Food Guarding

[Keira&Phoenix]

Quick question for everyone.

I have a 20 week old am staff x pup. Last week I gave her a chicken wing to munch on while I got ready for work and kept her in the same room as me to make sure there were no issues while she was eating it ie: chocking because she tends to swallow food quite quickly. Anyways she got most of the way through it and she was doing really well she wasn't trying to eat it too quickly she was ripping off the meat and then trying to break through the bones, anyways I leaned down to pick up a few little shards of bone that were lying around and one of her teeth which had fallen out (she was losing her milk teeth at the time) and as I reached in and picked it up she growled a bit, I thought maybe I heard wrong so I reached down again and lo and behold she growled and sort of barked in her throat at me, she has NEVER EVER done this before. She also growled a bit at me last night when I was giving her a pat while she ate her dinner, only when I patted her on the head though.

I have another dog Keira who I haven't had this issue with, she has never resource guarded and she is now 3 I can take food and bones off her with no dramas at all. I have made a point to do the same thing with Phoenix as I did with Keira because it worked. I also follow what my trainer says to do. IE: I will hand feed her or give her her breaky/dinner in a kong toy so she has to work for the food. If I am giving her something which I have to give to her in her bowl I can put it down and she won't touch it until I give her the OK. And I make a point of never taking food from her and if I have to take a bone off her I will trade ie: I will give her a chunk of steak and swap her for the bone.

What am I doing wrong? Or what can I do stop this?

I don't want a dog that will bite me if one day in an emergency I have to take something off her and don't have time to get something to swap it with. I have taught her leave it and can drop food on the floor without her touching it until I say so or give her something else and pick it up. But dogs are not fool proof and I cannot guarantee one day she won't grab something she shouldn't and I will have to act quickly to take it from her or if I am not there someone else has to.

Suggestions? Criticisms? All welcome. Thanks

Edit for spelling

Edited January 5, 2011 by Keira&Phoenix

[pixie_meg]

I have a resource guarder and i believe its important for a dog to give up whats in their mouth as its valuable in emergencies. Especially when they've got an icky cane toad or such. We saw a behaviourist for this and dominance issues and taught him to spit food out and respect me as a pack leader. The methods we used weren't the most positive but were the right thing in our situation but not things i'd suggest to most. Different if you see a behaviourist and they suggest it though.

I don't think its ok for a dog to growl at its owner.

I'm sure there are a few threads on here about resource guarding, and others will have some suggestions.

[KateAndDuke]

My own pup did something similar with a pigs ear when he was about that age. He was pushing his boundaries and testing leadership. I think it's to do with pack leadership, so anything you can do to reaffirm your status as pack leader will help. Like a sit or down stay before eating, sitting before walking inside, no lounge privileges, etc.

When my pup growled at me, I took the pigs ear and held him on his side on the floor until he relaxed and submitted. I think I also growled louder. Some people don't agree with the alpha roll method, and I wouldn't recommend it unless you were confident in doing it. This, along with getting him to work for food and other privileges, means he doesn't have food guarding issues anymore. Although he won't eat a bone unless I'm a safe distance away, as if I'm going to nick it off him

[poodlefan]

My own pup did something similar with a pigs ear when he was about that age. He was pushing his boundaries and testing leadership. I think it's to do with pack leadership, so anything you can do to reaffirm your status as pack leader will help. Like a sit or down stay before eating, sitting before walking inside, no lounge privileges, etc.

When my pup growled at me, I took the pigs ear and held him on his side on the floor until he relaxed and submitted. I think I also growled louder. Some people don't agree with the alpha roll method, and I wouldn't recommend it unless you were confident in doing it. This, along with getting him to work for food and other privileges, means he doesn't have food guarding issues anymore. Although he won't eat a bone unless I'm a safe distance away, as if I'm going to nick it off him

You do realise that even lower level dogs in a pack will resource guard? That throws the "be the alpha and it won't happen" theory clean out the window.

Anything that will decrease the dog's anxiety about losing food will help. The only method I'd recommend without professional supervision would be to approach the dog and reward it (with higher value food) for tolerating your presence. Dropping MORE food in the bowl will help. Any sign of a warning should be heeded.

Teaching a give and using it regularly may assist but personally I think resource guarding calls for careful management and professional help.

Alpha rolling sometimes works. When it doesn't the results can be distrastous. Anxious or dominant dogs can be triggered to defend themselves or to confront the physical 'challenge'. Don't go there.

Edited January 5, 2011 by poodlefan

[Keira&Phoenix]

My own pup did something similar with a pigs ear when he was about that age. He was pushing his boundaries and testing leadership. I think it's to do with pack leadership, so anything you can do to reaffirm your status as pack leader will help. Like a sit or down stay before eating, sitting before walking inside, no lounge privileges, etc.

