, but is it unnatural or unexpected? My Granddaughter always says ‘sharing is caring’ to her sister – this is a nice sentiment and something we should all learn to do, but in reality, especially in a dog’s world, this is not how it works.
Guarding resources is a natural behaviour which humans and dogs (and many other warm blooded animals) do all the time. We keep our possessions under lock and key, put money in the bank for safe keeping, and even pay security firms to guard our properties – we are definitely not always sharing our own resources – yet we often seem surprised when our dog attempts to guard its own!
Our dog’s natural inclination to guard its food stems back from their original descendants where if they did not guard their food and shared with all, the odds are that they would die from starvation. Just because our dogs are now far removed from their origin and we offer plenty of ‘free’ food does not mean automatically that the dog will share – one of its main resources is being challenged.
Dogs on average should be allowed to sort out their own problems with the minimum of interference from us, their people. Dogs ‘speak’ a language of their own using their bodies and vocalization to get that information across to other dogs, and as long as their own language of getting the message across does not increase, or become extreme, they should be allowed to sort out situations themselves as much as possible. In the excellent article by Suzanne Clothier ‘Learning about punishment from dogs themselves – Lessons from the Masters’ she describes how her own dog, Ruby, showed the puppy by way of using her body language that the behaviour of trying to jump up onto her couch was unacceptable – first came the hard stare, then the lift of the lip, then the snarl and finally the air bite. It is when the initial warnings are ignored by other dogs, or if the dog’s reaction escalates (normally due to previous warnings being ignored), that problems develop, and this is when we need to step in.
Ways to rectify
a. Management – you know you have a dog that is prone to resource guarding and each and every time this happens and the dog gets away with it, what is happening is that the behaviour is being reinforced and if the warnings that are currently being exhibited are ignored, the behaviour from the resource guarding dog will simply intensify.
Rather go the management route when you want to give your dogs lovely big chewy bones to get stuck into. Separate the dogs and allow them to enjoy the treat in peace. Make sure you take the chews away before the dogs are brought together again. Another example of management is that if you have a dog that guards its food bowl and when you have no time to do the exercises below, feed the dog separately and when the dog is finished eating, pick up the bowl, wash it and put it away.
b. Reducing stress - The more a dog is exposed to a situation that will cause a reaction, the more likely it will be for the dog to do the behaviour. So, in addition to the management methods above reduce stress in your dog’s life wherever you can. I personally believe that you should use as many tools in conjunction with one another as possible, to achieve a successful outcome.
If your dog is not getting out for regular walks, start walking it and having games in the garden. This will give the dog something else to think about rather than guarding its food or toys.
Have good routines in place, especially where feeding is concerned if resource guarding is food related. Prepare meals at the same time every day; feed at least two meals per day and monitor all feeding.
Consider modalities such as TTouch to lower stress levels and in a case where the behaviour is extreme, you can consider bringing in the tool of the Pheromone Collar (this is a collar that mimics the pheromones released by females when giving birth. It serves to calm and settle the dog and promote bonding – dogs recognize this pheromone throughout their lives). You can also speak to your vet about the possibility of a medication such as Clomicalm. You can even consider using a combination of some of the Essential Oils that Dr. Anuska Viljoen recommends in her excellent article ‘Adoption and Related Stress Factors”. Please note that all these should be used under the guidance of your vet, a behaviourist or a registered homeopath.
In my own experience I have never come across a dog where the only unacceptable behaviour that is exhibited is resource guarding. On average there is some element of break down in the relationship between dog and owner and you would do well to improve your everyday interaction with your dog by bringing in simple House Rules. These will serve to raise you higher in the combined human/canine structure and your dog will be more likely to listen to you.
c. Desensitising and counter-conditioning - What we are going to do is change the dog’s emotional response to another dog being near its food bowl/toy/chewy, to a rewarding experience, rather than one where he reacts too aggressively. This is called counter-conditioning. Several things need to be considered here:-
(i) The Location – if the resource guarding always occurs in the kitchen when food bowls are brought out then change the location completely and start the exercise in an area where no resource guarding has occurred.
(ii) The Items Guarded – any and all objects guarded must be removed so that accidents cannot occur.
(iii) The proximity – this is also the critical distance. If the other dog is too far away to worry the resource guarder at all then the exercise is pointless. If the other dog is too close, the dog will react. What you are looking for is the distance where the resource guarder does not react but he is still aware of the other dog’s presence. Start further away, then gradually and slowly start to bring the other dog closer (step by step) and stop before the resource guarder reacts.
