[QUOTE=SAcres;8282759]
I don’t take the rehoming threat lightly. I don’t want to do something like that, but I absolutely will not tolerate an aggressive dog in the house. I have two dogs that have well deserved places in my home and I will not put them in danger.[/QUOTE]
Well, there are a few things.
- Moderate resource guarding when given a very high value object (like a pig ear) is considered completely normal dog behavior.
If your puppy grumbled at the other dog, I’d label it normal. If the other dog tried to steal the pig ear and the puppy snarked or bluffed loudly, I’d label it normal. If he went absolutely ballistic without provocation and full-on attacked the other dog, I might be more concerned.
If the pig ear is the only thing he’s ever guarded, and if he didn’t injure the other dog, honestly I think the best course of action is to just separate the dogs when they are given high-value, long-lasting treats like pig ears. There’s a good chance this behavior won’t generalize to lower-value food, much less toys.
- Even if he actually made contact with his teeth, the second thing that you need to remember here is that there are different types of aggression in dogs, and they are largely unrelated to each other.
Aggression toward familiar humans, strange humans, familiar dogs, strange dogs, and perceived prey are all distinct and unrelated to each other. A dog may show one sort of aggression and never show any hint of any other kind.
Sometimes a dog with an anxious personality will show fear-based aggression that includes resource guarding and other behaviors. Outside cases where the dog is an all-around fearful animal who shows other sorts of fear aggression, the factors that drive resource guarding aren’t the same as the factors that drive other types of aggression (dog- or human-directed).
My problem with positive reinforcement training is that you ignore the negative behavior. If the puppy goes after one of my older dogs I’m going to pull him away from the dog. Maybe I have that wrong but I was always taught you don’t pull the shoe away from the dog if he’s chewing it. Instead you give a high reward item like a pigs ear and exchange it for the shoe. If the puppy is fighting another dog he’s not going to stop for a treat or toy.
Resource guarding is a fear-based behavior. The method of training you describe works because it teaches the dog he does not need to be afraid, because he will always get something better in exchange for giving you what he has.
You’re correct that it doesn’t work for dog-dog resource guarding, because you can’t get one dog to trade another dog for a valued object. The fact is, the other dog probably WOULD take his prized food and eat it if given the opportunity.
For this reason, counter-conditioning dog-dog resource guarding involves teaching the dog that another animal getting a valued object does not mean he will lose HIS valued object like he fears (or, in the case of a toy, that he will NEVER GET HIS TOY BACK).
One exercise that works well is to stand with the dogs on opposite sides of a baby gate (a few feet away from each other at least), feed both dogs a treat at the same time. Practice this many times, and gradually start feeding the non-guarder a treat, pausing for a moment, then feeding the resource guarder a treat. Build up to feeding the dogs treats 10-15 seconds apart, with the resource guarder always going second. Over time, this will condition the resource guarder that other dogs getting treats is a good thing because it means he too well get a treat.
You can do this with toys as well. Put a toy in each hand, put the dogs on opposite sides of a baby gate, and play with both dogs at once. Eventually move to playing with one dog for a few seconds while the other dog watches in a sit-stay from the other side of the gate; then switch dogs (let each dog keep their toy for this game).
I have a dog who has a resource guarding issue that is much worse than what you are describing. He has no other aggression issues, and using the method described above he has learned to eat nicely around other dogs, and even tug with other dogs without issue. He will always need to be physically separated from other dogs when he has high value objects like food dispensing toys, but this is a very simple management issue.
Lastly… just in general, cattle dogs are hard, stubborn dogs that aren’t exactly known for their warm and fuzzy temperaments. Here’s a scholarly article about it- they found cattle dogs one of the top-3 most aggressive breeds toward other dogs. While breeds like Greyhounds and Shelties had very low rates of dog aggression (1.6% and 3.5%, respectively), more than one in five cattle dogs has bitten or attempted to bite another dog.
Like you, I believe life is too short to keep a dog that is truly aggressive. But I know the risk of aggression quite high with dogs like ACDs and I won’t own one.
If something like occasionally guarding a prized object is outside the range of behavior you find acceptable, truly a cattle dog might be a poor fit for you. If he is typical of his breed, there is a good chance that when this dog hits social maturity (1-2 years) he won’t be particularly sociable with strangers or dogs he doesn’t live with. If this is the case, returning him to his breeder might be the best option for both of you; a dog like a Labrador or a Bernese Mountain Dog would likely be a better fit in the personality department.
