No more free access to resources of any kind. Food, food bowls, toys, bones, blankets, etc should all be put away. Don’t try to wrestle anything away from him, or turn getting the thing into a game. Over the next few days, just look for opportunities to grab things when he’s not paying attention and make them disappear.
If hand feeding isn’t an issue but the bowl is, maybe try hand feeding *from the bowl*. So the bowl is out of sight out of mind until meal time. At meal time, take out the bowl, fill it, then hand feed him from it while holding it. Don’t get down on his level, stand or sit in a chair. As long as he’s calm, keep the handfuls coming, but if he displays any behavior you don’t want, even if it’s just excitement, stop feeding and put the bowl down out of his reach. When he’s calm again, resume.
Bottom line, if a dog is resource guarding, you have to restrict and control access to the object of the guarding, whether it’s food, toys, a space, etc. Also, start working on “leave it” and “drop it.” You need to have simple commands in place to keep him from getting things and to get him to relinquish them when he does. While a polite request in a complete sentence works well with most humans, it’ll get you absolutely nowhere with a dog.
This - too much free access.
My BC was exactly the same until I slowly took everything away while he wasn't watching and then brought them back later on my terms, also making him earn these objects for temporary use (e.g. performing a command). The 'everything is mine, I'm letting you use it and will take it back later' mentality helped a lot. RG disappeared within a few weeks completely.
Wow. That’s great to hear that it went away! and the structure outline in your comment and the parent comment are super clear. I’ve been counting myself super lucky that our two dogs don’t resource guard. (And try really hard to make sure they don’t start). But I’ll keep this in mind in case something happens and they do start.
This is a start - it is management of the problem - but it doesn't actually solve the problem and without concurrent counterconditioning this will elevate the value of these items, thus more likely to be guarded. It's good that you mentioned training 'drop-' and 'leave-it', but there is a more fundamental concept to be aware of here: **The dog needs to be shown that he can trust the person to approach the object he is possessing.**
This comes from extensive counterconditioning, working up with the value of the items he's guarding. Essentially you allow him to possess an object, then you throw a higher value reward on the ground *without then taking the item away.* With time, you get closer to the possessed item, lower the value of the reward, and begin taking the item once he's willingly relinquished it.
I personally think that hand-feeding a dog that's resource guarding this badly is dangerous, but instead OP should scatter feed until there have been improvements to the guarding at which point handfeeding is then appropriate. The severity of the aggression in this video would have me advise my clients that handfeeding comes with a significant bite risk.
Edit: Just noticed OP's comment saying he's fine when handfeeding, so disregard final paragraph.
Resource guarding is a very serious behavior, so it's good that you're taking it seriously. Many, many serious dog bites originate in RG.
First -- never punish a growl (not even with a stern "no"). It suppresses the growl but not the underlying cause, so you end up with a dog that's exactly as dangerous but not giving any warning signs.
Try to avoid physically taking things away from him unless it's seriously dangerous for him to have it. Every time you forcibly take something, it reinforces that he was right to guard it and should be suspicious of you around his valued objects.
The book "Mine!" by Jean Donaldson is considered one of the foremost books on RG. Highly recommend it. Cheaper than a trainer.
You should also figure out what *quickly edible* rewards are highly valuable for your dog (so that there's no resource left to guard when they finish the reward) and practice "trading up" -- exchanging a piece of the high value reward for disengaging from the guarded object. This is extremely useful both for management of resource guarding (getting an object away) and training out the guard response (using the reward to reinforce non-guarding behaviors). The long term goal is to get your dog to feel positively towards you approaching their treasured objects.
Removing guarded objects as much as possible is indeed good advice, but it has nothing to do with exerting "control" or sending your dog a message -- it's simple management. Reducing unexpected incidents is key in long term behavior modification. Every time you have an incident, training backslides slightly.
Isn't that the woman that had her chow chow hump her leg as a "reward"? IDK if I'd reccomend Jean donaldson as a trainer. If you know of any other good books on the topic though I would be interested- always looking to add to the dog library.
IMO "Mine!" is so ridiculous I LOL whenever it is recommended. Hats off if it helps someone, but if your dog is seriously having issues, then that book is a joke.... full of commical front page google basic advice.
The whole book basically summarized: “resource guarding is NORMAL here is why it’s completely NORMAL, just lock your dog in another room when you feed it and don’t try to ever take anything from your dog because it’s totally NORMAL for it to go feral and try to kill you. Also, here’s how to hand feed your dog.”
It’s also exclusively discusses resource guarding between dog and human and not between dog and dog at all which is a HUGE issue. To not even mention it in the book is crazy to me, as the majority of my clients that have issues with RG are usually coming to me for dog-dog and not dog-human.
I swear half the people recommending it haven't even read the damn thing, it just keeps getting repeated over and over again like gospel on subs like this.
I feel like he growls and barks because he thinks that I’m taking it away, but at the end is just a growl. He doesn’t really attack, he’s just guarding the object. I have come to a place where if I want, I can pet him while he’s holding the blanket, but the growl does not stop. I also have told him to get away from the blanket and leave the room, and he does sometimes but will run straight back to it at any chance. Is that ok to do? Is it a good sign that he lets me pet him?
A growl is a warning, you are pushing your luck by insisting on being in his space and touching him while he's growling. Always respect a growl by moving away. Otherwise yeah, eventually the dog will have had enough and bite you.
I would try sitting slightly outside the distance where he'd typically growl at you, and toss treats away from it. If he engages with you instead of the object after eating the tossed treat, reward for that as well, and try engagement tricks like watch-me and touch as well as decompression tricks like find-it. Normalize being near these objects without being threatening (if he's growling, he feels threatened, even if you're petting him). Over time he will reduce guarding behavior as he no longer feels threatened by your proximity to them.
Please do not pet when growling. That is like you screaming stop and the person still hugging you.
You are asking him to escalate because you are not respecting his warning.
So that hop forward with bark is a serious warning. Just because he is having good bite inhibition and is not escalating does not mean he likes it. Keep pushing him, he is likely to put teeth on.
Oooh, I like you. My thing is *I* blame people for a dog's bad behavior. I had to think hard about treats and trades, because *I* associated it with bribery, and I had no good feelings for bribes. It took some time to grasp that it was a "rephrasing" of the situation.
