Hi there. I read the entries tagged resource guarding, and found some advice related to what my dog's recent behavior, but I need this advice reiterated, I think
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Heyy, my dog was like this aswell, The protectiveness may be just the nature of her breed, but it could also be from playing a lot of tug-of-war with her. You can't really make her "foreget" about her stick and go back to frollicking around. It's also a matter of who's the boss when it comes to her and other dogs. One piece of advice, unless it is absolutely neccessary, dont get between both dogs if they are wrestling over a toy of some sort. Though Dixie knows you and wouldn't bite you, you can't say the same for the other dog. Accidents can happen. And one last thing, Growling doesn't always mean viciousness, it could also be like talking, sending you a message.
I'm not saying it's the main sorce, just that, depending on the breed of the dog, it could be a contributing factor. You can't really know for sure whether it's a sufficient reason or not.
No, not cause aggression. I meant that it can cause the dog to be a tad more protective, if you play to an extent and never let her win. If the owner keeps pulling the toy away and never let her get it, she might just become bored with the game and not want people or animals to try and take away her toys. I'm not here for an argument. I was just trying to help
I'm not here for an argument. I was just trying to help
I am not trying to pick a fight with you. Please read our community rules.
"While there are a lot of different methods out there, do not be upset if your advice is called into question. Be prepared to back up your suggestions."
I am trying to make sure you were not saying that tug of war creates aggressive dogs because that is a common misconception with old school trainers and many owners have heard it in the past and think the theory is still true.
Just be more specific with your help since someone reading your first comment might have gotten the wrong impression and it could alter the way they interact with their dog.
Alright, I appologize for the misconception, I wasn't upset, It's just difficult to see the tone of the things people write over the internet, so somethings might sound different than they are meant to. Thank you for your advice in the last line, I'll try to make sure my advice is more specific next time.
I've never heard of it helping a known resource guarder, so it's good to hear your experience with the matter. But I can see it making sense. Have your bosses seen it help other clients as well?
We use it to help with "leave it", NILIF practice, and drop it. You can do all three with the game. You can also practice trading. There are lots of behaviors in a tug game that you use when modifying resource guarding so I think it is a great game to use with a guarder as long as you stick to the rules.
I think it follows more of the win/win principle too, where everyone wins instead of having one winner and one loser like some force trainers believe should happen when modifying behavior.
So you will always win in the end with Bernie? What about Basil? Even though he does not resource guard do you follow the rules strictly with him as well and always win at the end?
I hope I don't sound like I don't agree with the rules. For the most part I do and think they are very important if someone is going to play tug. I don't think all of the ones Pat Miller lists are vital for all dogs, but she has loads more experience than I do so chances are she's right.
No no... I don't always win. I let them win a good majority of the time and then when they give the toy up at the end of the game I usually have a super yummy treat as a reward, especially for Bernie since she guards. Who wants to play a game where they always lose? Thats no fun.
I don't see where she says the human always has to win. Control the resource yes - win all the time, no.
In the printed version of WDJ and on her yahoo group when she reposted it (or someone else did maybe?) she said you should always win. I asked her about it and she said something like you should always end up with the toy when then game is finished. Something like that. I think she was ok with them winning in the middle, but you stop the game with it. So maybe that morphed into the rule of putting the toy away at the end of the game since you control resources?
I don't think "always ending up with the toy in the end" means the dog loses. Just that, you don't want to give the toy up and let the dog chew it to bits like some do, when you're finished with the game. Should you just take the toy away from the dog? No. I would always trade for it or reward for a different toy like a ball if that is of equal or higher value.
I think it is important to stop the game before the dog wants to end it so it keeps tug interesting and fun. Keep them wanting more, just like training.
For agility dogs I know several owners that have one toy they use ONLY for agility and the dogs go nuts for it. I don't see it as losing, just controlling a resource.
I should also add - this wasn't the main source of behavior modification training. I followed the steps in Jean's book and did lots of trading, approaching food bowls with awesome treats and dropping them in, rewarding when giving up boring toys... etc.
She will still guard. It's helped me learn to read her body language better. If I'm gonna give her a super yummy treat like a bully stick I do what Dr. Dunbar suggests... throw the bitch in a bathroom with the stick and shut the door. If you crack it and hear a growl, she's not done yet. Let her enjoy it in peace. :)
The protectiveness may be just the nature of her breed, but it could also be from playing a lot of tug-of-war with her. You can't really make her "foreget" about her stick and go back to frollicking around. It's also a matter of who's the boss when it comes to her and other dogs. One piece of advice, unless it is absolutely neccessary, dont get between both dogs if they are wrestling over a toy of some sort. Though Dixie knows you and wouldn't bite you, you can't say the same for the other dog. Accidents can happen. And one last thing, Growling doesn't always mean viciousness, it could also be like talking, sending you a message.
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Playing tug does not make a dog become a resource guarder. But dogs who resource guard are not always good candidates for the game.
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I am not trying to pick a fight with you. Please read our community rules.
"While there are a lot of different methods out there, do not be upset if your advice is called into question. Be prepared to back up your suggestions."
I am trying to make sure you were not saying that tug of war creates aggressive dogs because that is a common misconception with old school trainers and many owners have heard it in the past and think the theory is still true.
Just be more specific with your help since someone reading your first comment might have gotten the wrong impression and it could alter the way they interact with their dog.
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Thank you for your advice in the last line, I'll try to make sure my advice is more specific next time.
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I think it follows more of the win/win principle too, where everyone wins instead of having one winner and one loser like some force trainers believe should happen when modifying behavior.
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I hope I don't sound like I don't agree with the rules. For the most part I do and think they are very important if someone is going to play tug. I don't think all of the ones Pat Miller lists are vital for all dogs, but she has loads more experience than I do so chances are she's right.
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I don't see where she says the human always has to win. Control the resource yes - win all the time, no.
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I think it is important to stop the game before the dog wants to end it so it keeps tug interesting and fun. Keep them wanting more, just like training.
For agility dogs I know several owners that have one toy they use ONLY for agility and the dogs go nuts for it. I don't see it as losing, just controlling a resource.
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She will still guard. It's helped me learn to read her body language better. If I'm gonna give her a super yummy treat like a bully stick I do what Dr. Dunbar suggests... throw the bitch in a bathroom with the stick and shut the door. If you crack it and hear a growl, she's not done yet. Let her enjoy it in peace. :)
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lol, I can totally hear Ian saying it just like that, too. He is very amusing to listen to.
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