Guarding Me as though I'm his...

[JennieLeigh]

So, as Fender has settled in, he's proved that he is very accepting of people and dogs once he's met them and done the usual sniff sniff. He's met my friends and family, and has played with their dogs and everything has been fine. However...last night I was at my cousin's house, and she has two little shiba inus. Fender hadn't displayed any resource guarding tendencies before, i can take anything from him so far without a fuss.

but last night, he started out by guarding me from the 5 month old male, he snapped and growled and placed himself between us. I called him off and put him into a down beside me, unsure how to really correct that behavior. then later on, he started to guard toys and this blanket he was laying on from the puppy. again, i called him off, redirecting his attention. but he just went right back to watching the other dog. the puppy didn't attempt to come close again after that.

i don't want this behavior. i don't mind a signal saying "stay away, this bone/chewy/treat/whatever is mine!!" but i don't want the snap and advance. and i sure don't want him to guard ME against the other dogs in our lives... I also don't want this to escalate into guarding against humans who try and take something from him. But so far he is a doll with people.

So, how do i curb this behavior towards dogs taking things he's deemed to be his? He's naturally quite submissive...and this behavior screams insecurity to me...but I've never dealt with resource guarding before...HELP.

[Raven]

I guess the first thing that comes to mind is what has changed in your relationship/training since the last time your dog was in the situation that produced your concern?

[JennieLeigh]

Nothing that I can think of...we still have the same routine we've had since he got here. Tonight I was out at my parents farm and he was guarding the water bowl as well as me AND one of the other two dogs.

[Owned-By-Hendrix]

Have you disciplined him or yelled at him? Either he's now completely bonded to you and seeing threats where there are none, he's insecure due to something (with my guy it's usually because I've yelled at him). Did you have food or anything in your hands during the couch incident? Sometimes Hendrix will guard me from other dogs if I have a treat pouch and he's been getting treats.

If possible, you may want to try telling him no and taking a few steps back. Sometimes that stops H. If he continues I pull him away from the situation.

Is he doing it with newish people or really young dogs? Or is it across the board? H goes super dominant around puppies and I have to pin him to get him to knock it off. He knows harming puppies for his ego is a serous line to never cross and as he's gotten better I can tell him to stop and he will, nothing more than that. I would keep him on a leash during these encounters and watch him. If he starts give him a sharp no and move him from the situation, maybe even get his attention on you. If you don't want guarding don't allow it.

[Dutchringgirl]

I would not allow even the slightest "stay away" signal from them. My girls dont get to tell the other one to stay away what so ever. If one is still eating, I make sure the other dosnt take from them but they can go over and check it out. Other wise, they can take something from each other, they will usually go back and forth utnil one gets tired and does something else.

If they think they can do even a small "stay away" they will escalate and if small growls are allowed, out of no where can come a big snap if the other dog dosnt listen, remember, all dogs are Narcissist, what is yours is theirs, what is on the floor is theirs, what you had yesterday is theirs.

If one growls, I say NO, and watch them, that usually does it. If it continues, I take the object away. If they are on a blanket, and they growl, and it continues, they cant lay there anymore.

[JennieLeigh]

He does it with dogs younger and also older. The Pyrenees he went after is 2 and a half, the pit bull is 8. Then the shiba pup is 5 months. I wondered, in the case of the Pyrenees, she was super excited, as usual, and I wondered if he didn't like her level of excitement. The pit bull was much calmer, so Fender didn't snap and bite, but he did get inbetween us.

I wasn't holding anything.

I did yell at him the other day because he took the biggest shit in the house without asking to go out. He's house trained and such. And I caught him mid shit. So I yelled NO and then took him outside so I could clean it up.

Ever since then I have found him to be a little wary of me. Sometimes when he makes eye contact with me he ducks his head and flattens his ears. I don't want him to be scared of me.

Could this be the reason he's now so insecure? How do I fix all this? He's pretty sensitive.

[shana]

You can do all kinds of bonding games that usually helps. I carry a tug in my bank pocket I walked him past LOTS of dogs near dog parks (not a fan of them but great when training to ignore dog distractions) and every time we passed a dog I gave him his tug for looking at me eventually he started to look to me for something fun to do every time he sees a dog this has built into anything questionable to look to me it might help

[Owned-By-Hendrix]

Maybe it's just me but this suggests he's not quite sure where his place is in your pack, which is normal if he's still adjusting. Have zero tolerance for guarding and work on building his confidence. My guy is really sensitive to me so if he gets his feeling hurts I balance this out by increasing his praise - for things he does right. I do more obedience, if he does something naturally way more praise then necessary (like walks by a dog without reacting get super happy party the second you clear the dog), if we're playing I encorporate more praise. Figure out what means the most to him and praise him for it. H will puff up like a peacock for certain things, it's adorable. When I see him more confident I slowly taper it off and keep it sporadic.