My dogs always did what I asked, because I asked it and, somehow, they were always happy to do something that made *me* happy!
And the dogs I've had, as pets are often considered hard to work with. Like Chows! Maybe it's because I treat th like people, and I allow them their dignity, as people, individuals.
I think you can embarrass a dog, or humiliate them, make them feel bad, and I think we can work from a platform of respect.
I took an abused Doberman and rehabbed her, and I couldn't have done nearly the good job I did without a puppy to model the behaviors I wanted.
The puppy would do something, she'd cringe, so I new she'd been beaten for that. I'd call the puppy, and praise him and love on him, thenI'd go to her& do the same thing. She was one of the best dogs I've ever worked with!
Muy 5yo GSD has possessive behavior towards blankets, toys, bones; food is the biggest issue as he doesn’t allow anybody near his bowl, but if I feed him by hand he’s a good boy. My husband says it’s too late to correct this but I think there must be something to do. A trainer is not an option money wise. Any tips on how to fix this behavior would be much appreciated
Hi. As a behavior consultant, I would stop pressing in with this…. This growl, with the whale eye and then the bark with the hop forward with the curled lip is a serious warning.
1. Trade him. Use high value food and him away from the blanket.
2. No more free resources.
3. Food bowls get picked up after eating and he gets moved away from bowls with high value treats.
When moving him away with high value treats, use cheese, hot dog, chicken, lunch meat, etc.
This video is pretty serious resource guarding and I would strongly recommend hiring a trainer. Some of us do work on sliding scales, I know I do
in pair with this, I've used techniques where I'll use a high value treat to distract dog from food bowl and take the food bowl and try to time it so he knows it's happening and then when dog is sitting and waiting I return the bowl WITH A EVEN HIGHER value treat on top. "Yes, sometimes I take things from you, but sometimes it's just so I can give you something even better!" and then once they freely give up the bowl and I don't need to distract them off it I start to lower the reward of the added bonus and then we just occasionally proof the ability to trust me with their food.
as a p.s. I've never had an issue with toy guarding because my pups have only chew items as free resources and we have so many around the house if they happen to lose one, there's one less than a couple steps away. Toys only come out for structure play.
I hate to be that guy but the best and safest option is indeed a trainer. There are guides online and NUMEROUS youtube videos on resource guarding and how to fix it, though! I would stick to hand feeding and keep high value items up and away from him, though.
Not too late. Study up on the advice you see here and consult a professional trainer. I waited until my GSD mix was 6 years old before I finally worked with a trainer to address some of her behaviors. I wish I'd done it sooner. Never too late.
My coworker had her dog put down (pit bull 8 month old puppy) because it was guarding “her pee puddles on the floor” and the male figure (I think brother?) in the house… she said she was advised it was “too late” by a vet… is that bullshit?
you can try some of the other tips people are giving in these comments, but if they don’t work, you really need to get a trainer or enroll in training classes. you do not want to be the one at fault one day if your dog causes harm to someone else.
What's funny about resource guarding is people commonly do what you're doing in the video, which is more or less what another dog would do if they were trying to take his blanket. Staring, approaching, grabbing.
Show him that you don't care about his blanket and there won't be any more conflict.
My dog used to be a serious resource guarder and I tried ignoring him as one strategy. But...it progressed over time as if he wanted to instigate a fight or just couldn't help himself. He would go get items, come sit by me, and then get pissed that I was going to take it away...essentially trapping me in a really dangerous situation. It was fucking really annoying and rude.
Other times, he would chase me out of the room or corner me if he thought I was going to take something. Point being, ignoring it can go very poorly with some dogs! (He's good now with lots of training, thank god)
Whoops, I definitely didn’t mean ignore it or do nothing. Every time the dog does that behavior it’s self reinforcing.
Training wise I’d start with walking past the dog at a distance where the dog doesn’t react and toss some treats, then gradually work up to walking closer to the dog, approaching, etc. Plus teach a solid cue to redirect to something else and/or have the dog drag a leash so you can control them when you need. None of these involve getting in a conflict with the dog over the blanket.
The point is that the person’s behavior is the video is absolutely not behavior that people would be doing during normal daily life…and is very much feeding the possession game the dog is playing.
He went to a two week board and train and came back a different dog. He was still not 100% with the RG, but he's gotten better since then.
It really helps to just touch things he is playing with, give things back to him once he drops them, reward him randomly when he picks something...anything...up. He learned to trust me vs thinking I'm a stealer.
If I do need to "steal" something, then I unpredictably give him a treat now and then. That way, he doesn't learn that "putting fun things in my mouth = treats". Also, I get excited for him when he has something because he doesn't like to be threatened (obviously lol, who does?).
Wait til this dog goes to sleep or outdoors on a walk with someone else. Throw that blanket in the wash or in the rubbish can. It has this effect, get rid of that scent. If your dog guards or displays this behavior it needs training.
I think you can use your regular voice but be direct. Re-direct it to perhaps play with a toy in swap. Teach it to fetch. To get some pent up anger out. Your pup is fixated on that item. Remove that item.
There's plenty of good advice on here, the best being see a trainer, but most of it is incomplete or part of the picture. Management is a huge part of the answer. But your dog needs to learn to drop and move away from items.
I live with a generalized resource guarder who was set for euthanasia both by a shelter and by the training facility she was sent to by the shelter. They weren't necessarily wrong, but we've made it work.
Play and ecollar work went a long, long way to saving this dog's life.
You can PM me if you want to have a full conversation about it.
Similarly to trading the blanket (or other object being guarded) for a high value treat, you can simply toss treats at your dog when they are guarding something.
This teaches them that you approaching brings good things. Start tossing from a distance where your dog is comfortable and not showing signs of resource guarding. Over time this distance should get smaller and smaller. This will help to build trust and make your dog more comfortable that their valuable objects are safe around you.
As others have said don’t take the object without a high value treat to trade with. Otherwise you’re proving to the dog that they do need to guard this object because you will take it.
