Strange guarding behaviour - any ideas

P

Possum

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 November 2013
Messages
454
Visit site
Little bit of background - as some of you may know, I have a little terrier-type bitch. She's about 2, we've owned her for about 18 months having found her as a stray. Her behaviour in the last 18 months has improved from bl**dy awful to fairly acceptable, she's still a hooligan when excited but generally day-to-day is a complete sweetheart...with one exception.

She has allocated my OH and I sections of the house. The lounge downstairs is 'mine' and the office upstairs 'his'. If I try to go into the office, she retreats under his chair and barks as ferociously as a 5kg terrier can manage. If OH comes down the stairs, she runs to me and does the same to him. So if he goes up to the bathroom when we're sitting watching TV in the evening, when he comes down he gets a volley of barks. Interestingly, if she goes upstairs with him, no barking occurs when they both come down. It's also not replicated with strangers - anyone else can go anywhere in the house they like, regardless of where we are, and she doesn't guard.

Any ideas?

ETA - it's got no better or worse with the introduction of the Newfie a month ago - he joined in with the barking downstairs for a day or so then decided it was pointless.
 
Last edited:
Thanks CT.

No, not a new thing with the Newfie, she's always done it. Newf, bless him, just ignores it. We've probably noticed it more over the last few weeks because we've been home together for longer periods of time because I've been studying, she obviously doesn't do it if she's at home with just one of us.

I'll try coaxing her out and treating tonight. She's fairly intense with it but is also very much an 'on' or 'off' dog, so hopefully we can work out how to snap her out of it.
 
When we have a sheepdog which has a marked preference for approaching his work from one side or the other, so we concentrate on the side that he ignores. Similarly, were you to change positions with your OH, and over a period of several days, first one in a strange (or unacceptable) environment, and then the other, so that the dog comes to the realisation that the Office also belongs to you, and the Lounge also belongs to your OH, then she will come to the realisation that 'ownership' doesn't exist and that 'guarding' isn't necessary. Just a thought, it might be worth a try. Persevere, even if it doesn't immediately click!

Alec.
 
I've just re-read the post above and I'm wondering if it makes any sense! What I'm suggesting to you is that you install the complete opposite of what your birch has as a mindset. Don't 'contradict' her in a verbal fashion, don't scold her in fact, just ignore her, and eventually, though she won't initially be too keen, she'll come to accept that either of you are entitled to be in either place.

Right, I think that that's about it! :)

Alec.
 
Just a thought but why do you both 'let' her do it? If she bards at you when you are in 'his' office - why does he allow this?
 
Thank you all :)

Alec - fab idea, I love it! No idea why it didn't occur to me earlier, but I think it's just the sort of thing that might get inside her head! She's a funny little character she tends to obsess and easily gets very fixed ideas about things, it makes complete sense that we could improve things by mixing things up ourselves.

Equidae - I don't really understand what you mean. It's not a case of 'letting' her do it, we have tried both ignoring it and actively intervening (generally evicting her from the room...although I have to admit that yelling at her in complete frustration has happened on more than one occasion) but it has no effect on the next occurrence.

Micky - I'm sorry but I have to disagree with you, I know I haven't given a lot of background but honestly she doesn't think she's boss. Thanks for the suggestion though.
 
Possum said:
…….. , we have tried both ignoring it and actively intervening (generally evicting her from the room...although I have to admit that yelling at her in complete frustration has happened on more than one occasion) but it has no effect on the next occurrence.

…….. .
Click to expand...

What is it that most dogs do whilst in a heightened sense of excitement? Mostly they 'yell', especially terriers! By being the pack leaders, we run the risk of worsening the behaviour of a dog which is already up on its toes, if we join in.

Similarly, and as you rightly say, rewarding unacceptable behaviour isn't on either. When we consider cause and effect with dogs, we have to consider that few dogs if any will understand or interpret the intentions of the human, at times of conflict. It's the responsibility of the human to recognise the dog's thought processes, and as we have what they lack and specifically that's intelligence and the power of reason, so to reduce our thought processes to those of the dog, is the better way forward.

Alec.
 
EQUIDAE said:
Whatever you do don't follow any Caesar Milan advice in a situation like this - you risk being bitten.
Click to expand...

Micky said:
No because he has no experience..sigh....
…….. ..
Click to expand...

I'd agree with the poster above, in that the usual recommendation of 'Don't try this at home', holds good! For the inexperienced, simply copying someone who's highly competent, without the understanding of why we're doing what we're doing can, as has been pointed out, will have almost inevitable results.

I agree with you too, and I do sometimes wonder why those who sit on sofas and type and criticise and who've never demonstrated an alternative or better system, seem to hold views that others agree with. Perhaps in the equine world, the likes of Roberts, Maxwell and Witheford also don't know what they're doing! Failing to understand how something works, despite the clear evidence that is does, isn't a good enough reason to criticise, as you may also agree!

Alec.
 
You could leave a line on her (no hand loop at the end to get caught on obstacles) and quietly remove her from the room and shut her in an empty room for a couple of minutes every time she exhibits the guarding behaviour. No shouting and no treats. Time out in other words. Keep everything low key, you are trying to calm her down, she should get the message after a few times. For whatever reason she is doing it, it is not acceptable to you so you tell her so in a language she can understand.
 
Thank you all - sorry I've been too busy to reply for a few days.

I am pleased to report that after a couple of days of Alec's method, she now barks at us whenever and wherever either of us move. And the 'pleased' is only slightly sarcastic, I've always said with training that any change is better than a fixed problem, and we can now work on trying to fix this new behaviour (Dry Rot - water pistol may well be the way forward...but I bet the Newf would end up queuing to be sprayed!).

I'm not against the idea of getting a behaviourist in to have a look at her, I might try and see if I can find a good one locally.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top