(iv) The Trigger – observe by watching your dog closely as to when he is about to react to the other dog coming closer. The easiest way to see this is watch his eyes and body language. If he looks at the other dog, but you can get his attention using the ‘watch’ exercise, he is still fine, if you can’t get his attention immediately using this method; the other dog is too close – back off a bit and go slower. It is vitally important that the dog is coping and not showing reactive behaviour at each and every step closer, before you go further. It is important to end each exercise on a good note.
(v) The resource used – if your dog is a toy resource guarder, start with a low value toy and gradually work your way up to its favourite high value toy. If the dog is a resource guarder over food, don’t feed on an empty tummy initially, allow the dog to have the majority of its food first, and use high value treats for the exercise, interspersed with some kibble.
(vi) Time Period – it really is better to do this exercise often, in short bouts rather than in one long session as this may cause the dogs stress levels to become too high.
(vii) Although this can be achieved with a really reliable sit/stay it is much easier to have two people working this exercise.
(viii) Treats used – these must be high value and preferably something like liver bread or biltong which has a strong smell and is more likely to get the dogs attention than just pain kibble (dog cubes).
d. Before starting this exercise, I ask my clients to practice and obtain a good ‘Watch’ cue, or ‘Look’ cue as it is often known.
Watch
This exercise can be used in any situation to get your dogs attention on you. It is especially good in tense situations such as a visit to the vet, crossing busy roads or even to get your dogs attention away from anything that may set him off, such as bicycles or postmen and also helps with barking at a dog when out for a walk.
In the case where a dog is reactive to other dogs this exercise is invaluable. When the dog looks at you instead of the other dog, this is interpreted as a calming signal by both dogs and will result in a lessening of aggression and give you the time to get your dog out of the situation.
How to
As your dog looks at you, say “watch’ and reward. As your dog becomes proficient at this, you can start to extend the period of time of the watch before you treat and then start to build in different distractions and practice in different locations as well.
Put your dog onto a ‘work to earn’ regime with this exercise and instead of giving food in a bowl, take the days allowance and get your dog to perform a ‘watch’ for each and every piece of food.
Exercises to change behaviour
(Exercise One)
a. You will need a second person and dog to assist here. Have the resource guarding dog on lead with a handful of treats available in the dogs food bowl and the assistant should have a handful of treats and the 2nd dog on lead. The assistant and 2nd dog should be at the other side of the room or far enough away so that the resource guarding dog does not react.
b. Ask food guarding dog for a Watch and then treat (taking the treat our of the dogs bowl) and the other person does the same with the non-guarding dog immediately after the Watch/Treat is done with resource guarding dog. Do this several times until resource guarding dog is totally happy with this situation and you should start to see resource guarding dog looking expectant when non resource guarding dog is asked for a Watch and then receives treat. This will give you the information that the resource guarding dog has made the association that when the other dog gets the treat, his turn is next.
c. Next step is to move the resource guarding dog one step closer to the other dog and repeat over and over as in (a) and (b) above. I personally would not go further at this stage, but practise several times a day until resource guarding dog is comfortable at this specific distance.
d. Practise this over and over, gradually getting the dogs to be a few feet apart from each other with no reaction. Each and every dog will react at its own pace and this must be respected. When you have been successful at this stage, then start the whole exercise again in another location. Your final step will be practising this exercise in the location where the resource guarding first occurred.
(Exercise Two)
To reinforce the dog’s perception that having another dog around food is a rewarding experience you can try this exercise next.
Have the resource guarding dog in a room with you with its food bowl filled with nice treats but out of the way. Totally ignore the dog for a period of time and when it is sitting/lying down relaxed, ask somebody else to bring in the non-resource guarding dog on lead. Ask both dogs to sit, ask for a Watch and give one treat to non resource guarding dog, then do the same for resource guarding dog, but instead of giving only one treat, ask for a watch and treat over and over and do at least 10 -12 times. Do this from the dogs bowl.
Now remove non guarding dog from room, and now all treats stop. In about 10 minutes time, repeat as above and do several more times. This helps to build the association that ‘good things happen when another dog and good bowl/object are around, but stop the second the other dog leaves. Keep an eye for the look of anticipation that comes from resource guarding dog when second dog enters the room.
It is essential that these exercises and variations of same are practised as much as possible and the practice is kept in place to prevent this situation occurring again.
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