Puppy Resource Guarding

[lieud]

Hi! My 3 month old rottie is super protective over things like chewies and such. I have been working hard with him and doing "Training for treats" and stuff. Now, he will do the trade with treats with me BUT only with me! If we give him something to chew on he wont even let anyone walk near him without growling and snarling and such. What should I do? We are in puppy classes right now, but I thought it would be a good idea to ask advice here also.


Thanks!

[rottnkidd]

Sometimes we actually make these problems worse by our reaction the first time the pup acts out. I do not know many adults or children are in your home and interact with the pup, however, I will tell you if a high-value treat is given, the pup should be left to enjoy the treat in peace. Put the pup in its crate with the treat, and leave it be; only doing periodic checks to make sure the pup is safe with the item. I have little experience with this problem, so maybe other members will post.
You can click on the Search icon above, then click on "Advanced Search". Type in 'resource guarding" under Keywords, and click on "Puppy Development" under the "Search-in-Forums" feature. You should find plenty of info because this subject comes up often.
Here is a good article on the subject -
Resource Guarding
Best wishes, and keep us informed of your pup's progress.
kathy

[groupieindenial]

Try not to give him high value chew treats like bones when people are around. My boy had wiked resource guarding issues, that I was not confortable ignoring, so we worked on it, in a very non-confrontational way.

The pup thinks everyone wants his nasty chew treat, so here's what your going to do to change his view on this. Your going to drop treats near him while he has the chew, but NOT after grumbling. So distance is relatively important here. You may have to toss treats from 6-10 feet away at first, so be it, but it has to be BEFORE he grumbles. Treating after only rewards and encourages the behaviour. Tossing treats by him teaches him "good things come when people are near" that "people don't want his chew".

Never just take it from him. If he's good with the trade game, then do this too. Trade a higher value item for what you are asking for, and ALWAYS return the original item.