When my pup growled at me, I took the pigs ear and held him on his side on the floor until he relaxed and submitted. I think I also growled louder. Some people don't agree with the alpha roll method, and I wouldn't recommend it unless you were confident in doing it. This, along with getting him to work for food and other privileges, means he doesn't have food guarding issues anymore. Although he won't eat a bone unless I'm a safe distance away, as if I'm going to nick it off him

You do realise that even lower level dogs in a pack will resource guard? That throws the "be the alpha and it won't happen" theory clean out the window.

Anything that will decrease the dog's anxiety about losing food will help. The only method I'd recommend without professional supervision would be to approach the dog and reward it (with higher value food) for tolerating your presence. Dropping MORE food in the bowl will help. Any sign of a warning should be heeded.

Teaching a give and using it regularly may assist but personally I think resource guarding calls for careful management and professional help.

Alpha rolling sometimes works. When it doesn't the results can be distrastous. Anxious or dominant dogs can be triggered to defend themselves or to confront the physical 'challenge'. Don't go there.

Hi Poodlefan thanks for that. I make sure I never take anything away from her to make sure I never "encourage" the behaviour by showing her she needs to guard it. I will try dropping food into the bowl from now on when I am bowl feeding her. As I said most times I will hand feed her or give her food to her frozen in stock or in a kong so she has to work for it the only time I don't is if I am giving her salmon or something messy that I cant actually hand feed her.

My trainers come back from Christmas as of this weekend so I will have a chat to him about it also and see what he thinks I should do. But I thought I would ask around here as well while I waited. I think he has mentioned dropping food int he bowl before but I haven't done it yet so will take this up this week.

Do you think hand feeding her could be doing more damage then good? With Keira all I ever did was teach her to sit and wait until she was given the OK and I have never had an issue with her....

Edited January 5, 2011 by Keira&Phoenix

[poodlefan]

Do you think hand feeding her could be doing more damage then good? With Keira all I ever did was teach her to sit and wait until she was given the OK and I have never had an issue with her....

Probably a question better answered by a professional but I'm not sure it would be helping. Have you considered feeding in a crate and asking her to wait before releasing to enter for her food?

[Keira&Phoenix]

Do you think hand feeding her could be doing more damage then good? With Keira all I ever did was teach her to sit and wait until she was given the OK and I have never had an issue with her....

Probably a question better answered by a professional but I'm not sure it would be helping. Have you considered feeding in a crate and asking her to wait before releasing to enter for her food?

Nope haven't tried that one, I always have her wait before releasing her for food when bowl feeding her but never have done this in her crate.

Might try keeping her away from food prep area and then feeding in her crate and also dropping in extra food also. See how we go Thanks

[poodlefan]

Do you think hand feeding her could be doing more damage then good? With Keira all I ever did was teach her to sit and wait until she was given the OK and I have never had an issue with her....

Probably a question better answered by a professional but I'm not sure it would be helping. Have you considered feeding in a crate and asking her to wait before releasing to enter for her food?

Nope haven't tried that one, I always have her wait before releasing her for food when bowl feeding her but never have done this in her crate.

Might try keeping her away from food prep area and then feeding in her crate and also dropping in extra food also. See how we go Thanks

That certainly shouldn't escalate the behaviour and thats important. Once she is finished, you can ask for a sit, open the door and release her and then collect the bowl.

[Keira&Phoenix]

Thanks PF for the suggestions

[KateAndDuke]

My own pup did something similar with a pigs ear when he was about that age. He was pushing his boundaries and testing leadership. I think it's to do with pack leadership, so anything you can do to reaffirm your status as pack leader will help. Like a sit or down stay before eating, sitting before walking inside, no lounge privileges, etc.

When my pup growled at me, I took the pigs ear and held him on his side on the floor until he relaxed and submitted. I think I also growled louder. Some people don't agree with the alpha roll method, and I wouldn't recommend it unless you were confident in doing it. This, along with getting him to work for food and other privileges, means he doesn't have food guarding issues anymore. Although he won't eat a bone unless I'm a safe distance away, as if I'm going to nick it off him

You do realise that even lower level dogs in a pack will resource guard? That throws the "be the alpha and it won't happen" theory clean out the window.

Poodlefan, I was simply giving an example as to how I approached my situation. I haven't had any problems since, but I don't expect that all dogs would react the same to the same methods. Hopefully you find something that works for you Keira&Phoenix.

[4Kelpies]

I agree with poodlefan. This is still my favourite method and one I've seen work with a variety of handlers and dogs. It has resulted in relaxed dogs and owners. http://k9deb.com/foodguar.htm