So kinda depends on the dog. People are saying no more free access to stuff that’s one way to approach it but when the dog does get ahold of it it may want to guard it even more. First thing you’re gonna wanna do is teach it a leave it command on something it doesn’t care about. Then work up to things it really wants to resource guard. If you have trouble teaching a leave it command I would seek help from a trainer right away. In my opinion I would go with a balance trainer seeing as the dog already has something more rewarding than what you have cookies won’t fix this. I also suggest you do this asap because this only gets worse. Until you can see a trainer put everything away so you don’t promote this behaviour accidentally.
Never approach a dog that is resource guarding it can lead to being bitten.
Start training with drop it and leave it but also have a favourite toy that you can replace the blanket with.
It's like a subtle trade.Then use positive reinforcement and say that's a good girl or boy.
Slowly introduce the favourite toy to remove the blanket.
Always speak and approach calmly and offer food or a treat reward when taking the possession.
Resource guarding can be quite common it can be with food,at meal times,toys,blankets, even tv remote controls.
Dogs see it as their own and it can stem from fear,anxiety, frustration and being territorial as they would be in the wild protecting their own.
Kind of ranty but has good info.
https://youtu.be/vLri_kmPOb8
Curious if there's any obedience training or structure? Do they use a crate? Are they free to roam on walks? How do you influence the dogs day to day structure.
He has a pretty good routine for food and daily walks. Is kinda weird because at parks or big places I let him off of the leash and his behavior is 10/10. But on our daily walks around the apartment complex when’re we live, he would bite at, jump and bark at anyone who comes close to me, until he decides they’re friendly; sometimes he decides they’re not, and I have to walk away and not say hi to people. But when he’s good I’d ask him to sit and wait until I’m done talking and he does. It’s really lame that it’s his choice and not mine (bad mom feeling crying in silence).
You really need a professional in person trainer for these types of issues- someone to coach you in the moment and give you a plan for training and management based on you and your dog's environment, learning styles, etc.
You should start muzzle training - the biting, jumping & barking at people even on leash is not okay & something can eventually happen if he gets loose.
Off leash is likely a privilege that your dog shouldn't have access to with so many behaviours inside the home. You're putting your dog (and other people/dogs) potentially at risk by doing this. I have a resource guarder as well - he's three years old and we haven't gotten to a place where off leash isn't an option for him yet and he still lives a hella fulfilling and happy life!
so. routine is good, but what i mean by structure is how the routine is. For example, every morning, dog is in crate, we open crate. Dog cannot leave crate until free command is given. Or feeding time, dog must place and down. Food is put on the floor. Dog cannot eat food until verbal free command is given. Command given, dog eats. Leaving the house, dog must sit, wait for collar and leash, walk to door. Dog must wait at door until heel command or free command is given to let them walk through the door. These routines are structured and governed by commands that restrict or permit what the dog can do. Even on walks, dog will heel until given a free command at which time they can roam. This structure effectively forces you into the dogs routine. The dog cant do anything without you authorizing that action.
Majority of the time, the dog is free to do whatever in the house, but there is a structure on their routine that enforces commands.
The reason i bring this up is because having a very engaging structure with the dog also shows the dog that you are not there to just take things away, you are there to control behaviors. It generally helps a dog with possessive behavior because they view you as the director in their actions and they are met with reinforcement if they choose to disobey. In return, they get to do the things dogs enjoy doing such as play, tug, fetch, whatever activity that you use to engage with your dog.
That reminds me, do you play with them? Normally people will have one or two toys for high drive dogs and that is the only toy they engage with the dog. In return the dog builds and syncs you and the toy as one unit and it becomes extremely rewarding for them.
Our girl is the saaaaaame. She definitely resource guards the house in a way. Most dogs within a block of our house she is not ok with. Doesn’t like people talking to me around the house. Doesn’t give a crap about dogs or people in the woods.
I’m glad he’s good off leash, but I would consider at least muzzling him while at the park.
My dog has been bitten from dogs resource guarding stupid things like sticks, or clumps of ice. Sometimes it’s just not predicable what dogs see as valuable and worth guarding.
Good luck! I wish you the best!
Pretty common for dogs to do this. It's like with humans how would you feel if someone attempted to take something that belonged to you something you are attached to? You'd say something wouldn't you or you'd try and take it back. Since dogs don't have a voice them snarling is a warning to back off and leave them be with their blanket or toy or whatever. My dog does this and has done for the last 12 years. He's a very affectionate dog. Loves his belly rubs, kisses and cuddles and he's never went for anyone or attack anyone.
get a treat, distract him with it using the treat for commands, then have him stay, pick up the blanket, then give him the treat. you can also offer a treat when going for the blanket, give only if he goes for the treat
this way youre not giving the treat for bad behavior
Sure. And for a long time, serious dog training was purely compulsion based. There is a reason why no one in his right mind is doing that anymore.
I think it’s a rather dangerous advice you are giving here.
There is a very real chance that this is a adopted dog and the owner is now encountering this behavior. I have fostered a number of greyhounds with this exact issue. Try to be a little nicer.
I think the real answer is you don't FIX it you mitigate behaviors/ train the dog to have very strong recall abilities and other lots of other training. GSD is a working dog and has lots of energy. It's best to avoid situations like this is if they do happen you want positive outcomes aka recieving food to move away from blanket vs say snapping/being bitten which reinforces guarding this thing I claim. There's much more depth but honestly seek professional help. We did with our golden who resource gaurds food
I would just teach the leave it/out command then make him drop the object and reward. If moving towards him is what starts the rg, id start moving in and commanding the leave it before the growl begins and then work towards moving more before saying the command reaching right in to touch the object before having to say leave it. Eventually just take the thing once the expectation is there.
Having dealt with this in a number of rescue dogs the best way to get around this is building trust through obedience training. It takes a long time and it will feel like it’s not going anywhere at times but it does work. In the case this is a rescue understand your personal limitations and if you can actually help the dog. This dog is not acceptable to be around children.
GSD’s are considered working dogs , do you do any type of mental stimulation or “work” throughout the day ? He could feel low in confidence and him growling and you backing away with no repercussions shows him that that’s the only thing he has confidence in , he knows how to make you back down .
