Hi, my 16 week old pup is so far doing well, house training, etc...and love him to bits...gave him one of his fave chew/bone things tonight, and he's being wonderfully over the top in guarding it. He normally spends the evening sleeping on the sofa with the cat and other dog,but tonight he's been in his crate with the chew under his blanket, doing what I can only describe as patrolling in front of it in the kitchen.He's fine if I go near him, but if Bailey our older dog goes near him , he starts growling,etc. Now, is this a problem, should I be doing anything about this, or do I just ignore it until he gets fed up of it on his own accord? He's not even chewing the blooming thing, so he isn't enjoying it at all. I think last time he had one, Bailey was after it, so I guess he remembers. Sorry if it's a silly question but.....Snoop's a cocker by the way.

This could be a precurser to burying a bone. I know every now and again my Cairn pup (20 weeks) digs up an old chew and whilst running around with it in his mouth, deciding where to bury it/or hide it next, we can't get near him. He doesn't growl or become aggressive, although I am sure he would if there was another dog around. He's just uncatchable and a bit nervy. So we just leave him alone and pretend not to notice where he's hidden it. It sounds like your pup needs his own space to hide his bone, that's all.

Every now and again?  Mine does this several times every day!!

She's constantly moving manky old chews around in rotation.  And I have to participate in helping lifting her up to bury it down the back of the furniture, and making 'hidey holes' in blankets and things for her to bury things in, or having to sit still on the sette whilst she buries it under my armpit....otherwise its whine, whine, whine, whine!

My sister's Westie is hysterical, he has a routine which he only does with Jumbones, which have now been renamed Crybones.  He receives it, takes it off to bury it (spending about 20 minutes finding the exact right place, whether it be inside or outside).  Then he comes and sits in front of your 'crying' until someone gets up to go and play hide and seek.  Then you have to walk around the house/garden trying to find the blinking thing, whilst he follows you round watching intently, making the occasional crying noise as though he's lost it.  Then when you find it, hurrah, his tail wags and he runs back to the living room to eat it.  He has never eaten one without performing the ritual, and its only Jumbones that he does this with.

The worst of it is, we always watch to see where they are being hid...then walk around PRETENDING not to know where it is, to keep him happy.  The things we do for our dogs, eh?!!

Ooops, we've gone off topic again!

As long as he's not growling at humans, I think it's fine. Dog to dog interactions are going to be different and we can't change all their instincts, but I would make sure he gets use to you touching his stuff. (Your stuff actually. You paid for it) Pick it up once in a while, give it right back, maybe toss it like a game and have him bring it to you and give it back again. Give him a pat when you walk by...stuff like that so he knows you're no threat. That's what I do and it keeps my dogs from any sort of worry over humans around their stuff.

Carrie

Dogs are hard wired to resource guard, years of selective breeding for softer temperaments has not touched this basic survival instinct; if you do not have access to valuable resources eg food in the wild you die!  This behaviour is perfectly normal dog stuff.

However............................. cockers are one of the breeds that can escalate resource guarding to unacceptable levels; this behaviour COULD be transferred to locations as well as food etc and you need to take preventive measures against this.

Resource guarding from other animals is only a problem if it leads to fights, resource guarding from humans can very quickly end in bites if you do not take care with the possible irreversible consequences to the dog.  Be sure to play lots of "swap" games with your dog so that it will give something up for a higher value reward eg swap the chew for a bone, or a piece of liver.  This is vital because at some time in the future your dog may have something life threatening in his chops like antifreeze which it is imperative to remove!

Make sure that you control access to food by starting getting him used to your presence at feeding times, throw a tasty morsel in his dish, then put one, then remove it and add extras until you get to the stage where you can tell your dog to "leave" at any time during feeding as he will expect this to indicate you are going to add something extra tasty rather than remove his food.  If at any time your dog demonstrates he is uncomfortable with this you have moved too fast.  The same should apply to sofas, beds, doorways, stairs etc and also if you have children or children visit you this needs to be generalised around them too as it is a whole different ball game.  This way you will always know your dog is "safe" around food, toys etc etc.

I always separate my dogs during feeding as it is a high arousal activity.

HTH

"I would make sure he gets use to you touching his stuff. (Your stuff actually. You paid for it) "

:-(  Awwwwww its not his fault he can't go out to work and earn pennies. :-(  So that means he never actually owns anything in his whole life :-(.  In the words of the Ceasar advert...."because he would if he could" ;-)

If they go and catch it they own it :D  Mice, squirrels, rabbits, grass snakes, worms, or in the case of one of my pups who successfully completed her first hunt last week - a large beetle (and they really crunch when chewed).

Errrgh! Beetles!!! Yuch!!!!
Never mind, wait till next month when the Maybugs start flying.
We call them Flying Biscuits :D

Oh no, not maybugs! :-(  The only kill so far is a cheesybug (I think the proper term might be woodlouse) and a spider.  And possibly a bumblebee, she was chasing one in the garden last week which I later found dead on the grass...obviously decided not to eat that one then....

"I would make sure he gets use to you touching his stuff. (Your stuff actually. You paid for it) "

I say that just to make sure that he knows that things you give him are yours and you're giving him the privilge of having them. Everything good comes from YOU. You can ask him to sit or down before you give him something. (he should earn it) That's what I mean.

And I've always done that with my dogs....while they're eating, put your hand down by the bowl and put an extra special treat in the bowl, or pick up a piece of food and hand feed him, give a little pat, move the bowl over a couple of feet. Then leave him alone the rest of the meal. Do it a couple two - three times a week. And the toys....ask him to "give" and then give it back so he knows he's not going to be without...that it's no big deal....that sort of thing.

Carrie

Do you remember all the discussions last year on what the Maybugs were :D

thanks for all your replies...will try to follow all advice...thanks again. ( it's a jumbone as well!!! they must put something narcotic in them!!)