(tiny paw)I am learning all about Resource Guarding in dog school. "What," you ask "Is resource guarding?" Well, it is a behavior that some dogs exhibit when they are coveting a toy, bone, item or even person (hence: resource). The "guard" is against the other dog or human that is showing interest in the resource.
A dog that guards will get visibly "grumpy" when a dog or human gets close to a resource in his/her possession. That "grumpy" can include whale eye (keeping eyes on you, but moving head to the side), growling, lunging, holding on to the item and not letting go, and lots of other signals that a professional trainer (which I am not) is keen to detect.
Conditioning a dog out of resource guarding requires patience, and consistency. A dog needs to learn that letting go of the resource that he/she is guarding is a "good thing."
There is tons written on Resource Guarding including "Mine" by Jean Donaldson (link to book below), and it really is a remarkable topic to learn about.
After learning about it, I don't think this is limited to dogs... I actually think that my mom "resource guards" when it comes to her sewing tools, catalogs, or photos of Bruschi and Kodi. Only, I never called it 'resource guarding' I called it "hogging," as in "don't hog the Pottery Barn catalog." She pulls them away when someone reaches for it, turns her head, but not her eyes, and makes a "nahhhh" sound! And, my husband resource guards... the TV REMOTE CONTROL!!! In fact, when he does it this week, I am committed to saying "get your two paws off the remote, stop growling and let me watch Sex and the City reruns!!" My mom doesn't blog, so she won't learn from this, but my husband does...
That all might souned funny, but Resource Guarding isn't something to over look. I am super conscious of it now, and watching for signs that indicate that behavior... in dogs and in humans. Only, I don't think any clicking-and-treating is going to convince humans to surrender the coveted object....
That's a "wuff" for now!
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