Also if I think back H got a bit more guard-ish around 6-7 months, but I didn't allow it so it went away.

[Dutchringgirl]

I would advise you not to yell at them when they pee or poop in the house, that is your fault for not watching him. Maybe he was trying to tell you and you missed it?

How old is he? How long have you had him?

He is afraid of you, no eye contact and ducking away is a sign that he is wary of you now. DS are super sensitive and dont like to be yelled at, especially when it is not their fault.

[JennieLeigh]

yah i felt SUPER bad for yelling at him. We don't know eachother's signals yet, we had just been outside, where he practically refuses to poop...this has been an ongoing stress for me with him...worrying about his health, and his adjustment. Then we come inside and out of nowhere *it seemed* he just shits in the livingroom. i sort of lost it. it wasn't my finest hour.

I had no idea how sensitive he was. but we've only been together since August 30th. I've been trying hard to only praise him, and bond, and treat for eye contact and such.

he was a bit better last night with the dogs out at my parent's place...i made sure to move away when he would guard, and I'd say no and position myself so that i could give attention to the dog he was trying to guard me against. He didn't guard the water dish either. It could be him being a little more comfortable with these dogs.

He's so big...i forget he's still sort of a baby. he is so serious and calm and unlike any puppy i've ever known that remembering he is only 9 months old is pretty difficult sometimes. others, he is the biggest floppiest puppy face i ever saw.

[Owned-By-Hendrix]

It is hard to remember these guys while so big and smart and with it are still babies at heart. I've made my own stupid mistakes with H. I don't allow myself to tell more than 3 words at him; if I feel the need to blow up (because trust me he can push buttons) it's a remain calm and put him in his crate then go out of deal with it. They're really like kids - they feed off your emotions and encouragement. So if I've gone too far, even in training and messed up my balance, I make it up to him. He understands now it doesn't mean I hate him, just sometimes he's a dweeb or I'm having a bad day.

H went through the same "I'm not gonna go outside" phase. Still sort of does. The only time he ever poo'd in the house was because it was cold and iced over and he decided it wasn't for him. I was able to shove a flattened cardboard box underneath his butt just in time. I told him no sternly and when he paused took him outside. Have you tried super praising him for eliminating outside? Treats and playtime? H likes to poo best on walks so sometimes they need longer sessions of constant exercise... I won't pretend to know why... Have you also tried keeping some of his poo around an area for a day so he gets the idea it's okay to go there?

[JennieLeigh]

Yes, when he does go poo in the yard, i praise and skip around, having the best poop party on the block.

I am working to condition him to poop in the yard because my town has ZERO garbage cans around town...so hauling around a 5lb bag of horrific smelling poop for an hour is not my idea of a good time. when he pooped in the house it stunk for hours, this is after every window was opened and multiple candles lit. lol. and his poop is FOUL. I am switching him to raw next week...i'm hoping this will help set his system right, and then once that's right, maybe the rest of him will start to settle in and be at home.

i have had to take breathers from him during training, mostly i just stop what we were doing and do something totally different.

I have noticed in the last couple days he's not as velcro as he's been before...he used to stick right by me in the yard, but now we go out, he'll pee, and then leave me standing in the yard and he'll go back to the house. i have to call him back, but when i do that, he just sits by me and doesn't sniff around his poop trees. nothing about him yet is very consistent.

[Raven]

nothing about him yet is very consistent.

And that's why your job as a fair and consistent leader is so important.

[Dutchringgirl]

i have had to take breathers from him during training, mostly i just stop what we were doing and do something totally different.

I would advise against just stopping what you are doing. Finnish something,praise, then move on. Not sure if you were but just wanted to clarify.

I have noticed in the last couple days he's not as velcro as he's been before...he used to stick right by me in the yard, but now we go out, he'll pee, and then leave me standing in the yard and he'll go back to the house. i have to call him back, but when i do that, he just sits by me and doesn't sniff around his poop trees. nothing about him yet is very consistent.

When he comes back to you and sits, he is doing what you asked. a recall is for them to come right back to you. He did the right thing. This is where you will need to develope many commands, you will also settle it to knowing what you want from each other.

I have a command that means to heal and stick to my leg, another for just come back to my area because you are too far ahead, one for stay where you are etc.