Wow, resource guarding..really? Update

[Sharon & Monty]

Our very calm, well adjusted doggie.... Oh my, still cant believe it.  Today I bought him a shin bone, never done this before.  We can pretend to eat from his dish while he eats, he would give up anything when asked.  

Today however, shortly after giving him a shin bone, marrow included, At first Monty was confused almost, like wow, what to do with this. DH joined us on the deck.  DH started to fuss with Monty about his new bone, like, let me see that, what do you have there, etc.  Monty snarled and gritted his teeth.  I kept asking DH to just let him have it. As I said, Monty never guards anything, even his favorite stuff, but today was different. DH was petting his head asking Monty about his treat, Monty was showing his teeth!  DH not to be intimidated kept talking to him and suddenly Monty bit his hand!!

We are shocked and saddened.  We did a few oh my gawd boo boo's, and Monty would kiss the wounds and act contrite.  We had DH give the bone back to him, several times, DH called him inside to go get cheese, then later would allow Monty to have his bone back.  

Seriously, Monty turned into a dog I do not know or have ever known. Right now the bone is on the table and he can not have it.  He knows its here beside me, but has never been a dog to steal food, so I'm holding back.

I guess the best I'm thinking at this moment is that this treat is way too high value and he will not get it again.  :(

How can the laziest, most calm dog do this?  We are shocked and saddened.  I know we prob should not think this as personal,but geez..

A little bit of sadness in the house today.   Monty clearly knows that he is in the doghouse.  DH has been a bit aloof with him, Monty mopes and hangs around me all day.  The bone is in the refrig, I'd really like to give it to him but we need to be prepared to do some serious retraining,and I'm not sure I want to get it out.  Truly DH allowed things to escalate, but in his favor I have to say we never witnessed Monty being aggressive  he just always gives in, it was so unexpected.

As some of you have mentioned, yes, he is a dog.  We dont see him like that and that's on us. We made a mistake not taking his warnings as real.  The bite was not horrible, a band-aide is all that was needed.   

DH is always so easy to give him treats and we will try to get Monty focused on who is the giver and taker around here.  

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions, we are going to let things cool and get back to normal before we decide which direction to move.

 

[Ginny Nightingale]

So sorry you had to go thru this--don't take it personally--it sounds like your DH was really pushing Monty's buttons and although there is NO excuse for the bite, it is not all that surprising--he had never had one of these bones before and was probably so excited he lost his mind temporarily. I am not sure if you should give the bone back--maybe he can't handle it. I take the marrow out for the most part and then it is still tasty, but doesn't send them over the edge...I can always take them away, but I do it gradually and I bring a treat for a trade that they see. They usually drop the bone for the treat before I reach for it. I do not try to pull the bone from the mouth. My labradoodles  have never bitten me or growled, but previous dogs I owned have done that, so I am naturally cautious about it. 

As wonderful as Monty is, he is still a dog and every once in a while, they dog comes out!

[Sharon & Monty]

do u think i should just get rid of the bone?  We are so shocked.

[Sharon & Monty]

thanks Ginny. We are withholding his bone. 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Well I can tell you after spending the better part of the last two years working with a trainer that he would say at the very first snarl, you should have just unemotionally picked up the bone and gotten rid of it.  "Toying" with a dog who has just told you clearly how much he is valuing this treat (in a very inappropriate way), is a bite waiting to happen.  My advice is to get rid of the bone, and don't get another one.  Monty is a good boy....this is the first time something like this has happened and it isn't even all his fault.  I would just not expose him to this type of situation again

[Rich, Sandy and Ollie]

I really hope I'm not out of line here, but I don't agree that Monty was too excited or that you have to get rid of the treat.  To me it sounds like Monty doesn't understand (or lost sight of) the pecking order in the family.  The treat isn't his, it's yours, and he should understand that.  Sure, getting rid of the treat solves the current problem, but doesn't prevent a similar episode in the future.  I would look into finding a trainer who would help me cure the behavior, not ignore it.

