serious resource guarding

Question
Hello.
I have a 9 months old Beagle puppy, and he is a SERIOUS resource guarding dog. My sister and I got badly injured today because we tried to take away a ziplock bag full of rotten food. He picked it up from the ground while playing at a fenced baseball field, and at first, not knowing what the heck was in the ziplock bag, we  started to chase him (a big mistake, I know). I think at first he thought we were playing a game but after awhile it obviously became clear to him that we are trying to take away the ziplock bag from him because he starte to growl while running away from us. Then the growl turned into a ferocious bark as the chase continued. After about fifteen minutes of chasing, my sister finally caught him by his harness, but he bit her arm extremely hard. It is more like he gnawed at it, with a huge growl. It was a REALLY bad bite, I can't even describe it. The under-side of her arm is full of his teethmarks and peeled skin. Freaked out by her painful scream, I immediately got hold of the harness, making my sister walk away from him. While I tried to leash him, he gnawed at my hands. My index finger was dripping with blood after that. He showed this kind of behavior with a bone when he was about four to five months old. Is there a way to fix this behavior? Help!

Answer
The first thing you must do is stop chasing him or approaching him when he has a forbidden object - your safety is paramount.  The best time to have addressed this would have been at age four months, when you first noticed the behavior, but it is possible that you can, with lots of the correct type of behavior modification, make the situation much better.  I suggest you get a copy of Jean Donaldson's book, "Mine! A Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs" and read it thoroughly before you begin.  Especially since this dog has not just warned, but actually bitten twice, with damage to a human, please take no chances.  If you have any difficulty at all, avail yourself of the services of a qualified behaviorist.  You can find one at the Animal Behavior Society or IAABC web sites.  Dogs that have serious resource guarding problems may be taught not to guard from certain people, but may not be reliable with ALL people, especially children, so this is not a dog that should ever get to sit under your dinner table...


Hello, just checking in to see if you got the book and how you are making out utilizing the training protocol.