What Is Resource Guarding?
Part 1…
When someone suggested I write a blog on Resource Guarding I thought “This will be easy, there’s a massive amount of info out there from people who can explain everything better than me”
Until I started reading some of it ????
Stuff like “tether your dog to a strong object..” or “slowly touch your dog’s bowl” Um, absolutely not!
The nuances of body language and ‘energy’ in a dog that has low-level resource guarding and what it is picking up from the handler is most definitely not a good fit for this type of desensitisation. Also Positive Punishment is almost definitely going to exacerbate the problem (with very, very few exceptions)
Resource guarding, like most types of behaviour and training, are not a ‘one size fits all’. There are different types of resource guarding – from a slight stiffening of the body or turning a head away to full-blown snarling and biting.
Resource guarding also happens for a wide variety of reasons. Genetic, Trauma, Learnt Behaviour etc
I’ve popped a link to a very good article on the whys and wherefores of resource guarding, which I think it is important to know before you work out how to approach the issue.
Tomorrow I will address why it might happen, as prevention is better than cure! And what to do if you see signs of resource guarding (through trauma)
https://pethelpful.com/dogs/What-Research-Reveals-About-Resource-Guarding-in-Dogs?