How to create resource guarding. I come across this often- owners thinking they are doing the right thing by sticking their hands in their dog's food, taking the bowl away while the dog is eating, etc.
Now let me ask you this... if someone else had total control over your meals (when you ate, where you ate, how much you ate), how would you feel if while you were eating they stood over you with their hands in your food and kept taking the plate away? You probably wouldn't appreciate it very much. Yet we expect our dogs to respect our space and time while we eat our food, right?
I'd like to ask anyone reading this post to give your dogs the same respect while they eat. Leave them to enjoy their meals in peace and quiet. Don't use this as a time to assert your authority over them. Don't let your children climb on them and play with their food. Just let them eat!
Some things you can do if you still feel the need are sit near them and play on your phone, toss them treats while they eat, talk to them, or walk around nearby while they eat.
IMPORTANT **** This applies to dogs that are not already resource guarding. If your dog is resource guarding please seek out the help of a trainer! Salty Dog Training can help! Send me a message or text 475-244-4905 to set up an in home consultation
One of my #1 dog tips... resist the human urge to micromanage your dogs!
Would I have preferred my puppy to not eat a mulchy duck neck? YES! ...Was it bothering him? Not one bit😂
So I decided to watch him carry it off and enjoy his treat how he saw fit to enjoy it without interference from me based on my preference to not eat grassy, dirty food 🤷🏼♀️
Pick and choose your battles. Let your dogs be dogs. Let them think creatively and solve problems on their own when it's safe for them to do so. Enjoy watching them think and process the world around them in their own way.
Disclaimer....I'm not saying it is ok to let your dog eat mouthfuls of mulch, the small amount that stuck to the duck neck was not going to hurt my puppy and most of it fell off during the process!
Its been a dramatic morning in this house😅 Just wanted to take a moment share this fun new behavior my puppy Goose has developed. He has decided it is no longer satisfactory that he has to eat his breakfast alone in his pen and throws a tantrum when I walk away after setting his bowl down. All of my animals are separated during mealtimes and this is something I am not willing to negotiate with him about so we are working through it.
My main point in sharing is to let whoever needs to hear this know that: dog trainers deal with the same behaviors as everyone else, even in the "teenage" phase. You are not alone and your early training was not for nothing. The education you have given your dog earlier in life is still in there somewhere... lost among the other thoughts and emotions your dog is dealing with during this stage of development which can be likened to the teenage phase in young humans. This stage can be just as frustrating and confusing for our young adolescent dogs as it is for us.
Now is the time to take a deep breath and come up with a plan before reacting, remain patient and understanding, continue to reinforce behaviors you do want more often than you react to what you don't want, keep working every day on molding the dog you want to spend a lifetime with, and try not to take your dog so seriously! I find it helpful to laugh at how ridiculous Goose's tantrums can be at times.
If you power through this stage and continue your training, one day you will wake up to realize that it has been weeks/ months that these kinds of outbursts haven't occurred and you are closer and closer to having a well mannered adult dog. Now is not the time to give up or throw in the towel because you are frustrated! Keep a level head. clearly communicate your expectations, and reach out if you need support! I will always be here for my clients...even if you just need a moment to cry because it's been a tough puppy day🐾