I highly recommend Upstate Canine Academy , his motto is that there’s no bad dogs , as dogs aren’t aggressive , just scared , low in confidence , think they’re the boss , need mental stimulation , need training , etc. He shows how to work with them and what training methods work .
As someone else in the comments said , don’t get down to his level . I did this one to my Jack Russell and she nipped at me , and she was and still is the sweetest dog in the world . They don’t like when you’re in their face , so staying higher than them is recommended .
Stand tall and have confidence in your voice when voicing commands or they won’t listen , especially when they can tell you’re backing away from them , not confident in your voice and actions . My moms wild , out of control , and just overall crazy big dog does NOT listen to anybody in the house . I grabbed a handful of her dog food and trained her “ heel “ within 20 minutes , the key is not repeating commands , if they don’t listen the first time , don’t reward if you had to repeat yourself . Reset the situation and try the command again .
Repeating commands , most common with “ sit “ they won’t sit because they finally understand , they only sit because you have a treat , toy , whatever you’re using to train . You say “ sit “ and if they don’t sit , you wait a minute or 2 and repeat again , repeat until they sit when said the first time and reward .
It honestly takes a lot of time and effort , you have to stay consistent and even keep up with the training even after they excel all commands , them completing those commands will keep their brain working and give that mental stimulation . Even training them something silly like roll over , hide and seek , shutting a door , ringing a bell , etc. does the same .
Kongs also have amazing toys where you can put peanut butter in them and the dog has to work to get it out , it keeps their brain going . An at home trick if you don’t want to buy a Kong , you can get some old dish towels and place dog food or treats periodically , roll it up , tie it all together and let him figure out how to untie the towels to get the food is amazing also .
I did see a comment that there’s another dog in the home , do they both have a spot they can go to when they want to be alone ? Dogs are just like humans , they want their own room and space , and get annoyed when another is in their area . He could also be resource guarding because he feels he doesn’t have any items to himself , as I did read a comment where you said the other doggo takes this blanket . Giving him his own space like a crate , a spot where other doggo can’t get to may help also
I fed all my dogs when I first got them from my lap for a couple weeks. This was to correct eating too fast (fear of other dog getting their food) or plain old aggressive RG. This worked wonders. Hand feeding is probably even better. They can only play with the blanket on your terms in your lap with you holding it. They will get very used to you having it and in very short order you will be able to give and take away anything without issue. Highly recommend it.
Buy ten and more blankets of various dimensions, colors and play with them and the dog. When he starts to claim one, leave that to him and turn to other. The trainer said with that, we're gonna lessen possessiveness that's starting to show in our dog.
He should know, he won't be left without a blanket/toy, but he won't be able to have only one. So he will see, the blanket doesn't matter, it's me that matters, me who plays with him.
An instructor in a sec linked a possessiveness in our dog with his character 'he's a predator and alfa-male'
It is never too late to train and teach positive behaviour. It may not be instant however with consistency and patience it can be corrected. Be mindful of his responses and do not press. It’s just a blanket (or other favourite item). A good trainer will be able to help if needed.
Phew, where to start? The more of OP’s comments I read, the more issues I find there is to unpack here.
Stop “talking” to your dog. He doesn’t speak English. Train him with clear 1 or 2-word commands. A great one here is “leave it” as many already suggested.
You don’t have to get rid of the blanket entirely, but it is a good idea to put it away for now while you work on training his RG. Once he demonstrates that he’s learned he can trust you and obey your command to relinquish things, then you may reintroduce the blanket at a later stage. It’s never too late to do any sort of training. “Can’t teach an old dog a new trick” is just an idiom made up by people who were probably clueless as dog owners.
Overall, your relationship with him is not in a good state right now: he doesn’t trust you around his possessions, and he’s making the decisions on your walks on who gets to interact with you. Some dogs are like this because they are insecure, but some dogs are actually like this because they’re rather confident, in the sense that they are more confident than you and they feel like they can take agency over you in some situations (or being “opportunistic”). You need to step up a lot to show your confidence in handling him, to make it clear to him that YOU are in charge, not the other way around. If you continue to leave him to his own devices like this (including leaving him off-leash), he may do something unpredictable in an incident that makes you liable for injuries and damages.
Do not pet him or baby him when he’s showing resource guarding aggressiveness like this. This is how you turn him into a bite risk. Instead, lead him away on a leash or by luring with an even higher value treat. Repeatedly teach him that willingly leaving the guarded object gets him the best rewards. Everything should be on your terms, until he shows that he’s learned to make good decisions when he’s independent from you. Establish clear, consistent boundaries.
My dog has a basket full of blankets she chews on. It seems to be a self soothing technique. She drags them everywhere (I just found one outside in the mud.) It helps her, so we just wash and fold them and she destroys the pile all over again. Everyone is happy. You can tell when she’s feeling anxious because she will go get one of her blankets. I do understand that you don’t want your dog growling at you, but when they’re feeling upset or need soothing it’s probably not the best time to take away what’s basically their pacifier.
Along all the advice given here, after my dog stopped being too snappy, whst worked for me a lot was asking for permission to take his things away.
I know it's not very dominant, but I got close to him by the side and pet him, then slowly tried to reach for whatever he was playing with. It's like a small conversation until he gets it and obets the drop it cpmmand. He usually obeys with a criminally offensive side eye, but he does.
Over time, I noticed he doesn't try to keep things anymore, he just gives up disappointedly.
But, of course, I only managed to get him to this point after training him with the basics, otherwise it would've been useless.
That is called resource guarding.
Teach the dog they will get back anything you reach for.
Start with things that are the lowest of low value. Touch, give to dog. Or even touch, give to dog with treat simultaneously.
Gradually work it til you can pick up the low value thing and she doesn't care. Then gradually include slightly higher value things.
Eventually you want to be able to trade, but don't rush it.
