CANINE
A Positive Exchange
Cecelia Sumner examines resource guarding, such a normal canine behavior and yet one
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that can cause so many problems in the human world
ne of my general observations This dog is guarding her bone and may bite if her about dogs is they are not good signals are ignored and she at sharing. From a canine point of feels her precious resource view, attention, food, toys, even a comfort- is any further threatened able resting place might be worth protecting from encroachment. And, the encroachers might be any species, humans, canines or even felines can be subject to threats or attacks by a dog determined to retain a coveted item or location. When I was a child, my parents always cautioned me about approaching a dog when he was eating. As an adult, I can understand why this is good advice, if only the tip of the resource guarding iceberg. Many of us are surprised to find our dogs baring their teeth over a bone or toy, yet this is totally normal canine behavior. Nevgardless of the cause, resource guarding can be dangerous if not ertheless, it can cause huge problems in the human world. recognized and understood. It can cause dogs to lose their What is a resource guarder? In this case, I am referring to homes and possibly even their lives. dog who will employ threatening signals or even bite when we As a part of my normal training protocol, I teach dogs to try to take an object or move him from his comfortable location. leave and drop a variety of items. I often do trades. The dog gives A dog may stare, freeze, growl, curl his lip and/or hover over an item in an attempt to protect it. If a location is being guarded, the me an item and I either give it back or give him something better in return. This is a game most dogs enjoy. Tug and fetch can fall dog may also lunge to prevent being moved. Biting can occur in into this training category. In tug, we play, the dog gives me the either situation if the warning signals are ignored. toy and I give it back so we can play some more. How great is I could not find any definitive research about why dogs bethat? In fetch, I throw the toy. The dog brings it back so I can come resource guarders. It has been suggested there is a genetic predisposition. It has also been suggested it is a learned behavior, throw it some more. That's great too. These games can establish particularly by the biggest and strongest pups in a large litter. Re- a give and take routine that informally may reduce the desire to guard. These games can also indicate an issue. If the dog Objects guarded by dogs include food, toys, beds, does not view these activities as games and becomes too people and locations focused, aroused or intense, it gives us an opportunity to (note the “freezing� and hard stare) realize there may be a problem. If your dog guards objects from you, a program of desensitization can be introduced. As an example, my dog Rio guards bully sticks. If I come over to him when he is enjoying one, he will hunch over it and do a rattlesnake tail wag that indicates trouble. To address the issue, I started the desensitization process by entering the room, probably 15 feet away. I tossed a few high value treats and walked away. I did that until he dropped the bully stick and sat up when I entered the room, anticipating treats were coming. Then, I began slowly coming closer, always tossing teats and retreating when Rio showed any signs of uneasiness. These can vary from dog to dog, but these signs might include hunched body posture, growling, eating/chewing faster or picking the item up and increasing 24
BARKS from the Guild/September 2015