The Shar-Pei Forums-Health Behavior Diet & Rescue Info and Discussion Group

As you know, Storm has some resource guarding issues, that started after I went on hols and his balls dropped. We are dealing with them, they are getting less frequent and I am retrieving whatever he has pinched. He will ALWAYS drop the offending article without a problem, it's letting me pick it up that we have to do in a controlled manner

Pearl has NEVER done this and as far as I am aware, nor has his dad. Yes I know, I have probably spoilt him but how likely is this to be an adolescent behaviour rather than actually him?

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Friends are the family we choose for ourselves

PRobably , just his claiming it. Keep up the work and stick to your guns!If he wins - you lose.

I certainly will keep at him Sandy, it's just been a long two months

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Friends are the family we choose for ourselves

Trade him something for it. See if that works. And in my experience, resource guarding doesn't get better by leaving it. My male started right when he went into adolescence and even with lots of work on the issue, it was a long road. He did get to where he isn't guarding any longer but I am still careful around him when he has a bone and so are the other dogs walk. When I am ready for him to give up the bone (even if he has left it) I trade him something (a bit of cream cheese works) and we are fine. I can pick it up and take it away.
Oh, I also discovered that covering the object with a towel defuses the guarding.

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Toni- Cosmo, Pei-le and Kaïa's mom

We do the trade and it does work, we still get grumbles but he will let me take it for the swap. It just seems to be never ending I guess I posted today as he has had a day of pinching stuff? I'm hoping that he will continue improving, at least it's not getting worse, and that he will grow out of it

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Friends are the family we choose for ourselves

If you keep on it, it should get better. Another thing that helped is I feed Cosmo at least four bites of his food by hand before I give him the bowl. This works wonders. It really does. You can feed him his entire meal by hand for a while (a few weeks or a month) and when You see an improvement (and you will) with resource guarding, then you can give him three or four bites by hand before you put down his food for him. I used this for biting issues having to do with guarding but also my Cosmo doesn't like anyone touching his paws. This did wonders for that. Even if I push him past his point and he snaps at me, he doesn't break the skin. This is a dog that give PLENTY of warning, so when he snaps, it is me that went too fast. I am really really REALLY happy we have gotten to where we are considering where we started. Please try this even if it seems like a pain in the patoot. Dr. Ian Dunbar writes about this technique and it is he who recommended it to me. It works. Really.

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Toni- Cosmo, Pei-le and Kaïa's mom

Cosmo sounds so much like our big Tea. That boy can be downright intimidating.
No wonder I brought him home. LOL.
Sounds like awesome bits of advice so far.

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Toni- Cosmo, Pei-le and Kaïa's mom