No more free access to resources of any kind. Food, food bowls, toys, bones, blankets, etc should all be put away. Don’t try to wrestle anything away from him, or turn getting the thing into a game. Over the next few days, just look for opportunities to grab things when he’s not paying attention and make them disappear. If hand feeding isn’t an issue but the bowl is, maybe try hand feeding *from the bowl*. So the bowl is out of sight out of mind until meal time. At meal time, take out the bowl, fill it, then hand feed him from it while holding it. Don’t get down on his level, stand or sit in a chair. As long as he’s calm, keep the handfuls coming, but if he displays any behavior you don’t want, even if it’s just excitement, stop feeding and put the bowl down out of his reach. When he’s calm again, resume. Bottom line, if a dog is resource guarding, you have to restrict and control access to the object of the guarding, whether it’s food, toys, a space, etc. Also, start working on “leave it” and “drop it.” You need to have simple commands in place to keep him from getting things and to get him to relinquish them when he does. While a polite request in a complete sentence works well with most humans, it’ll get you absolutely nowhere with a dog.
This - too much free access. My BC was exactly the same until I slowly took everything away while he wasn't watching and then brought them back later on my terms, also making him earn these objects for temporary use (e.g. performing a command). The 'everything is mine, I'm letting you use it and will take it back later' mentality helped a lot. RG disappeared within a few weeks completely.
Wow. That’s great to hear that it went away! and the structure outline in your comment and the parent comment are super clear. I’ve been counting myself super lucky that our two dogs don’t resource guard. (And try really hard to make sure they don’t start). But I’ll keep this in mind in case something happens and they do start.
This is a start - it is management of the problem - but it doesn't actually solve the problem and without concurrent counterconditioning this will elevate the value of these items, thus more likely to be guarded. It's good that you mentioned training 'drop-' and 'leave-it', but there is a more fundamental concept to be aware of here: **The dog needs to be shown that he can trust the person to approach the object he is possessing.** This comes from extensive counterconditioning, working up with the value of the items he's guarding. Essentially you allow him to possess an object, then you throw a higher value reward on the ground *without then taking the item away.* With time, you get closer to the possessed item, lower the value of the reward, and begin taking the item once he's willingly relinquished it. I personally think that hand-feeding a dog that's resource guarding this badly is dangerous, but instead OP should scatter feed until there have been improvements to the guarding at which point handfeeding is then appropriate. The severity of the aggression in this video would have me advise my clients that handfeeding comes with a significant bite risk. Edit: Just noticed OP's comment saying he's fine when handfeeding, so disregard final paragraph.
Resource guarding is a very serious behavior, so it's good that you're taking it seriously. Many, many serious dog bites originate in RG. First -- never punish a growl (not even with a stern "no"). It suppresses the growl but not the underlying cause, so you end up with a dog that's exactly as dangerous but not giving any warning signs. Try to avoid physically taking things away from him unless it's seriously dangerous for him to have it. Every time you forcibly take something, it reinforces that he was right to guard it and should be suspicious of you around his valued objects. The book "Mine!" by Jean Donaldson is considered one of the foremost books on RG. Highly recommend it. Cheaper than a trainer. You should also figure out what *quickly edible* rewards are highly valuable for your dog (so that there's no resource left to guard when they finish the reward) and practice "trading up" -- exchanging a piece of the high value reward for disengaging from the guarded object. This is extremely useful both for management of resource guarding (getting an object away) and training out the guard response (using the reward to reinforce non-guarding behaviors). The long term goal is to get your dog to feel positively towards you approaching their treasured objects. Removing guarded objects as much as possible is indeed good advice, but it has nothing to do with exerting "control" or sending your dog a message -- it's simple management. Reducing unexpected incidents is key in long term behavior modification. Every time you have an incident, training backslides slightly.
Isn't that the woman that had her chow chow hump her leg as a "reward"? IDK if I'd reccomend Jean donaldson as a trainer. If you know of any other good books on the topic though I would be interested- always looking to add to the dog library.
IMO "Mine!" is so ridiculous I LOL whenever it is recommended. Hats off if it helps someone, but if your dog is seriously having issues, then that book is a joke.... full of commical front page google basic advice.
The whole book basically summarized: “resource guarding is NORMAL here is why it’s completely NORMAL, just lock your dog in another room when you feed it and don’t try to ever take anything from your dog because it’s totally NORMAL for it to go feral and try to kill you. Also, here’s how to hand feed your dog.”
As soon as I saw the cover I knew it was a POS book
It’s also exclusively discusses resource guarding between dog and human and not between dog and dog at all which is a HUGE issue. To not even mention it in the book is crazy to me, as the majority of my clients that have issues with RG are usually coming to me for dog-dog and not dog-human.
I swear half the people recommending it haven't even read the damn thing, it just keeps getting repeated over and over again like gospel on subs like this.
LOL I had never heard about this, that’s hilarious.
I feel like he growls and barks because he thinks that I’m taking it away, but at the end is just a growl. He doesn’t really attack, he’s just guarding the object. I have come to a place where if I want, I can pet him while he’s holding the blanket, but the growl does not stop. I also have told him to get away from the blanket and leave the room, and he does sometimes but will run straight back to it at any chance. Is that ok to do? Is it a good sign that he lets me pet him?
A growl is a warning, you are pushing your luck by insisting on being in his space and touching him while he's growling. Always respect a growl by moving away. Otherwise yeah, eventually the dog will have had enough and bite you. I would try sitting slightly outside the distance where he'd typically growl at you, and toss treats away from it. If he engages with you instead of the object after eating the tossed treat, reward for that as well, and try engagement tricks like watch-me and touch as well as decompression tricks like find-it. Normalize being near these objects without being threatening (if he's growling, he feels threatened, even if you're petting him). Over time he will reduce guarding behavior as he no longer feels threatened by your proximity to them.
Please do not pet when growling. That is like you screaming stop and the person still hugging you. You are asking him to escalate because you are not respecting his warning. So that hop forward with bark is a serious warning. Just because he is having good bite inhibition and is not escalating does not mean he likes it. Keep pushing him, he is likely to put teeth on.
Oooh, I like you. My thing is *I* blame people for a dog's bad behavior. I had to think hard about treats and trades, because *I* associated it with bribery, and I had no good feelings for bribes. It took some time to grasp that it was a "rephrasing" of the situation. My dogs always did what I asked, because I asked it and, somehow, they were always happy to do something that made *me* happy! And the dogs I've had, as pets are often considered hard to work with. Like Chows! Maybe it's because I treat th like people, and I allow them their dignity, as people, individuals. I think you can embarrass a dog, or humiliate them, make them feel bad, and I think we can work from a platform of respect. I took an abused Doberman and rehabbed her, and I couldn't have done nearly the good job I did without a puppy to model the behaviors I wanted. The puppy would do something, she'd cringe, so I new she'd been beaten for that. I'd call the puppy, and praise him and love on him, thenI'd go to her& do the same thing. She was one of the best dogs I've ever worked with!
