Resource Guarding
By Liz Maslow, CPDT
Resource guarding can be a scary matter. There are several tactics to deal with resource guarding, and combining these methods will hopefully create a harmonious, humane approach.
First and foremost, remove any item your dog has or will protect. If you can’t remove the article, block access to it by putting up gates or closing doors. Keep him on lead in the house so you can more easily control him. You may want to look into getting a head halter (such as the Gentle Leader) because, as the old adage goes, if you control the head you control the dog.
Never get into a battle of wills with your dog. If management has lapsed and your dog gets something that he could guard, remove yourself from the area until the situation has passed or your dog loses interest. By removing yourself, you may lose an opportunity to teach your dog, but more importantly you are not allowing him to practice bad behavior, nor are you putting yourself in danger.
Leadership (good parent) Program
Ignore him. Do not look at or speak to your dog unless he is working for you. You want your dog to want your attention. If he is being a nuisance, jumping, pawing, whining just fold your arms and avert your eyes until he gives up. If he is really persistent leave the area to a place he can’t follow.
Excuse me. Teach your dog to move out of your way. This will help with his understanding that you are the parent and he should look to you. Gently shuffle your feet into him (no hurting or kicking) until he moves, and then praise him.
Body blocks. Dogs are very sensitive to body language and the use of space. By controlling space you also maintain leadership. Simply put yourself in your dog’s direction of movement and lean forward slightly. This is very effective for keeping your dog from charging out of doors and from jumping up on you.
He owns nothing! Everything in the house is yours and you give your dog permission to use it/play with it or not. If he is protective of anything, a bowl or toy, remove it until his attitude has improved.
Four on the floor. Your dog should not be allowed on the furniture. Any raised surface is a valuable resource and may be guarded. Teach him to get off things on command. Always praise him cheerfully for complying.
Confine him daily. Even if you are home with your dog, crate him for several hours every day. You can also tether (tie-down) him to keep him out of trouble and teach him self-control. Never leave a dog that is tethered alone. (Note: many behaviorist advise that it can be counter-productive to crate a dog more than 5 hours a day over the long term).
Increase his exercise. A tired dog is a good dog. Exercise will help relieve stress and excess energy. Be sure to play games that encourage cooperation – fetch, chase (he chases you) and hand targeting.
Down stays. Begin to get your dog accustomed to long down stays. Start by asking your dog to down. Once your dog is in a down position, reward with tasty treats at a fast and furious pace. The idea is to make your dog think that being in a down position really pays. Practice this until your dog can hold his down for 10 minute intervals. You can toss treats during this time, but your dog needs to be in a settled, relaxed (no whining/barking) down.
Teach hand targeting. Hand targeting can be a great means to distract a dog that may be guarding. You can also use hand targeting for moving a dog out of the way, as a refocus tool and as a fun game to play. Present your smelly hand (rub some cheese on your palm) to your dog, as his nose touches your palm to get a good smell, praise him and reward him with a treat from the other hand. It is that simple. Practice until your dog offers you multiple nose touches for a treat. Switch hands, and move your hand around to get your dog to target up high, down low and side-to-side.
Settle. Having your dog learn to settle is a great way to build frustration tolerance and learn self-control. In order to be successful, begin to teach “settle” when your dog is tired. Sit on the floor and invite your dog to sit next to you or onto your lap. Encourage him to lie down and relax. Say “settle” in a soothing voice. If he tries to get up, gently restrain him using his lead or collar (do not get into an outright battle with your dog. If he is not successful, try again later). Touch him in a slow deliberate manner from his head toward his tail. Use long relaxing strokes down his back and legs. Experiment with your touch to see which areas get the “aaaahhhh” response from your dog. At first the amount of time for the settle can be just 30-60 seconds, but gradually increase the settle time to 20-30 minutes. The ultimate goal is to be able to cue your dog to settle even when he is aroused.
Nothing In Life is Free (NILIF)
The NILIF program simply means your dog has to earn everything valuable. This includes treats, attention, food, walks, going outdoors etc… Basically anything that your dog wants is a privilege and he should have to work for it. Another way to think about it is you are asking your dog to say "please." The reasons to have your dog do this are two fold. First, it informs your dog that you are the source of all good things and only by being polite does your dog get them from you. Second, all family members will practice this training, so your dog will be listening to everyone in the family and will be less likely to guard against them. The next time your dog asks you for attention, ask him to sit. If he complies then give him attention. If he does not sit turn away from him and he gets nothing, try again a few minutes later. Eventually you can ask for 2 behaviors before giving him what he wants. If you can incorporate the NILIF philosophy into your life, with your dog, you will find that you have a dog that politely asks instead of demands.
Food Guarding
Dogs will guard their food if they fear that a person approaching will take it away. Our goal is to change your dog’s emotional response and create a happy association with people approaching while your dog has food.
There are several ways to achieve this:
Hand feed your dog. Hand feeding shows your dog that people provide really good things and it strengthens your bond with your dog because the food comes directly from you. Hand feeding can also help establish you as the leader/parent figure to your dog because you can set the speed of feeding, you can ask for good manners (no grabbing and soft mouth) and you can ask for known behaviors (sit, down etc…).
Tempt your dog away from his bowl with an even tastier resource (favorite treat). This needs to be done in small steps and when first starting keep a safe distance from the food bowl. While your dog is eating, cajole him and show him what you have. When your dog leaves his bowl give him his treat. Let your dog take the treat and return to his bowl. Over many sessions, gradually get closer to the bowl to the point where you can stand very close to your dog while he is eating. Further develop this by offering the treats right next to the bowl while your dog is eating.
