Resource guarding

[pinklady]

Hi all
An abstract question for you all.
Do you think having a resource guarding dog is a danger when there are young children in the house and is it irresponsible to treat this within this environment?

[wags]

depends totally

ive got at least one dog who guards a little

and ive had a dog who severelly guarded ANYTHING (now lives with X husband nothing to do with the guarding issues)

and ive also got a 4 year old

– theres no specific awnser to this one really –
each dog is diffrent
each child is diffrent

– i wouldnt let Brock eat in the front room when Joe was little however i would now and i know he would leave him well alone – however i also know that if he put his hand in Cleos bowl he would simply get a kiss

i also think it depends on the experience and abilities of the person dealing with it

[*Lassie*]

[quote author=pinklady link=topic=12369.msg239162#msg239162 date=1220474355]
Hi all
An abstract question for you all.
Do you think having a resource guarding dog is a danger when there are young children in the house and is it irresponsible to treat this within this environment?
[/quote]

It can be dangerous, how dangerous depends on the age of the kids and how dog savvy they are. Also what resource the dog is guarding. As for treating it within the environment it depends on who is dealing with it, an expert like Kiz would know how to minimise the risk but someone trying to do it that isn’t an expert could make matters worse.

[.dodger.]

i think it also depends on the child and how they’ve been taught to behave around dogs

[Mudgie]

laura you are a smart cookie for someone so young at times  ;D

[.dodger.]

;D ;D ;D

thats what you get for spending 4 years out of school ::) – you can cover a lot of research 😀

[hannah17]

Mostly before they let you adopt one, they will ask many things to ensure you are capable to provide what the dog needs and is safe for the whole family. Owners have the biggest influence on what might dog get into.

[Mudgie]

no-ones adopting – they already have the dog

[Lucyr]

My male Rottie was abit of a resource guarder…it started with his food bowl but that has now been solved completely and now it is just his big meaty bones from the butchers.  With me there is no problem, anyone else goes too close he does grumble at them….so he doesn’t get given bones in a place where anyone is going to come up to him.

Originally he guarded his bones from me but we played alot of ‘hold and give’ games (training) everytime he had something of value and now he has no problem giving them to me when asked.

But yes in the wrong hands it can be dangerous.

[Sweetypye]

Not enough information

What breed is the dog or if a mix what size.
How old.
What sex.
Is it entire or neutered.
How many people in the house.
Any other pets
Any other dogs
What degree of bite inhibition does the dog have
What resource(s) does the dog guard
What if anything has been done to address it
Has it increased, decreased, stayed the same
How committed are the owners to the dog
How committed are they to a behavioural modification programme
what skils, knowledge, ability, training and experience do the owners have

Just for starters

So I could not quantify the danger nor estimate if it is irresponsible or not to counter condition and desensitise the dog.

[Author]

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