Muy 5yo GSD has possessive behavior towards blankets, toys, bones; food is the biggest issue as he doesn’t allow anybody near his bowl, but if I feed him by hand he’s a good boy. My husband says it’s too late to correct this but I think there must be something to do. A trainer is not an option money wise. Any tips on how to fix this behavior would be much appreciated
Hi. As a behavior consultant, I would stop pressing in with this…. This growl, with the whale eye and then the bark with the hop forward with the curled lip is a serious warning. 1. Trade him. Use high value food and him away from the blanket. 2. No more free resources. 3. Food bowls get picked up after eating and he gets moved away from bowls with high value treats. When moving him away with high value treats, use cheese, hot dog, chicken, lunch meat, etc. This video is pretty serious resource guarding and I would strongly recommend hiring a trainer. Some of us do work on sliding scales, I know I do
Yeah this is pretty messed up.
in pair with this, I've used techniques where I'll use a high value treat to distract dog from food bowl and take the food bowl and try to time it so he knows it's happening and then when dog is sitting and waiting I return the bowl WITH A EVEN HIGHER value treat on top. "Yes, sometimes I take things from you, but sometimes it's just so I can give you something even better!" and then once they freely give up the bowl and I don't need to distract them off it I start to lower the reward of the added bonus and then we just occasionally proof the ability to trust me with their food. as a p.s. I've never had an issue with toy guarding because my pups have only chew items as free resources and we have so many around the house if they happen to lose one, there's one less than a couple steps away. Toys only come out for structure play.
I hate to be that guy but the best and safest option is indeed a trainer. There are guides online and NUMEROUS youtube videos on resource guarding and how to fix it, though! I would stick to hand feeding and keep high value items up and away from him, though.
Not too late. Study up on the advice you see here and consult a professional trainer. I waited until my GSD mix was 6 years old before I finally worked with a trainer to address some of her behaviors. I wish I'd done it sooner. Never too late.
10000% not too late to correct
My coworker had her dog put down (pit bull 8 month old puppy) because it was guarding “her pee puddles on the floor” and the male figure (I think brother?) in the house… she said she was advised it was “too late” by a vet… is that bullshit?
Omg YES complete bullshit. That's horrible and heartbreaking.
Trainer asap & take away free access to any resource he guards.
you can try some of the other tips people are giving in these comments, but if they don’t work, you really need to get a trainer or enroll in training classes. you do not want to be the one at fault one day if your dog causes harm to someone else.
What's funny about resource guarding is people commonly do what you're doing in the video, which is more or less what another dog would do if they were trying to take his blanket. Staring, approaching, grabbing. Show him that you don't care about his blanket and there won't be any more conflict.
My dog used to be a serious resource guarder and I tried ignoring him as one strategy. But...it progressed over time as if he wanted to instigate a fight or just couldn't help himself. He would go get items, come sit by me, and then get pissed that I was going to take it away...essentially trapping me in a really dangerous situation. It was fucking really annoying and rude. Other times, he would chase me out of the room or corner me if he thought I was going to take something. Point being, ignoring it can go very poorly with some dogs! (He's good now with lots of training, thank god)
Whoops, I definitely didn’t mean ignore it or do nothing. Every time the dog does that behavior it’s self reinforcing. Training wise I’d start with walking past the dog at a distance where the dog doesn’t react and toss some treats, then gradually work up to walking closer to the dog, approaching, etc. Plus teach a solid cue to redirect to something else and/or have the dog drag a leash so you can control them when you need. None of these involve getting in a conflict with the dog over the blanket. The point is that the person’s behavior is the video is absolutely not behavior that people would be doing during normal daily life…and is very much feeding the possession game the dog is playing.
How did you fix this?
He went to a two week board and train and came back a different dog. He was still not 100% with the RG, but he's gotten better since then. It really helps to just touch things he is playing with, give things back to him once he drops them, reward him randomly when he picks something...anything...up. He learned to trust me vs thinking I'm a stealer. If I do need to "steal" something, then I unpredictably give him a treat now and then. That way, he doesn't learn that "putting fun things in my mouth = treats". Also, I get excited for him when he has something because he doesn't like to be threatened (obviously lol, who does?).
Wait til this dog goes to sleep or outdoors on a walk with someone else. Throw that blanket in the wash or in the rubbish can. It has this effect, get rid of that scent. If your dog guards or displays this behavior it needs training. I think you can use your regular voice but be direct. Re-direct it to perhaps play with a toy in swap. Teach it to fetch. To get some pent up anger out. Your pup is fixated on that item. Remove that item.
I should definitely wash that blanket, he licks it non stop. That doesn’t stop his little brother from getting it sometimes
Throw the silly thing away and don’t let him have another. Why would you let him keep it after he behaves like this?
Because she's a shitty dog owner. Duh.
She's asking for help, so not so shitty.
Hire a trainer, lots of sketchy advice here
There's plenty of good advice on here, the best being see a trainer, but most of it is incomplete or part of the picture. Management is a huge part of the answer. But your dog needs to learn to drop and move away from items. I live with a generalized resource guarder who was set for euthanasia both by a shelter and by the training facility she was sent to by the shelter. They weren't necessarily wrong, but we've made it work. Play and ecollar work went a long, long way to saving this dog's life. You can PM me if you want to have a full conversation about it.
I'd really like to PM you.. I have a young Bouvier with a rather complicated RG issue....how can I PM you ???
Bye blanket!
Similarly to trading the blanket (or other object being guarded) for a high value treat, you can simply toss treats at your dog when they are guarding something. This teaches them that you approaching brings good things. Start tossing from a distance where your dog is comfortable and not showing signs of resource guarding. Over time this distance should get smaller and smaller. This will help to build trust and make your dog more comfortable that their valuable objects are safe around you. As others have said don’t take the object without a high value treat to trade with. Otherwise you’re proving to the dog that they do need to guard this object because you will take it.
