Scared of hands. Snaps if touched. Resource guards.
Jack Russell Chihuahua mix Rollo is scared of hands. Until a couple of years ago he was a friendly little dog who enjoyed gentle petting from most people.
Then something happened. (more…)
Feels insecure at home. Friendly with people when out.
Ethel can be two different dogs.
She is friendly and confident around people when out of the house whether she knows them or not. She enjoys visits to a cafe and days at daycare.
At home the young Cockerpoo is a different dog. (more…)
Insufficiently motivated. Why not work for his food?
I’ve just visited Jake, a delightful, friendly and clever young Cockerpoo. A real character.
What cheerful Jake lacks is self-control. They have given him basic training, but self-control is not about people controlling him or doing tricks. He’s simply not sufficiently motivated.
He eats well, so taking food from his daily quota will do.
The clever dog needs a lot of stimulation in order to receive the fulfilment his breed needs. Working Cocker mixed with Poodle. He generates his own attention and fun with his excited behaviour and demand barking. (more…)
Guards his food bowl. Resource guarding items.
Hunter guards his food and he guards his food bowl.
(Too often when someone calls me about a problem with their Cocker Spaniel, it’s to do with resource guarding).
The thirteen-month-old Working Cocker’s resource guarding problems are almost certainly genetic, possibly made worse by all the sibling puppies competing over the same bowl of food (I’m only guessing).
At nine weeks old he was growling at anyone who came too close while he ate. The lady worked at this and all was okay for a while.
Over the past few weeks Hunter’s resource guarding problems have been getting worse.
She reached down to retrieve something from him…
When the man invades his personal space he bites.
It must be very hurtful when your dog picks on you – the dog that you love. This is the case with Cocker Spaniel mix, Freddie and his gentleman owner.
When the man approaches his space to touch him, he bites him.
The man however won’t stop trying.
Resource Guards. Protects his Humans.
It’s a tricky situation with Bertie hard to understand. I first thought that his barking behaviour was driven by lack of confidence and some fearfulness, but as time went on I saw it wasn’t this at all. The Spaniel mix was fine when I arrived, but when he had checked Read more…
Romanian Rescue Puppy. Guards Resources. Occupies Areas
Imagine, how a Romanian puppy of about four months old must feel, being flown across Europe in a crate. Then, after a long drive in a car, the puppy enters an alien environment, a home.
The family, first-time dog owners, has done very well indeed with Cody who is now 18-months old. Most of the time he is affectionate, playful and friendly. He is great with people and dogs when out and off lead, so walks are enjoyable.
Near home he’s more insecure. At home he has a few problems.
They can’t give him anything of value to chew, just the kind of thing he really needs to keep him occupied and calm, because it triggers resource guarding behaviour. In the past, growling, guarding behaviour has elicited scolding.
Instead of stopping the aggression, this confrontational approach made Cody angry. (more…)
Won’t Give. Guards Resource. Growls Warning. Now Bitten.
Beagle Alfie’s guarding behaviour has been simmering for a good year and still isn’t extreme.
It was brought to a head the other day while a dog sitter was looking after him.
The person had left food in a bag. Alfie had grabbed the bag and they had then tried to overpower him and force the bag off him.[divider type=”white”]
Alfie bit.
Dog Bites. Why? Touchy. Guards Resources
They worry that it’s their fault that their dog bites them.
I’m sure it’s largely genetic. Some dogs resort to biting a lot more readily than others. Some dogs will put up with anything and not bite.
The family has had eighteen-month-old Rough Haired Dachshund Toto since she was eight weeks old. Like many people, they have had dogs before, treated them in the same loving way, but never had this problem. I myself can look back at past dogs of mine and wish I had known then what I know now.
Toto stole a shoe
She showed no signs of aggression as a young puppy. If they had predicted how dog bites were going to develop, they would have reacted differently from the very first time it happened, when at about a year old Toto stole a shoe – had they realised there was another way.
Like so many people would do, they chased and cornered her in order to retrieve the item. She will have felt both aroused and scared. She growled and then snapped. The behaviour then escalated quickly. (more…)
Grumpy When Stressed. Big Changes. Adjustment.
Trigger has become increasingly grumpy over the past three months. He growls more readily than he used to and has now bitten a couple of times.
They took him to the vet for a thorough check to make sure his change in behaviour wasn’t due to anything physical, and he has a clear bill of health.
Trigger and Biscuit are beautiful Dachshunds, lovely friendly little dogs, Biscuit age three and Trigger six months older. The young couple, conscientious owners, give them the best they can in terms of food, love and care.
Life has changed dramatically
The problems they are having now where Trigger and the resource guarding in particular is concerned will have their seeds in his genetics. Although previously lurking, the behaviour surfaces when he’s under stress. (more…)