Severe resource guarding issues
My corgi is now 7 months and is showing severe resource guarding food aggression. When we got her at 4 months we started making her meals mostly training sessions and did not feed her out of a bowl 80% of the time. When we fed her out of a bowl, we made her wait until we gave her an "ok" to eat.
We started feeding out of a bowl a month ago regularly and she eats very fast so we got a slow feeder. She still seems very anxious when she eats and eats it as fast as possible. When shes out of food she snaps at us no matter where we are standing (we could be in a different room she will find us and bite our shorts). We have to snap her out of the behaviour as she almost seems like a completely different dog. She is wolf-like.
We recently started to stop her in the middle of meals and give her a few kibbles in our hand and then give her the bowl back but she snapped and bit me pretty hard during the process.
We have done some research and most say to start by making them wait for their food and she is not aggressive at all at that point. She is most aggressive when she finishes her food.
Any suggestions? It saddens me to see her become this vicious dog i don't recognize. I'm not even that fearful of the bite as it breaks my heart more to see her like that
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ivy on
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I really like this writer/trainer. Hope the extra knowledge helps!
http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/resource-gua...
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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I just got my Whole Dog Journal and there's a big article on this. I Will check it out Fri. and hopeful it will ha w some good info
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Permalink Reply by Holly on
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Not sure what approach might be best but I wonder if having her take her meals in the crate and not letting her out until she seems calm may help. I think adding food to the bowl is a good idea many times, but as you discovered it cannot be done if it puts you in danger. The biting is scary I'm sure. I hope you are able to show her in a firm, gentle way that you are in charge so you maintain control. Having adopted an adult dog I cannot say what a puppy may need. I'm sure someone will have good information. As usual the recommendation to Goggle "Nothing in life is free" is good to review until you have more suggestions to move forward. I hope things improve soon and the biting stops ASAP. I hope the young age works in you favor training wise.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Usually we think of resource guarding as a dog who stiffens/growls/bites when someone approaches WHILE they are eating. This is most often easy enough to treat using basic reconditioning training, by teaching the dog to associate your approach with good things. The ASPCA outlines a very careful program that should prevent you from being bitten during the training:
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior...
HOWEVER, the fact that she seeks you out to try to bite AFTER she's done eating is a bit different. Honestly, I'd seek the advice of a good behaviorist who can come into your home and observe the behavior. Get a referral from your vet. You want someone who uses science-based approaches, NOT dominance theory.
This sounds a bit different from regular resource guarding. It may have to do with the fact that she was mostly hand-fed during her formative months. If she associates food with mostly coming from your hands, she may be seeking you out when she is frustrated about how fast the food disappeared? Just guessing, but it may require a different approach than the typical one.
In the meantime, I agree with feeding her in her crate for everyone's safety. Good luck! You may even try to see if feeding her in her crate for a week or two fixes the problem on its own. Once she realizes food only comes from the bowl and when it's gone, it's gone she may settle down.
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Permalink Reply by susan on
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That's a strange one. Will she take any commands after she is done eating and starts to seek you out? Could you tell her to sit, then give her a few pieces of kibble? Like retraining her to behave nicely after she eats. Maybe start in the crate first like others have suggested and don't let her out until she is calmly sitting, then release and treat. Honestly, I have no idea. Just thinking out loud. Good luck.
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Permalink Reply by Rosanna and Edwin on
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Thanks everyone. I will try some of the things. Shes only attacked the feeders who are my bf and i. She never goes at my parents. Im not that scared of her so we will try some things. She does not listen to commands until she snaps out of that vicious state. We have to calm her down first
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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A good positive trainer would be helpful but if thats not an option i would consider having a small very tasty treat to give her after she finishes her meal . Somehow you need to get her to associate finishing with something positive. I would never bother her while she is eating. Many corgis eat fast but fortunately they are not prone to bloat,
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