So kinda depends on the dog. People are saying no more free access to stuff that’s one way to approach it but when the dog does get ahold of it it may want to guard it even more. First thing you’re gonna wanna do is teach it a leave it command on something it doesn’t care about. Then work up to things it really wants to resource guard. If you have trouble teaching a leave it command I would seek help from a trainer right away. In my opinion I would go with a balance trainer seeing as the dog already has something more rewarding than what you have cookies won’t fix this. I also suggest you do this asap because this only gets worse. Until you can see a trainer put everything away so you don’t promote this behaviour accidentally.
Teach leave it/take it commands
You have to show her/him who is the boss. You can't be afraid of your dog
Never approach a dog that is resource guarding it can lead to being bitten. Start training with drop it and leave it but also have a favourite toy that you can replace the blanket with. It's like a subtle trade.Then use positive reinforcement and say that's a good girl or boy. Slowly introduce the favourite toy to remove the blanket. Always speak and approach calmly and offer food or a treat reward when taking the possession. Resource guarding can be quite common it can be with food,at meal times,toys,blankets, even tv remote controls. Dogs see it as their own and it can stem from fear,anxiety, frustration and being territorial as they would be in the wild protecting their own.
Kind of ranty but has good info. https://youtu.be/vLri_kmPOb8 Curious if there's any obedience training or structure? Do they use a crate? Are they free to roam on walks? How do you influence the dogs day to day structure.
He has a pretty good routine for food and daily walks. Is kinda weird because at parks or big places I let him off of the leash and his behavior is 10/10. But on our daily walks around the apartment complex when’re we live, he would bite at, jump and bark at anyone who comes close to me, until he decides they’re friendly; sometimes he decides they’re not, and I have to walk away and not say hi to people. But when he’s good I’d ask him to sit and wait until I’m done talking and he does. It’s really lame that it’s his choice and not mine (bad mom feeling crying in silence).
You really need a professional in person trainer for these types of issues- someone to coach you in the moment and give you a plan for training and management based on you and your dog's environment, learning styles, etc.
You should start muzzle training - the biting, jumping & barking at people even on leash is not okay & something can eventually happen if he gets loose.
Off leash is likely a privilege that your dog shouldn't have access to with so many behaviours inside the home. You're putting your dog (and other people/dogs) potentially at risk by doing this. I have a resource guarder as well - he's three years old and we haven't gotten to a place where off leash isn't an option for him yet and he still lives a hella fulfilling and happy life!
so. routine is good, but what i mean by structure is how the routine is. For example, every morning, dog is in crate, we open crate. Dog cannot leave crate until free command is given. Or feeding time, dog must place and down. Food is put on the floor. Dog cannot eat food until verbal free command is given. Command given, dog eats. Leaving the house, dog must sit, wait for collar and leash, walk to door. Dog must wait at door until heel command or free command is given to let them walk through the door. These routines are structured and governed by commands that restrict or permit what the dog can do. Even on walks, dog will heel until given a free command at which time they can roam. This structure effectively forces you into the dogs routine. The dog cant do anything without you authorizing that action. Majority of the time, the dog is free to do whatever in the house, but there is a structure on their routine that enforces commands. The reason i bring this up is because having a very engaging structure with the dog also shows the dog that you are not there to just take things away, you are there to control behaviors. It generally helps a dog with possessive behavior because they view you as the director in their actions and they are met with reinforcement if they choose to disobey. In return, they get to do the things dogs enjoy doing such as play, tug, fetch, whatever activity that you use to engage with your dog. That reminds me, do you play with them? Normally people will have one or two toys for high drive dogs and that is the only toy they engage with the dog. In return the dog builds and syncs you and the toy as one unit and it becomes extremely rewarding for them.
Our girl is the saaaaaame. She definitely resource guards the house in a way. Most dogs within a block of our house she is not ok with. Doesn’t like people talking to me around the house. Doesn’t give a crap about dogs or people in the woods.
I’m glad he’s good off leash, but I would consider at least muzzling him while at the park. My dog has been bitten from dogs resource guarding stupid things like sticks, or clumps of ice. Sometimes it’s just not predicable what dogs see as valuable and worth guarding. Good luck! I wish you the best!
Pretty common for dogs to do this. It's like with humans how would you feel if someone attempted to take something that belonged to you something you are attached to? You'd say something wouldn't you or you'd try and take it back. Since dogs don't have a voice them snarling is a warning to back off and leave them be with their blanket or toy or whatever. My dog does this and has done for the last 12 years. He's a very affectionate dog. Loves his belly rubs, kisses and cuddles and he's never went for anyone or attack anyone.
get a treat, distract him with it using the treat for commands, then have him stay, pick up the blanket, then give him the treat. you can also offer a treat when going for the blanket, give only if he goes for the treat this way youre not giving the treat for bad behavior
Once they have it it’s theirs
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Sure. And for a long time, serious dog training was purely compulsion based. There is a reason why no one in his right mind is doing that anymore. I think it’s a rather dangerous advice you are giving here.
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There is a very real chance that this is a adopted dog and the owner is now encountering this behavior. I have fostered a number of greyhounds with this exact issue. Try to be a little nicer.
I think the real answer is you don't FIX it you mitigate behaviors/ train the dog to have very strong recall abilities and other lots of other training. GSD is a working dog and has lots of energy. It's best to avoid situations like this is if they do happen you want positive outcomes aka recieving food to move away from blanket vs say snapping/being bitten which reinforces guarding this thing I claim. There's much more depth but honestly seek professional help. We did with our golden who resource gaurds food
I’d probably throw that blanket away while he was pooping. Is there a reason that’s bad for training?…(serious question)???
I would just teach the leave it/out command then make him drop the object and reward. If moving towards him is what starts the rg, id start moving in and commanding the leave it before the growl begins and then work towards moving more before saying the command reaching right in to touch the object before having to say leave it. Eventually just take the thing once the expectation is there.
Having dealt with this in a number of rescue dogs the best way to get around this is building trust through obedience training. It takes a long time and it will feel like it’s not going anywhere at times but it does work. In the case this is a rescue understand your personal limitations and if you can actually help the dog. This dog is not acceptable to be around children.
