# Severe resource guarding issues



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

This is a big problem and waiting for him to outgrow it is not an option.

Neutering him could make things better, it could have no effect or it could make things worse. It certainly won't change anything overnight since testosterone is a fat soluble hormone and low levels of it will be produced in the adrenal glands anyway.

Honestly I think you need to hire a qualified and certified behaviorist (not just a trainer) to help you with this since to be very frank this is about saving this dog's life. If he is allowed to continue this way and you decide to rehome him aggression and a history of bites (the next thing coming) will score heavily against him. Here is a link to the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. https://m.iaabc.org/

Until you can get someone to see what is happening and develop a plan for dealing with Shane's problems I would minimize his opportunities to rehearse this behavior. He cannot be allowed to sit on furniture with you. Ideally I wouldn't even let him sit or lie on the floor near you. He should be under someone else's control and someone else should walk him. Your interactions with him should all be training behaviors that are acceptable like core obedience commands and focused attention, ignoring of distractions and the like.

Sending him away for someone else to train him would be a waste since he needs to be taught how to rethink what he is doing in and near his home while with you.

Don't waste any time thinking about how to handle this. It sounds like you have tolerated it longer than you should have already. The next thing he is going to do is to bite someone.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I don't think advanced obedience training would make any difference - any training needs to focus around you, his most important resource to guard. If it has become as bad as you say I think you need a fully qualified and experienced behaviourist to evaluate his behaviour and his interactions with you, and to work with you on changing the way he understands the world.

In the meantime you may find this article helpful: Resource Guarding: Treatment and Prevention


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

An article on dogs that resource guards humans..........Please get professional help before you or someone else gets hurt..........Good Luck!

http://dogdiscoveries.com/dogs-who-guard-people/


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

SammyG I can't stop thinking about you and Shane. On looking back into other posts you've made about him I realize you recognized that he had resource guarding issues about 6 months or so ago. I wish I had suggested then that you seek the advice of a behaviorist and hope you will do so right away.

Shane sounds like a real handful and a half and since he is your first dog you should get good help asap.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Definitely see a vet behaviorist as soon as possible. Sometimes what we think is the problem is not the root cause.

My daughter thought her dog was leash reactive - so many trainers confirmed it. She went to many highly regarded dog trainers including those that specialize in just leash reactivity - she followed through with tons of training and still her poor dog got worse - until she went to a vet behaviorist and discovered that the dog's real problem was a deep fear of other dogs. Her dog needed prescription medication as well as training. Without medication she was making no progress. With medication - the dog is so much happier, relaxed and my daughter is finally making progress with training.

I'm not saying that your dog needs medication - my point is that both trainers and you the owner may not be seeing the whole problem - that's something the vet behaviorist will help you will.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

That sounds like a scary situation. Definitely recommend a good behaviorist. Also Jean Donaldson has a book called "Mine" about resource guarding and I would recommend getting that or anything else that she has written on the subject. She makes a guest appearance in puppy culture and they go through the steps to help puppies get over resource guarding from a very young age (starting with the breeder before they even go home.) I haven't read Jeans books but she makes great points in the film and I practiced them with my pup even though she never showed any signs of being a resource guarder. She seems very knowledgeable in the film so I bet her books are full of good information! Best of luck to you!


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