arasara
Well-known member
How are you supposed to deal with resource guarding?? Although I love Faith to death, my little black "problem child" seems to have issues with resource guarding.
At first when she came she ate like she'd never seen food before. I can understand - another dog was there and she probably felt threatened because of where she came from. She was fed alone with her foster mom. If Kosmo came near her bowl she would growl at him.. not nice. She got told no and I took it away for 5 minutes. She used to eat her food then run to kosmo's and try to eat his too. I've now let her know that her food is hers and his food is his and neither one is to touch the other's bowls. (Kos takes a long time to eat.) She's been great with that..
Then we have these chicken jerkey chewies from Costco. If she's eating one and Kosmo gets up on the couch she growls at him. Great.. I take it away from her but I have to be honest with you guys and tell you that I've gotten my hand bit quite a few times from this. I've managed to train her to eat treats pretty, but when it comes to chicken jerkeys there is no going back. Last time I gave her one I ripped it up into tiny pieces and made her work for it - sit - no biting.. if she bit my fingers she couldn't have it. It killed her as I think it's her favorite treat, but she worked through it and eventually got the entire thing. Not the best thing for my fingers, but I am hoping she learned a lesson. My other option is to take them away completely, but I would really like to work through these issues.
I took her to avi's daddy's house yesterday and to keep her busy I brought alone one of those Texas Toothpicks (cow tails.) She was laying in the middle of the rug and Avi wanted to her to be in the bed so she didn't get squished (you never know with seniors) and so he moved her and she growled at him for getting too close to the toothpick I am assuming. Not nice again.. We took it away for 5 minutes and then left it and then took it and then gave it back. As long as she didn't growl at me for taking it, I gave it right back.
When we got home Avi's sister was over. She was playing with Faith and Kosmo with the hide a squirrel toy. She would squeak it and throw it. She growled at Kosmo when he came too close a few times. Again, I took it away.
This behavior is not acceptable at my house and I don't know how else I am supposed to deal with it other than saying NO and removing the offending object. If I yell "AHH NO!" Avi says to me "she's not deaf - don't shout at her." I know she's not but I can't have a low mean puppy voice - it has to be loud and mean, right? I have her in training and her trainer recommended that I spray her when she growls - I don't want to make her not like water and I can guarantee you I won't have a water bottle for every time she growls so I don't think that method will work for me. I don't have kids (thank God) but I do have a niece and nephew that like the dogs and if she ever tried that on them I think I would have a heart attack.
First time I've been saying AHH AHH and NO and taking it away - if it happens again I take her and put her in time out for 5 minutes. I don't know what else to do - does that even sound like it will help?? I am happy we got through the kibble issue - she left some of her food for the last few days which is a good sign to me - I think she knows it's going to keep coming.
What else can I do?
At first when she came she ate like she'd never seen food before. I can understand - another dog was there and she probably felt threatened because of where she came from. She was fed alone with her foster mom. If Kosmo came near her bowl she would growl at him.. not nice. She got told no and I took it away for 5 minutes. She used to eat her food then run to kosmo's and try to eat his too. I've now let her know that her food is hers and his food is his and neither one is to touch the other's bowls. (Kos takes a long time to eat.) She's been great with that..
Then we have these chicken jerkey chewies from Costco. If she's eating one and Kosmo gets up on the couch she growls at him. Great.. I take it away from her but I have to be honest with you guys and tell you that I've gotten my hand bit quite a few times from this. I've managed to train her to eat treats pretty, but when it comes to chicken jerkeys there is no going back. Last time I gave her one I ripped it up into tiny pieces and made her work for it - sit - no biting.. if she bit my fingers she couldn't have it. It killed her as I think it's her favorite treat, but she worked through it and eventually got the entire thing. Not the best thing for my fingers, but I am hoping she learned a lesson. My other option is to take them away completely, but I would really like to work through these issues.
I took her to avi's daddy's house yesterday and to keep her busy I brought alone one of those Texas Toothpicks (cow tails.) She was laying in the middle of the rug and Avi wanted to her to be in the bed so she didn't get squished (you never know with seniors) and so he moved her and she growled at him for getting too close to the toothpick I am assuming. Not nice again.. We took it away for 5 minutes and then left it and then took it and then gave it back. As long as she didn't growl at me for taking it, I gave it right back.
When we got home Avi's sister was over. She was playing with Faith and Kosmo with the hide a squirrel toy. She would squeak it and throw it. She growled at Kosmo when he came too close a few times. Again, I took it away.
This behavior is not acceptable at my house and I don't know how else I am supposed to deal with it other than saying NO and removing the offending object. If I yell "AHH NO!" Avi says to me "she's not deaf - don't shout at her." I know she's not but I can't have a low mean puppy voice - it has to be loud and mean, right? I have her in training and her trainer recommended that I spray her when she growls - I don't want to make her not like water and I can guarantee you I won't have a water bottle for every time she growls so I don't think that method will work for me. I don't have kids (thank God) but I do have a niece and nephew that like the dogs and if she ever tried that on them I think I would have a heart attack.
First time I've been saying AHH AHH and NO and taking it away - if it happens again I take her and put her in time out for 5 minutes. I don't know what else to do - does that even sound like it will help?? I am happy we got through the kibble issue - she left some of her food for the last few days which is a good sign to me - I think she knows it's going to keep coming.
What else can I do?