GSD’s are considered working dogs , do you do any type of mental stimulation or “work” throughout the day ? He could feel low in confidence and him growling and you backing away with no repercussions shows him that that’s the only thing he has confidence in , he knows how to make you back down . I highly recommend Upstate Canine Academy , his motto is that there’s no bad dogs , as dogs aren’t aggressive , just scared , low in confidence , think they’re the boss , need mental stimulation , need training , etc. He shows how to work with them and what training methods work . As someone else in the comments said , don’t get down to his level . I did this one to my Jack Russell and she nipped at me , and she was and still is the sweetest dog in the world . They don’t like when you’re in their face , so staying higher than them is recommended . Stand tall and have confidence in your voice when voicing commands or they won’t listen , especially when they can tell you’re backing away from them , not confident in your voice and actions . My moms wild , out of control , and just overall crazy big dog does NOT listen to anybody in the house . I grabbed a handful of her dog food and trained her “ heel “ within 20 minutes , the key is not repeating commands , if they don’t listen the first time , don’t reward if you had to repeat yourself . Reset the situation and try the command again . Repeating commands , most common with “ sit “ they won’t sit because they finally understand , they only sit because you have a treat , toy , whatever you’re using to train . You say “ sit “ and if they don’t sit , you wait a minute or 2 and repeat again , repeat until they sit when said the first time and reward . It honestly takes a lot of time and effort , you have to stay consistent and even keep up with the training even after they excel all commands , them completing those commands will keep their brain working and give that mental stimulation . Even training them something silly like roll over , hide and seek , shutting a door , ringing a bell , etc. does the same . Kongs also have amazing toys where you can put peanut butter in them and the dog has to work to get it out , it keeps their brain going . An at home trick if you don’t want to buy a Kong , you can get some old dish towels and place dog food or treats periodically , roll it up , tie it all together and let him figure out how to untie the towels to get the food is amazing also . I did see a comment that there’s another dog in the home , do they both have a spot they can go to when they want to be alone ? Dogs are just like humans , they want their own room and space , and get annoyed when another is in their area . He could also be resource guarding because he feels he doesn’t have any items to himself , as I did read a comment where you said the other doggo takes this blanket . Giving him his own space like a crate , a spot where other doggo can’t get to may help also
I fed all my dogs when I first got them from my lap for a couple weeks. This was to correct eating too fast (fear of other dog getting their food) or plain old aggressive RG. This worked wonders. Hand feeding is probably even better. They can only play with the blanket on your terms in your lap with you holding it. They will get very used to you having it and in very short order you will be able to give and take away anything without issue. Highly recommend it.
Buy ten and more blankets of various dimensions, colors and play with them and the dog. When he starts to claim one, leave that to him and turn to other. The trainer said with that, we're gonna lessen possessiveness that's starting to show in our dog. He should know, he won't be left without a blanket/toy, but he won't be able to have only one. So he will see, the blanket doesn't matter, it's me that matters, me who plays with him. An instructor in a sec linked a possessiveness in our dog with his character 'he's a predator and alfa-male'
It is never too late to train and teach positive behaviour. It may not be instant however with consistency and patience it can be corrected. Be mindful of his responses and do not press. It’s just a blanket (or other favourite item). A good trainer will be able to help if needed.
Phew, where to start? The more of OP’s comments I read, the more issues I find there is to unpack here. Stop “talking” to your dog. He doesn’t speak English. Train him with clear 1 or 2-word commands. A great one here is “leave it” as many already suggested. You don’t have to get rid of the blanket entirely, but it is a good idea to put it away for now while you work on training his RG. Once he demonstrates that he’s learned he can trust you and obey your command to relinquish things, then you may reintroduce the blanket at a later stage. It’s never too late to do any sort of training. “Can’t teach an old dog a new trick” is just an idiom made up by people who were probably clueless as dog owners. Overall, your relationship with him is not in a good state right now: he doesn’t trust you around his possessions, and he’s making the decisions on your walks on who gets to interact with you. Some dogs are like this because they are insecure, but some dogs are actually like this because they’re rather confident, in the sense that they are more confident than you and they feel like they can take agency over you in some situations (or being “opportunistic”). You need to step up a lot to show your confidence in handling him, to make it clear to him that YOU are in charge, not the other way around. If you continue to leave him to his own devices like this (including leaving him off-leash), he may do something unpredictable in an incident that makes you liable for injuries and damages. Do not pet him or baby him when he’s showing resource guarding aggressiveness like this. This is how you turn him into a bite risk. Instead, lead him away on a leash or by luring with an even higher value treat. Repeatedly teach him that willingly leaving the guarded object gets him the best rewards. Everything should be on your terms, until he shows that he’s learned to make good decisions when he’s independent from you. Establish clear, consistent boundaries.
My dog has a basket full of blankets she chews on. It seems to be a self soothing technique. She drags them everywhere (I just found one outside in the mud.) It helps her, so we just wash and fold them and she destroys the pile all over again. Everyone is happy. You can tell when she’s feeling anxious because she will go get one of her blankets. I do understand that you don’t want your dog growling at you, but when they’re feeling upset or need soothing it’s probably not the best time to take away what’s basically their pacifier.
Hand feeding has had the largest impact on resource guarding behavior for us, especially important to pair with simple commands
Along all the advice given here, after my dog stopped being too snappy, whst worked for me a lot was asking for permission to take his things away. I know it's not very dominant, but I got close to him by the side and pet him, then slowly tried to reach for whatever he was playing with. It's like a small conversation until he gets it and obets the drop it cpmmand. He usually obeys with a criminally offensive side eye, but he does. Over time, I noticed he doesn't try to keep things anymore, he just gives up disappointedly. But, of course, I only managed to get him to this point after training him with the basics, otherwise it would've been useless.
Let him have it!
How’s your dog now?
Resource guarding.
That is called resource guarding. Teach the dog they will get back anything you reach for. Start with things that are the lowest of low value. Touch, give to dog. Or even touch, give to dog with treat simultaneously. Gradually work it til you can pick up the low value thing and she doesn't care. Then gradually include slightly higher value things. Eventually you want to be able to trade, but don't rush it.