How Do You Prevent Resource Guarding in Dogs? Step One – Don’t CAUSE it in the first place!
"What NOT to do" #751: Annoying a Dog While They’re
Eating to “Show Them Who’s Boss.”
People do all kinds of stupid
things to their dogs because their dad, or uncle, or grandfather always did
them. Some of the ones that really push my buttons are sticking a dog’s nose in
an accident as part of attempts to housetrain them, rolling a dog on its back
and pinning it down to prove you’re alpha, and hitting a dog - with
anything. Regardless of what your Uncle Bob told you, all of these are
always wrong, all the time.
Guess what folks – a true pack leader (whether
it’s an alpha wolf or a human pet owner) – doesn’t bother lower ranking pack
members when they’re eating. That procedure does not teach them you’re the
boss, it only teaches them one thing – that you are a threat to their food. This procedure does not prevent food guarding – it causes it. If you want to prevent food guarding in a young
dog, then teach the dog or puppy to ENJOY it when you approach the food bowl.
Without petting or annoying the dog, simply approach the bowl and drop in some
more food. This teaches the dog to regard the approach of a human as a positive
thing, not a negative.
Canine Dimensions trains thousands
of puppies each year. When we start with a young puppy we teach the owners to approach and add food during each meal.
We have never had a puppy grow up to be a food guarder when the owner followed
this advice. On the other hand, in virtually every case when we are called for
assistance involving an adult dog who is growling, snapping or biting when
someone approaches his food bowl, we learn that the owner made a habit of
sticking his hand in the food bowl and annoying the dog when it was young. Which brings us to…
"What NOT to do" #752: Habitually Taking Objects Away
from a Puppy.
The principle here is the same as
above, but instead of teaching a dog to guard its food, people often teach a
dog to guard objects by constantly taking things away from them while they're young.
NEVER snatch an item out
of your puppy’s mouth without giving him something better in return. In
spite of your best efforts to “puppy proof” the house, there will still be
plenty of times you will need to take something away from your puppy that she’s
not supposed to have. But the right procedure is to always trade up – for
example if she picks up a sock, trade her a piece of hot dog while saying,
“out” or “drop-it.” This teaches the dog to drop the item on command, and also
teaches them not to run away, or growl and snap, to protect the forbidden item.
