Guarding their stuff

POSSESSION guarding is a very natural behaviour for a canine. Dogs don't share objects that have great value to them. When a dog guards a possession from their human companion, it is very hard for us not to be offended, shocked or scared. Some guarders will stay at a low level threat, never escalating to the next stage. Some will follow through with a bite if you don't take heed. If you have a guarder, be assured that guarding is a natural behaviour for a dog.

Guarding may seem to come from nowhere, but more than likely it has been growing in intensity over time. Some puppies will give guarding a try. Some dogs that are very easy going and do not put value on objects may never guard anything from you. With adult dogs that have a guarding problem, it has been building over time, or there is a new object that your dog puts a high value on.

Dogs give clear and understandable signs of their intent before they actually bite. The warnings that dogs give us come in escalating levels that you will see if you are paying attention. Depending on your reaction will be how far your dog feels it has to take the warning signs. First a dog will freeze and if you don't back off, it will throw you a very obvious dagger glare.

If you still aren't listening, it will growl, curl its lip, air snap, and then connect. Unfortunately children are usually the ones that get bitten - they don't notice all these signs before the dog bites. Dogs use growls, lip curls and other body signals to communicate. Most dogs will avoid a confrontation if it is avoidable. Being pack animals, dogs are programmed to communicate and understand other dogs.

With a clear pack hierarchy, these communication skills keep everything running smoothly. If dogs were unable to communicate or understand one another, there would be more fights and fatalities within a pack. Thus, the pack would not last for long.

As human guardians, we need to educate our dogs. We must convince our dogs that we do not intend to take their stuff. And, if we ever feel the need to check out their stuff, we will reward them for allowing us to hold their stuff. Or, we will give them a wonderful trade so that your dogs won't care that they had to give up their stuff.

By implementing this training, you will be able to retrieve a dangerous item from your dog in an emergency. This can take some convincing, especially if your dog has had a guarding problem for a while. If your puppy has decided to give guarding a try, it is fairly easy to stop in the early stages.

There are a couple of things you should never do in response to a guarding behaviour. The most important thing NOT to do is to hit your dog and take whatever they were guarding. This teaches your dogs that they DO have to guard their stuff from you. Do not chase your dogs, this will only teach them how to get a good game of chase going. Also, do not flip your dog in an alpha role and stare it down, or the next person to try to take an object from your dog is liable to be on the receiving end of an escalated guarding reaction.

What you do want to do is associate good things with you being around either their food bowl or possession. For food bowl guarding, which is very common, work on the following steps:

• Get as close to your dog as you can while it is eating, without your dog displaying any guarding behaviour.
• Toss a scrumptious treat into its bowl while it is eating. Your dog will start to associate your presence around the bowl with yummy treats.
• Get closer and closer until you can brush your hand right by your dog's head and drop a delicious treat into the bowl while it is eating. Soon you will see your dog look up at you in anticipation instead of guarding.
• Keep this up on a regular basis once you have achieved success.

For object guarding, start with a low value item, maybe start with a tennis ball. When your dog is playing with a ball or low value toy, walk up and hold out a yummy treat. Tell your dog to "drop". If your dog wants the treat, it will have to drop the toy. When it drops the toy, give your dog the treat and take the toy. When your dog finishes chewing the treat, return the toy to him/her.

Not only are you teaching your dog that it gets a treat for letting you hold its stuff, you are teaching it the verbal cue "drop". Once they start to get the idea of this game, use the word "drop" without a food bribe. But, remember to reward with a treat when they drop the toy.

Only move on to more valued objects as you achieve success. Some items may hold a high value in your dog's eyes and take longer to convince your dog to trade for a treat. Do the same with the food bowl, only move closer to the bowl with success.

Start these exercises with your new puppy right away to avoid any guarding instincts. If you have an adult dog that does not display and guarding behaviour practice these exercises to be sure guarding never arises. But, if you have a dog that has a guarding problem, seek professional help. This behaviour does not go away on its own, you must work hard to change the way your dog feels about sharing.