Toss treats toward your dog while eating. Here again, baby steps must be taken, begin by keeping a distance from the food bowl. Gradually build until you are dropping treats while standing next to your dog, and eventually petting your dog. Proof this by walking toward your dog quickly and deliberately, while he is eating, and drop in treats.
Feed your dog in small installments. Feed your dog a small amount of food and then take the bowl away to add more food. Repeating this 3-4 times until the meal is finished. Soon your dog will learn that when the bowl is taken away it is going to be returned with more food. Once your dog is finished with his whole dinner, remove his bowl for good until his next meal.
Different people should carry out all of these exercises to encourage positive associations for all people not just one or two.
Object/Toy Guarding
This is guarding related to toys, laundry, tissues, food wrappers or objects found by your dog. As with food guarding, we need to change the emotional response your dog has on our approach. We want your dog to understand that approaching people and the removal of objects means more fun, excitement or a special treat.
Can I see? Teach your dog that when you come near good things are to come. Start by approaching your dog while close to an unguarded low value object. Pick up the object with one hand, and produce a treat from behind your back with the other. Immediately give the object back and walk away. Repeat this, but change the angle of approach and intervals between approaches. Work on this over a number of sessions. Over time, begin to carry out the exercise with higher value objects. Continuing to work on this until you are able to practice with the dog more engrossed in the object. Remember to keep it positive and that the removal of resources results in even more positive experiences.
Introduce the concept of sharing. Offer a chew toy to your dog, but keep a hold of the other end yourself. Allow your dog to chew, but after a period, take it away for a short period of time and then offer it back. Your dog will soon understand that the resource is not his, but he is allowed to share it. Practice this with different people and objects.
Teach your dog to DROP. Begin with objects that he does not value and use treats that are highly valued. Gradually work up to objects that he cares very much about. Ask for him to drop the object, then either wait for him to do so (if he knows what drop means) or help him to do so by presenting the food to his nose. Reward and praise him for dropping the object, then give it back to him as soon as he is done chewing. Practicing this cue, giving the resource back each time, helps your dog understand that giving away his resources to a human is a good thing, so there’s no reason to guard them. Practice with different objects and different people.
Add something tasty to it. Once you are at the point where your dog allows you to take something away from him, do so by asking him to drop, give him praise and a reward, then before returning the object put something really good (peanut butter or cream cheese) on it. Your dog will learn that allowing you access to a toy makes that toy way better!
Trading Game. In addition to teaching “drop” you can play the trading game with your dog. First, bring out several toys of about equal value. Give one toy to your dog and let him have it for a short time. Ask him to “drop”; praise and reward for his compliance, now trade the old toy with a new one. When you notice things are going well, you may phase out the treats and just do the trading.
Teach “Leave it”. This is a good command to have on cue, as it will be helpful when out for a walk with your dog and he is about to grab something or in the kitchen if something dangerous falls to the floor. To teach “leave it” start with a treat in your closed hand, say “leave it” and wait for your dog to back off your hand. The first time it may take several seconds, when he backs off praise and reward him by saying “take it” and allowing him to have the treat in your hand. Keep practicing until your dog can leave a treat in an open hand. Now practice with a treat on the floor (keep your hand covering it), say “leave it”, wait for your dog to back off of it, praise him, say “take it” and allow him to have the treat. Eventually your dog should be able to leave something that you throw onto the floor.
Location Guarding
The most common locations to guard are the dog’s sleeping area, which could be their bed or crate, you’re bed or the sofa. When dealing with location guarding the level of severity depends on the value of the resource and who is approaching. For example, a dog may allow a child to approach but not an adult, or the other way around.
The goal here is to make your dog feel that your approach is a good thing. Start by offering your dog high value treats while in these locations, and then start to lure him from the location. Keep practicing this over a number of sessions and like the food guarding, change the angle of your approach, the intervals and the person who does the exercise. Over time your dog will learn that good things always happen when people come near.
Teach your dog the OFF cue. If he is guarding furniture, teach him to jump off of it on cue. Get him up on a low set of stairs by patting them or luring him with a treat. Don’t give the treat yet (we want to reward for getting off, not jumping on surfaces). Say “off” and lure him onto the floor. Reward and praise him for getting off the stairs and having four feet on the floor.
Manage Your Dog’s Environment so he can’t Practice Guarding
Keep your dog from exhibiting resource guarding behavior by not moving past his acceptance level. If he growls when you get within 3 feet of his toy, stay more than that distance away. Even better, remove the toys he guards, so he can’t be triggered by accident. If he guards his dinner, feed him in his crate.
Maintenance
After your dog is happily accepting any human approach his food or toys, you are at a maintenance stage. Twice a week, at first, then once or twice a month, approach him while he’s eating, pick up the bowl, and plop in a handful of treats before setting it back down. Do the same with toys or bones as well. Occasionally practice the “drop” cue, replacing the surrendered object with something else if you really must take it away. Finally continue asking your dog to “say please” for the rest of your dog’s life. Incorporating new tricks as your dog learns them.
Please Note: Resource guarding is a very dangerous behavior exhibited by dogs and needs to be treated with great care. Please do not do any of the suggested exercises, except under the supervision of a trained professional dog behaviorist, if your dog has bitten or if you fear for your safety.
Credit goes to the following sources for much of the information in this article.
MINE!- A GUIDE TO RESOURCE GUARDING IN DOGS by Jean Donaldson
TAKE THE LEAD-Leadership Education for Anyone with a Dog by Terry Ryan
LEADER OF THE PACK-and Have Your Dog You for it by Patricia McConnell, PhD
copyright Liz Maslow, CPDT 2009
