normally, Murphy is the sweetest, most docile creature ever - but last night I gave him his bedtime kong and we went upstairs and he jumped on the bed and after I got into the bed he started growling, got stiff, showed his teeth and after his Kong was done he got up and continued his resource guarding and after I tried calming him down and sweet talking him - he bit my thumb / hand.
I don’t yell, i didn’t get upset, I just got up and said we’re going for a walk outside which reset everything.
My aussie resource guards. He's bit twice, once over a jacket with treats in the pocket and once over a stick. We've learned that when the guarding is triggered we need to stop whatever we're trying to do with him. Then we get his treats and throw some to him. If he stops the guarding we grab whatever he had. If he doesn't we call him over with high value treats and get him out of whatever area he was guarding in. Once he's out of the area we'll grab whatever he was guarding.That has always worked.
Basically don't try to grab, pet, stand over, etc when he's guarding. It's an instinctual way that animals have survived. They have a treasure and they don't want you to take their treasure. They don't bite because they're all of the sudden mean or dislike you. They're frustrated and have instincts that tell them they need to keep this amazing thing.
Nope. It's the textbook what to do in resource guarding. Trading with treats doesn't teach a dog to continue unwanted behaviors. It takes the dogs focus away from what they're guarding. Here's a few articles you can read to learn more about resource guarding.
Does your dog resource guard? If so then that's awesome you can just call them to you and they stop but that isn't always the case with guarding. It's a specific behavior that often needs intervention.
I would recommend OP mitigate the risk but use leave it and trade me when the event is happening which does involve the use of treats and probably get help via a reputable trainer or behaviorist long term.
but what if they’re resource guarding an empty, normal treat container like a small Kong - no treats inside that are left, they’re done eating it and you just want to pet them / console them and they react accordingly with resource guarding behavior?
I feel like rewarding with treats in those RG moments after just passively endorses that behavior- but I’m not Cesar Milan 🤣
They don't just guard treats. My dog guarded sticks and rocks and a hole in the ground once. It's not just food it can be things they found and have decided they love. They don't want you to console or pet them so they growl which if you don't listen to can easily turn into a bite. Training leave it and trade me with treats doesn't endorse the behavior it teaches them that your hand coming near them and their treasure doesn't mean treasure time is over. It means better treats. And believe it or not your pets aren't always something dogs want.
I linked a few articles you could read to get a better understanding on resource guarding. They're ones I read at the beginning of my dogs guarding and 2 months in I just took a stick out of my dogs mouth which 2 months ago he would have tried to guard. The training works but you do you.
Edit to add: since your dog has bitten you I wouldn't rely on in the moment training anyway. I would contact a reputable trainer or behaviorist.
it’s like he goes into a weird trance i can’t explain it - the problem here is if he’s got his Kong downstairs I can pet him and pick up the Kong and move it elsewhere as needed with absolutely no issues- he doesn’t even bark - but upstairs in the bed it’s a different story - so no more treats / toys / kongs in the bed 😔
It's really rough! It sucks because it feels like it comes out of nowhere and the happy nice perfect dog you have can actually turn aggressive. The first few times my guy resource guarded I felt awful. It feels like he turns into a completely different dog and it hurt my trust with him. I think you're right with no more treats in bed. Just mitigate the risk before it happens and do whatever protocol you have if it does happen so that the biting doesn't occur.
My boy resource guards as well, but he is all bark no bite, if pushed on the issue he gives up and doesn’t escalate. So if he’s on the bed/couch and growls at me I stay calm but firmly say “get off the bed/couch” he may argue a bit but he does it. If he’s has something that I need to take from him (safety) he will try to block me by covering whatever it is with his body/head but if I say “leave it” he will leave it.
The first thing I would do if I was you is talk to a vet if this is a new behavior. Often times there can be underlying pain or discomfort due to an unknown illness. After ruling out any medical reason for this behavior I would probably not let him have the kong in bed. If he had a Kong or special treat have him go to a dog bed or his crate if you do that. If he continues growling at you on the bed without any treats in bed I would say he probably shouldn’t be in the bed, or if he is there should be rules around the bed so it doesn’t escalate to a bite like this.
You could also hire a trainer to help you work through these issues with him. I’m sorry you got hurt :( it sucks. My boy hasn’t bite me over resource guarding but there has been a few times when playing with him his teeth hit my skin (open mouth) and it breaks the skin making it bleed on my thumb that is weak skin due to being a skin graft from a burn. It sucks
Also our boys loook fairly similar! Love the black tri!
this is helpful - thank you!! My little boy is two years old so still very much in the puppy phase - but the resource guarding has become a little more assertive as he’s gotten older which is frustrating to me.
normally, I can always move toys, pick them up or pick him up and change positions without any issue, but sometimes, rarely, on the bed is different…
They’re so cute when they’re puppies but then they start having their own opinions😟Better nip it in the bud now while he’s still young before it becomes an ingrained response!
like - this picture happens 3-4x / day - he’ll find his Kong and bring it to me to engage me in treat time. This is not the average behavior of a dog that resource guards - there must be something else to it 😔
Man, that sucks and you are so patient. My dog gets very weird with her chew sticks around a specific cat. If I just call my cats name dog will beat feet to find her disgusting chew stick. No idea why one cat and not other. She's never bitten the cat but she's Def guarding her stick. She's fine with food, treats, toys, but chew sticks must be guarded from Dyna the cat at all costs. I've watched other cat roll off the couch, bounce off sleeping dog and land on her beloved chew stick and she just freezes. Would never guard anything from other cat who has ch (special needs).
As far as me, she's growled at me a few times. Its a very low rumbling " back the fuck off" growl she'll do if I hug on her. She gets the point across and it's pretty scary. No idea if she'd bite me but don't want to find out. She's not a snuggly dog, I get it.
We've watched a bunch of Caesar Millan videos on resource guarding that were very helpful. We are also learning "leave it" in puppy class which I think will help our Aussie when he's got his kong and we need to take it or move it. The biggest thing is that you have to be the dominant one and you have to get them submissive or else it'll only get worse.
6
u/Wonderful_Site_1056 1d ago
My aussie resource guards. He's bit twice, once over a jacket with treats in the pocket and once over a stick. We've learned that when the guarding is triggered we need to stop whatever we're trying to do with him. Then we get his treats and throw some to him. If he stops the guarding we grab whatever he had. If he doesn't we call him over with high value treats and get him out of whatever area he was guarding in. Once he's out of the area we'll grab whatever he was guarding.That has always worked.
Basically don't try to grab, pet, stand over, etc when he's guarding. It's an instinctual way that animals have survived. They have a treasure and they don't want you to take their treasure. They don't bite because they're all of the sudden mean or dislike you. They're frustrated and have instincts that tell them they need to keep this amazing thing.