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Dog and people reactivity with a resource guarder in the home
As most of you may know I am new to this group!! So I wanted to share some things I have been working on!
My 2 year old mini Australian shepherd is a bully in my household! He resource guards like no other and it has caused conflict in our home with the other dogs. He will resource guard rooms, food, toys, and attention (meaning no one can show any attention to a dog with out it causing a fight). Mind you I can take anything away from him without a problem so he is fine in that sense with people. So right now we are on management to avoid conflict and on a slow training program due to his anxiety and low confidence. Not too long ago he did get into a fight with my Belgian malinois.
The Aussie gave a hard stare to my malinois while I was standing between them and my malinois went in to attack him. The malinois could have done way more damage but he left a grazed mark on the top of the aussies head and a small puncture would on his chin. No stitches or vet visit was needed.
After all this my Belgian malinois is reactive with dogs now (raised hackles, tense body, low growl, low bark, and depending on the distance he will lunge). So my main concern is remediating my malinois as I do not want this behavior to escalate further! So since he is traveling with us I decided to make this the highlight of our trip and of course there’s a million dogs staying in the hotel with us. I have been avoiding most interactions but the other day I saw a rottie across the yard and decided we have to face this problem sooner or later. I placed Dallas my mal into a heel and walked in an area where the rottie could be seen still with distance. His first reaction was (raised hackles, alert, tense body) so I redirected him and did a mini training and play session with him. After we finished I let him look again if he wanted to and this time he was just alert no tension nothing! This was the largest accomplishment we’ve made! I also started marking any relaxed stare and reward.
I’m not thrilled this happened with my dogs but I guess it was inevitable with 2 unaltered males in the house. The Aussie is set to be neutered Dec 1st but I don’t think this will play a factor on his behavior. It’s giving me experience for sure and ways to approach these problems in the future with hopefully clients once I’m established!
Some pictures showing my aussies resource guarding behavior and interaction with my Belgian malinois.
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11 Replies
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Hey @kk51101 – I’ve moved your topic to our HMWTC channel so that subscribers to this channel will see it and perhaps share ideas.
Could you please share your dogs’ names as this may make it easier to chat?
You are very wise to manage this dangerous situation – these boys may well escalate conflict which could be disasterous. Safety first! Keeping the boys apart around any resources that they find valuable is key to keeping everyone safe. Muzzle training and keeping muzzles on both dogs is another safety step to consider (Dogs can drink and pant through a well fitted basket muzzle.)
It’s impossible for any of us to give this case the attention it deserves in this forum, so I would strongly recommend reaching out to a behavior consultant for a thorough work up. But on the surface, there may be a few things that could help:
The first thing that came to my mind (as an Aussie lover and parent!) is – what is your Aussie’s job(s)?
It seems he’s created his very own set of purpose-driven activities. I wonder what a difference it may make for him to have other things to do with his brain and body?
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Chase is the Australian shepherd
Dallas is the Belgian malinois
I have two muzzles that I am conditioning them both too. Dallas is doing well with his muzzle training, chase not so much (he avoids looking or even touching it) so I have a feeling he will take longer to be conditioned to one.
In the meantime they are kept separate as far as feeding time, walking, play time and the Aussie lost any free roam. I feel he has been selective with his obedience so I am making him understand that he has to work for everything he does.
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Thanks @kk51101 –
Muzzle work is hard – and you are smart to go at each dogs’ pace.
Maybe you could back up one step further with Chase and teach him to “boop” something else, first? Teach a regular nose target, using high value food (if it’s safe for you to handle food with him). Then progress to a few other novel objects to work toward generalization and finally come back to the muzzle?
Just an idea for you.
Keep us posted on how things go!
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Definitely I try to implement the muzzle here and there to chase! I have to go at such a slow pace where training session are at most 10 minutes each time because after a while he doesn’t stay engaged. I am at the point where keeping them separated isn’t so hard, annoying sure but I’m accustom to it.
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@kk51101 Thank you so much for sharing! I know when something is going on my household with the pups- it’s hard for me to share. I love how you are doing all the management possible to make a safe environment. I am sure this feels stressful on you, always trying to keep on top of things and scanning the environment so things are not easy to RG. I agree with @catherine with muzzle training and a behaviorist to help with things. Maybe even ask your vet if they have any recommendations for behaviorist I wish I could give you more advice, but I am just starting in the dog training world and would refer you to a behaviorist since I don’t have that kind of experience. Please keep us posted how things go!
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It’s honestly been the hardest on me because I feel like I failed my dogs. Like I go back and think of everything I could have done wrong. But chase had these tendencies as a puppy from an early age so I’m sure his genetic makeup is a factor. I networked with another trainer just for guidance but when chase is in a new setting he acts like the perfect angel!!! And unfortunately the cost of a behavioralist is just not within my budget right now because they want all 3 of my dogs to be evaluated to deem the “aggressor”. Once chase is neutered I think I will see how his temperament changes in the following month and then speak with my vet to see what medicine could be an option for him.
I definitely won’t give up on any of my dogs as people have recommended to me in the past (not here but on forums) If they have to live a life separated so be it. They both go out separately from each other with my English bulldog, boomer and they each get along fine with him. I don’t give boomer any attention during playtime with chase to show there are no favorites.
I honestly think chase has to learn to deal with frustration and the fact that he is not in charge but my fiancé and I.
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@kk51101 Your love and commitment to your dogs is shining through. They are lucky to have you! Please don’t let yourself think this is your fault in any way. So many of these issues are simply genetic. There are things we can do to lower frustration and to help mitigate, but genetic issues are not easily changed, if at all. To be clear, you did not, have not “failed” your dogs.
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Hello! I see this thread is a bit older but I just wanted to share that I had a similar situation w my dogs. It felt SO hard for a long while! With the help of a behaviorist (Dr Sarah Richardson in Chico, Ca) and a wonderful vet we were able to get the situation under control and I am happy to say we have made tremendous progress!!!! We did so many things but one of the biggest things I did was really work to lower everyone’s stress in all areas of life. Going at my dog’s pace and never forcing an interaction also really helped. After a year of my dogs largely choosing to keep their distance from eachother they are now choosing to hang out and seem genuinely happy and peaceful together! I couldn’t be prouder of them. I hope your situation is going well and sending love and solidarity! I will say my intact dog getting fixed made a huge difference in my situation, but I know it’s not a panacea.
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We did so many things but one of the biggest things I did was really work to lower everyone’s stress in all areas of life. Going at my dog’s pace and never forcing an interaction also really helped. – Anna B.
@kk51101
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Thanks oops still learning this forum
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Thank you for sharing your dogs’ story, @kk51101 — it’s a lot to deal with and I’m glad you’re able to keep them safely separated for now, so there’s no continued rehearsal of aggressive behavior. With each aggressive incident between dogs, it’s likely for them to go more quickly into a fight.
I hope the neutering will have some positive impact, though I wouldn’t expect that to help with Chase’s resource guarding. As @programdev mentioned, I hope you’ll be able to seek the help of a behavior specialist at some point down the road. In the meantime, I’ll message you with some suggested reading resources.
Please keep us posted.
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