I think this is resource guarding?

[Diana Spanos]

Haven't posted in a while, but if have recently introduced Buster Brown, a 12 week mini ALD, into the home. I also have a mini golden doodle, Archie, who will be 2 in November. The introduction has really gone very smoothly-- but tonight I found a couple of antlers that I had "lost" some time ago, under the stove. I gave one to each dog-- and Archie really went nuts! He was really loud and definitely snapped at Buster-- and when I switched the antlers, and still gave each one, Archie still would have nothing of it. He was mad. Poor Buster didn't have a clue. They have also had issues with one particular nylabone-- even though there might be 5-6 in the room, there is one that Archie will insist on. Ant thoughts?

[Chris & Abby]

I believe your dog is controlling the "food" which is is a component of being the pack leader. It's important that they both see you as the pack leader, not themselves.

Take a look at Doggie Dan's website The Online Dog Trainer.com. He covers that subject in depth.

[Kate, Mel, Tenley & Harper]

Here is a good article about resource guarding.

https://www.4pawsu.com/Donaldson.pdf

A few other tips:
1. I think it's important that both the adult dog and puppy know they have a place to go where they can escape the other. Pens are great for puppies because they often afford enough freedom that the puppy isn't really in a crate. But it is a safe place away from the adult dog the puppy can play with toys.

2. I would take away all toys for about a month while they are settling in. I did this with mine and I do it any time a new dog comes over for this very reason. We were advised by our trainer to let them to get to know each other before they are sharing prized possessions. I would give the puppy toys when he is in his pen and the adult dog his toys when the puppy is in his pen. I would even separate them into two different rooms at first when you are having this "quiet time". To this day, Mel (11 years) and Tenley (10 months) know exactly what I mean when I say "bone time"... They can be running around playing chase but when I say it is bone time and hand each of them a nylabone they know it is time to be quiet and chew until they fall asleep!

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Hi Diana ~ We added a second Doodle when Charlie Brown was 1.5 yrs old.  Charlie was over the top spoiled, but a very obedient boy and always looks to me for guidance.  He knows I am the pack leader.  Charlie never guarded his food, but he did guard his toys, his spot on the bed, etc.  He did not want Beau to sleep with him initially, or touch him at night and he would give Beau a little growl.  Beau learned quickly that Charlie was ahead of him in the pack.  As long as Charlie told Beau respectfully where his limits were, I did not scold him. It took Charlie about 6 weeks to comes to terms that there was a new addition to the family and then he started giving his balls to Beau and would initiate playing tug, etc.  They each have their own feeding station, but often Beau only eats half of his food, then he goes over and lays down next to where Charlie is eating.  Midway through eating, Charlie will leave his bowl and go finish Beau's and Beau then eats the rest of Charlie's.  There are best of buddies now and I am so glad I added a second doodle.  I make it a point to take them separately on outings sometimes, just to have some one on one time. If Archie has a special chew, nylabone, or whatever, I think it should be his.  Could he have been telling Archie to leave his antler alone?  This is an adjustment period for Archie too remember. Christina mentioned the Doggie Dan website, and I would highly recommend joining it for a month or two.  Looking forward to seeing lots of photos of Archie and Buster.   

[Kris and Sawyer]

Over here, often our cat River finishes off Sawyer's food and Sawyer will finish off River's. River eats grain free Weruva food so I figure it's not harming him. They are good sharers. Sometimes I feed Sawyer but he will patiently wait, sitting very nicely near his bowl, watching the cat have the first few bites. River is always kind enough to leave a few bites of his food for him so I guess it's all good!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

You need to expect some issues as the dogs settle in for who is in charge of what. Archie wants to make sure that he is still in charge. The dogs do have to establish a pecking order which could change in different situations.   We took away all high value (to them) treats for months to avoid guarding issues. This worked well.  We also didn't leave the dogs alone together until we were sure there wouldn't be fights when we weren't present. 

Our rescue also likes to gather toys under his tummy.  This is also guarding, but since no one cares, we call it a quirk and let it be.

[Diana Spanos]

Thanks for your thoughts-- the weird thing is, Archie really never cared about the nyla bone toys. His favorite toys were plush toys with squeakers, and balls. Anything he could play fetch with. He loves to chew on socks, and I spend my days trying to make sure he can't get his little paws on one! Lol! And he didn't do much with the antlers either. The antlers were "missing" under the stove for several months, so I didn't think Archie would have even remembered them. I guess that's why I was taken by surprise when he snapped at Buster. Don't get me wrong-- they wrestle and tug at each other all the time. Archie definitely expresses his dominance, but he seemed really more upset when it came to the antler. I've picked up the antlers and removed them for the time being...

Regarding the food-- I've been making sure that I feed Archie first, but I have their bowls in the same spot. Buster always tries to eat Archie's food, and Archie will growl at him. I'm always present to monitor if necessary. But, should I have separate feeding stations? The breeder was doing free feeding for Buster, so he was used to eating as he pleased. Archie was on 2 meals a day-- a small breakfast and good dinner. I'm trying to give Buster 3 meals a day-- so I sneak one in for Buster when Archie's not looking-- do I sound ridiculous? Who says they're not children???

All in all, Archie has been really accepting of Buster. For the first week or 10 days, he slept on the floor right next to Buster's crate. If Buster cried, Archie would snuggle his nose against the crate. It looked to me like he was trying to let Buster know he was there. Broke my heart!