Guard dog is saying: Paws off!
Guarding behaviour can occur in all breeds of dogs from all types of backgrounds.
Here are some of the most common resources dogs like to guard:
■ Food or food bowls ( even when empty) ■ Treats, toys and balls ■ Clothing, blankets and underwear
■ Stolen goods such as laundry basket items and things scavenged from the bin, used tissues, food wrappers, fruit and veg peelings
■ Space such as his own bed or crate, owner’s bed, space on couch or even a person can be seen as a valued prize which must be guarded
■ Odd things can also have irresistible value to a dog and some dogs will guard their leash, ornaments, newspapers, cars or other animals
Resource guarding can extended from these examples to where a dog will guard his own body.
This is known as body handling resource guarding.
We humans commonly believe that all dogs love a good tummy rub, an ear scratch and a hug – and while most do there are some dogs who become nervous and irritable when handled ( in their eyes) too much or even at all.
The dog does not consider that the human is being affectionate, he only feels irritated and most likely he is giving warning signals ( turning head away, lip licking, staring, growling) that are not being heeded and this makes him more fretful.
When a puppy is around 5 weeks of age it is important that he begins to learn about people and get used to being handled and stroked.
This encourages him to feel positive about people in the future and to enjoy physical interaction with humans.
However, if the pup has not been sufficiently handled then he will not experience the relaxation and enjoyment experienced by for example a tummy rub, an ear scratch or a back rub or if a traumatic experience, such as an accident or being dropped for example did occur then his reaction to that way of being handled will be worse ( if such an experience was not immediately corrected).
It is common practice for a dog, if he is a guarder, to defend more than one resource so do not be alarmed if your dog guards several of the above examples.
Guarding Aggressively
Most guarders will present as protecting their prizes whether it be food, toys or themselves ( in the case of body handling resource guarding) in an aggressive manner – in other words they are defending their valuable items in no uncertain terms so that you will know it is theirs and must not be taken from them.
This does not make them aggressive dogs. So what is the difference?
Here is a question for you: Has your dog ever showed signs of aggression if he was not guarding anything ( and remember to include body guarding here)?
If the answer is NO then he is a resource guarder who is trying to tell you PAWS OFF.
PLEASE NOTE: This is general information to highlight canine resource guarding behaviour.
Like people, every each dog is an individual and will require an individual assessment and behavioural plan put in place in order to bring him to success.