And definitely don't take his behavior personally.  He didn't mean it that way.  And I hope this doesn't come across as harsh, because I definitely don't mean it that way.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Take the treat out of the house. Not on the table.  Forever gone. In the trash outside/

I'm sadden by this as I am sure you are in your home tonight too. I'm very sorry.

The way I see this was that Monty understood this as a threat.  He gave a warning, another warning, became nervous, then lashed out.  I don't think I would ever go head to head ever again.    In the canine world, this might be considered normal behavior.  Still, no excuse, but give some distance and some time to figure this all out.

If this behavior continues, and knowing Monty's good temperament thus far, not only a trainer, but first get him to a vet.

I'm really thinking head to head combined with the bone were not mutually exclusive.

I'm no expert just my thoughts. And my thoughts are with you all tonight.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

cooper will often growl when she has a bone. if she does i take the bone away and thats it for a while. she does get the bone back, but only gets to keep it if she doesnt growl. she has a favourite treat "pork stick" that she only has when we are around - she will growl at a cat if it is anywhere near her and she has her treat, so i dont want them left alone when she has it. we did alot of work with her when she was younger with taking treats away. I dont think you need to take the bone away and never give it back, but you do need to do some work. its natural for them to resource guard and you need to let monty know its your bone. 1 growl and its gone for a while

[F, Calla & Luca]

True they are dogs but they can, and I think should, be trained so that an ownwer can do just about anything without getting bitten. I would like to think I could take a bone away from either of my dogs without getting bitten but when they give a warning it's best to pay heed and think of another way round.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I've thought a lot about this whole area in the last couple years.  I think that one of the hardest things for us to accept as doodle owners is that our cute little furry adorable snuggle bunnies, are in fact dogs.  I know that the first time Sophie started barking like a crazy girl at another dog you could have pushed me over with a feather.  The first time Lucy growled at my Mom's Lab, the way Lucy acted the first time we had a foster, all shocking to me.  We are told over and over and over again how adorable our Doodles are by complete strangers, that we just forget that they are in fact dogs.  If the above behavior was exhibited by a Pit Bull or Rottie, no one would give it a second thought.  And in a lot of cases I don't think this behavior comes out until the are a little older.  More of adult dogs so we've had a couple years to convince ourselves they are perfect little angels and then all of a sudden, wait, where did my little angel go! 

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I read this with real sadness as this was a most upsetting thing to happen.  I do think you are right to cool a bit and give it some deep thought but I would definitely want to address this issue for the future. It's wonderful that we have DK to share all our experiences...the good and the not so good. 

[Rich, Sandy and Ollie]

I just read your update.  Your husband didn't read Monty's warning signs, but the thing to keep in mind is that Monty's behavior is unacceptable regardless of the circumstance.  You should be able to take any treat away from him at any time, but believe me I know this is easier said than done.  Don't despair.  While this behavior is obvious a shock to you (and would be to most anyone), it is also something that can be corrected.  As you undoubtedly know, Monty is not a bad dog, he just needs some guidance.  Hang in there.

[Ginny Nightingale]

So, you have gotten a lot of opinions after mine and they don't all agree--but I just want to add one thing--first of all, I agree that the bone should be gone until you have a handle on the behavior--and also that you should proceed slowly and with caution. Also that you should be prepared for aggression in the future as you try to regain the control of the situation. Here is what I would do to start working thru this. Give Monty something that he doesn't care about that much, then take it away, give him a treat, then give it back. Do this several times a day--and you can also add something to it--like let's say it is a Kong--take it, add some peanut butter, then give it back. Then move up to something more valuable, like his dinner--take it away, add something, return it. But take it as you hand him a small treat, just in case he gets aggressive again. Repeat this over many days. As the object you are removing gets more valuable, he will know that he is going to be getting a treat and that the object may come back better than before! I think that after a lot of training, the bone will no longer be an issue. Good luck.