Resource guarding issues

[lightchrst]

Hi all, I’m struggling with my 2 y.o. Malinois mutt’s resource guarding behavior. She doesn’t like to share water, food, or toys (although water can be negotiated). The worst though is that she would sometimes guard the space around me and be aggressive towards other dogs who want me to pet them. I am considering working with a professional but before I can save up enough $ for that, I am wondering what I can do on my own to alleviate this issue.
She’s very obedient otherwise, knows basic commands, and even recall (when sniffing/playing w others) works perfectly 7 out of 10 times.

 

[rgw00]

@lightchrst Mals can be prone to a variety of guarding behaviours, and without proper training, it can escalate very quickly and with a lot of intensity. I know you mentioned that professional help is not something you can't afford right now, but I would truly prioritize that. Ideally, a certified behavioural consultant through IAABC would be best.

As a rule, I don't believe that dogs—especially those who struggle with it already—should be made to share any of those resources with other dogs. Pushing her right now to share will very likely escalate the situation. For management, I would let her keep those things to herself.

You could try working on a casual 'out' cue, simply as an exercise (I wouldn't actually use it in practice, but more so as a way to rehearse letting things go and to flex those muscles). Even practicing and rewarding moments where she turns away from food, from a toy, etc., could be a good start. If she's happy to eat from your hand, that's also a great bonding exercise and a way to communicate that hands GIVE food, not take it away. But approach things slowly and intuitively! I don't know how severe her resource guarding is, and these exercises are geared towards mild cases.

Handler guarding is a different issue and, once again, I highly suggest you seek out professional help as soon as you can. Rewarding neutrality and disengagement is a great start though.

 

[lightchrst]

@rgw00 Thanks a lot!

She’s happy to eat from people’s hand and she is never aggressive/ shows resource guarding towards humans. A stranger can take away her food and she’ll be fine. It’s sharing with dogs that we struggle with. Especially when it comes to sharing my affection with them.

I will definitely prioritize professional training, thank you!

 

[justkevin85]

@lightchrst Susan Garrett has very good videos on YouTube regarding resource guarding and the benefits of positive training methods, behavior modification, and working with a Certified Veterinary Behaviorist. Jean Donaldson's book Mine is considered the gold standard for RG protocol. A lot of the commands that you have discussed are valuable and can help in these scenarios. Drilling accuracy under distraction would be a great idea. As another poster said, a "Bring Me" and an "Out" cue, when done correctly for the RG dog, are valuable.

Some things that have worked for me not mentioned above are creating a positive CER to muzzle training and a strong "look at me" cue. Also, long daily walks and Prozac and Trazadone. Mine resource guards me as well, so you have figure out what is happening when they guard you and try to redirect them before they rehearse the behavior. You want to stop as much of the behavior rehearsal as possible before it becomes that much more difficult to reverse. A suggestion would be to write down all instances of RG, date, time of day, place, what/ who they guarded, and what the outcome was. Find the patterns and then come up with a plan with a trainer on how to stop them.

 

[lightchrst]

@justkevin85 Thank you! This sounds like a comprehensive plan. Will start by checking out Mine from my library today.

 

[justkevin85]

@lightchrst Excellent! Please watch this YouTube video as well for more information on resource guarding behavior modification as well as the appropriate disclaimers on how to handle this correctly. I have watched it and rewatched over the last several months, and the advice has helped tremendously. My dog is a year old and has to wear a muzzle around other dogs, but I have been able to almost completely stop the rehearsal of behavior by using the advice in the video and Jean's book along with the help of professionals in the matter of a month.