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Originally Posted by Wallee  Yikes!!!!
I have been trying hard to do everything everyone has advised to the best of my ability. She is coming out of her shell more and more..she is a determined little girl..The fence has posed a new difficulty and her being able to jump gates makes it a little tough to contain her at times...lol
Today I went and bought two new toys. One blue fish for Wallee and a pink octopus for Summer. We were having fun for a bit, however as usual, they both decided the pink toy was the favourite.
We quit playing for a bit and then Wallee brought the pink toy over. I threw it accross the floor and Summer ran for it too. When they both got to it, Summer hunched over it and gave Wallee a bad stare. He kept looking at me and whining. She grabbed the toy and ran and then put it down. When Wallee went to take it she once again postured over it and growled. I noticed her do this with a chew thing I tried to give her the other day when she ran into her crate. I believe because of living amongst a pack she is a "resource guarder". I walked towards the toy and when I went to take it she once again lowered herself over it. I told her NO and contined to walk to back her up and took away the toy. She then jumped up on the couch beside me and when Wallee came over like he always does she growled at him. I told her NO once again and she is now sleeping while Wallee plays on the floor with Wallee... 
What do I do if she becomes a bad resource guarder? |
She sounds like she's doing very well and she is defending what she thinks should be hers and backing off when you make her, though she quickly tends to do it again. She's probably had to contend for and claim what she got and that's all she knows but whatever she was, you will stop any behavior you don't like and you will keep doing it until she gets the idea this won't be allowed. She'll begin to anticipate that you will interfere with her disallowed behavior and, in time, begin to police herself to the extent you train her to. In the worst case with a persistent resource guarder that the owner cannot manage to control(though I've never known one that an owner who was patient and persistent in stopping the behavior in its tracks with a "no!", standing up, pointing and locking eyes with them, walking into them and backing them off until they leave the room and claiming "your" toy(all toys are yours), a owner who can't control the dog will not bring out toys when the resource guarder is in the same room; or they crate the guarder while they play with the other dog, tossing treats into the guarder from time to time.
Some dogs have such a tough history or such a dominant personality that they are hard to break of RS'ing and it all depends on how hard you want to work to rehab the dog from that tendency vs. keeping them away from things they tend to RS when another dog is in the room with them. It takes time to change long-established habits in some dogs but those who work tirelessly at it usually find real rewards for keeping it up. As you see progress, it excites you to keep going and fun and rewarding to see the dog begin to use their brain and think before they act.
You can also work with them using a couple of desensitization exercises for RS'ing which we can get into down the road should she be keeping this behavior up after a few more weeks of your stopping her guarding and backing her off every time, preventing each case. Also, beginning her on a good obedience program will further bring her under your control where merely a "no" or "back off" or "leave it" will make her leave a contested toy be and back off because you told her to - and she'll be happy to do it because she'll have come to understand in working with you - if you are a dedicated, patient and happy trainer who makes it fun - that the reward for doing that is doing to be far greater than the charge she gets out of guarding. It's completely possible if you want to train her to that level.