Resource Guarding Around Other Dogs

[Ang Onorato]

Hi....wondering if anyone else has had this issue with their pup. I have a 6month F1 pup who has exhibited resource guarding around other dogs since she came home to me at 10 weeks old. We have been working diligently with it and her since. We have a personal trainer and classes, are consistent with reinforcing training 

and showing her clearly she is not the alpha in the house.

Yet if she even perceives another dog is getting anything she isnt (not the case) or she dedides right in the middle of  happy play session with a pup that she will turn on them, lunge, attack, growl, nip etc.

I have been working closley and tirelessly with her and using all positive methods but its becoming such a problem because I dont feel comfortable bringing her around the rest of my family dogs  because its unpredictable how she will react even if God forbid another dog picks up something in her presence.  We are controlling for things as much as possible but sometimes dogs find a way to get a hold of something and she doesnt want the other dog to have it.  I work with the take it/leave command so she gives it up freely and she has to work for everything so not sure what keeps triggrring this. Its only with other dogs. But the "family dog " I was hooing for is not so good around family dogs so its a real sad burden to leave her behind all the time.

I guess I am just asking if anyone else has experienced this and if with continued work will she maybe even outgrow it? Because its really distressing. She sometimes will just turn on pup in the midst of a happy play date....then other times she will share the water bowl....but the next min she will attack. I am learning the warning signs to intercede when possible but sometimes she just in unpredictable and its scary and upsetting.

My trainer has been training for over 25 yrs and rehabs rescue dogs even...she said she has never seen this level of behavior at 12 weeks and it is concerning bc it can mean its genetic. I know NOW poodles are snarky ( Unfortunately I didnt when I got her , I thought this was two mellow breeds) but now I have heard poodles can be aggressive and kind of bitchy mean. What are my chances she will outgrow this bad and scary behavior with constant work or am I stuck forever ?

[Ang Onorato]

Sorry for the typos...not great typing on my new tablet yet :) . To clarify....my Nikka is now 6 months old but has been this way since I got her direct from a loving and well cared for breeder. So its not like she has every had a reason to guard other than being an alpha bully.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I think this can be worked with to prevent the behavior in the future....not sure she'll outgrow it on her own.  How old was she when she was taken from Mom and the rest of the litter and what are you doing now to correct her when she does this?  I don't think this is a "Poodle trait".

[Adina P]

10 weeks.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Oops...missed that in the post.

[Ginny Nightingale]

One of my doodles is like this, but not quite as bad--when I got her, she took over everything from the doodle we already had, who was not too happy about it, but didn't fight back--and so it was peaceful--but not pleasant. She has gotten much better as she ages, but still has to run the show. I would say that you are doing all you can and that you should not let the trainer discourage you from continuing to try and not give up because it is "genetic"--most behaviors are genetic but good training can get you past certain issues--but I agree that she will always need to be watched and the mellow family dog you want may never happen completely. 

I would keep a small spray bottle around when she is with the other dogs--give her a little squirt of water to get her attention and then say NO--It is harmless to spray the dog, but they hate it and it gets their attention on you instead of the other dog--my trainer does this--keep the bottle close to your body rather then sticking it out towards her and have the water just gently hit her so she is distracted by it, not HIT with it--then you can intervene at that point when she is not thinking about the other dog. It does work. 

[Ang Onorato]

Thank you...the spray bottle is a great idea.

[Ginny Nightingale]

Every litter I have raised has had one who tries to take all the toys and growls at the others--I usually correct it when i see it and they are very young at the time--so maybe some of it sinks in. Last litter had a pup nicknamed Miss Bossy Pants--she got much better by the time she left here at 11 weeks.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I spent two hours watching Boris and his litter mates play before I chose him. There were two puppies who looked alike and one of them was doing the growling behavior and was standing on top of the other quite a lot. I chose the one underneath who wasn't guarding the toys. He is Boris.  They were both adorable. I think in all litters some of them will display behaviors that need more work than others. Go to the training group here and look at all the threads on this issue. I don't agree about Poodles being mean. Breeders who don't breed for temperament and only for looks and perhaps (hopefully) health are to blame. In any breed you will find some dogs who are more challenging than others.  Like people they are all different.

[Ginny Nightingale]

We breed for temperament, but not all pups will be JUST like mom and dad--there are genetic traits from the past that you can not always identify...two of my kids are very musical--like their great grandma they never knew!!

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Yep, no two puppies are the same, like children. No matter how many you had they would all be different. One of my daughters is a wonderful musician too...not like her Mother or Father at all.  We don't know where that particular talent comes from. Genetics is so incredible when you start to think about it.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Ginny, what does it mean when you say you breed for temperament?  Does that mean that the female you mentioned earlier that always needs to "run the show" would not be bred...or a female who is not comfortable around kids wouldn't be bred?  More and more I see on Breeder sites that they are breeding for temperament yet so many Doodles seem to have issues requiring some real intensive training.  This whole thing confuses me.  Guinness's breeder bred to produce Therapy dogs and so she always chose dogs who were very calm and great in all social situations as her breeding pairs.  Both of Guinness's parents were Therapy dogs themselves, so it made sense to me that they would likely produce a dog with this temperament.  Can you help us to understand how breeders screen for "temperament"?

[Ang Onorato]

That is a great question. My breeder also chooses calm dogs...her mom (the Golden) was totally chill but my biggest regret is I didnt meet the dad.  My friend got a pup 2 weeks before I did from the same place but different parents and has no issues at all. In fact  my Nikka went afte

r her dog when they were had been playing fine a few min earlier. I understand every dog, like a person is unique and may have nothing to do with genetics. I am just trying to understand all aspects of this behavior and what else I need to do. So thank you