resource guarding around puppy

[cordeliandemon]

Hey, does anyone have some suggestions about resource guarding?
i was having a supervised play session with Demon (11 weeks today ) and the malamute Koda earlier and everything was going great untill Koda went to the horse trough in the yard and started drinking. demon followed and when he got near the water she would snarl at him and raise her hackles, i beeped the audio setting on her ecollar and she stopped and started to come back to me but every time Demon slurped some water shed run back snarling (he was almost turning it into a one-sided game)

just wondering if anyone has any better ideas on how to discourage this? theyll be fed separately in the future but theyll need to drink in eachothers company eventually.
i have to say shes alot gentler about it than she was with our last dog Sidney, if he went near food/water without her permission he would be attacked and pinned down... perhaps shes just mindful that Demons only a puppy still (and has some very good dog manners for his age)

[Dutchringgirl]

the young ones should be on a leash at all times, especially if there are problems with another dog. This way you can shape the behaviors immideatly.

[cordeliandemon]

hes on a leash everywhere but when hes in the farmyard, its enclosed with 11 foot walls and i practice his recall out there. they were both off lead when being introduced so they could play, were i to have the puppy or koda on a leash it would have triggered jealousy from koda and escalated any situation that presented itself.

[Raven]

Just a thought: Koda seems the denominator when it comes to past or present "confrontations," so I'm wondering if you are unknowingly (through body language, stress in voice, etc.) putting off signals of concern that Koda is picking up on, thereby giving her reason to react, confirming that her behavior is warranted.

[cordeliandemon]

with Sidney in the past there was a bucket of reasons why she was so controlling with him and in essence he was her dog not so much mine. this time im very much giving her the vibe that demon is mine and i wont tolerate her pushing him around.
they seem to be getting along better with each meeting and the last went extremely well with them joyously chasing eachother back and forth in the yard. she certainly watched him when he went to drink but there was no lip curling or intervention from her so maybe what im doing is working,
ill have to keep an eye on it.
she does react to me sometimes which im very aware of but in never happens in the house, its moreso twards dogs and anyone running/jogging twards me when im walking her. i know thats most likely to do with me having ptsd and she senses my anxiety in those situations which im working on. (thats one reason demon has come into the picture. ive had threats against myself and my family from an estranged/dangerous relation aswell as the locks in the house being tampered with, so demon will soon be working with an ex police officer for protection training if all goes to plan)

[Dutchringgirl]

Her anxiety aro9und other people/dogs running tward you is also her protection stuff coming up. that is what she is supposed to do, protect you from people running at you. If you also have anxiety about it, then she is also reading that and doubling her own anxiety. For now, if someone comes jogging up to you, way long before they get close enough, pull aside off the path or walk way and put her in a sit and have her focus on you, then do that until she is calmer, then stay closer and closer as she stays calm with the distance. If you hear any noise and you react, you are giving her the cue to protect you. Dont reprimand her for barking, but teach her to "quiet" after she barks. You both will calm down as she gets older and you work on your ptsd about your stuff.

[Raven]

Here's a crazy thought that just rolled in my head. If PTSD is present, won't/can't/couldn't that somehow disrupt the communication link in training and/or result in situations getting misinterpreted, especially with a new and/or young dog? (Not sure if that adequately describes what's in my head.)

Are there any qualified, trusted service dog trainers in your area you could talk to, or any you know of who you could consult out of your area? (Assuming I'm not off my rocker to think training with PTSD/early PTSD could interfere.)

[Owned-By-Hendrix]

You're not far off Sharon. Depends on the situation. If an event is similiar to a trigger anxiety from the owner would be higher. Or, if the event is still relatively new, there is a lot of anxiety. But everyone processes it differently. Depending on degrees and responses, it could be beneficial in helping the pup learn to see things different while working through your own response (sounds weird but it can work). You know you are what's driving the Dog's reaction so you have to see a situation as not always threatening - while teaching the pup, "hey, this isn't so bad, see?". Even if you're in the same situation later and it's a dangerous one, the pup will sense the difference. It's a learning curve of how much stress means danger? H has learned over the 14 months he's been alive what level of stress he senses in me means bring out the snarl and what means mom is just having a bad day (I don't process stress well). PTSD will be a constant in the owner's and pup's life so they'll have to learn the levels of stress and what is/isn't considered "protect mom" trigger. Some protection trainers subscribe to the belief you're training the dog to look for certain cues to perform a protection act, some want them neutral until a given command, and some attempt to train both behaviors to be used on the Dog's judgement. It'll take time and a lot of work but it's not impossible. I would just be careful talking to a service dog trainer - some look down on a dog that is a service/protection dog because service dogs should always be very social and non-threatening and they think having a dual trained dog is dangerous. Is it possible to get this combo without worrying if your dog is going to bite someone they shouldn't? Yes, with a lot of work/exposure. Some of my friends have these dogs and they are truly amazing. So don't be put out if the service dog trainer is snooty if you mention training for protection.

[Raven]

Good point, Kira, about service vs. protection modes. Service trainers flew in my head just because of the different types of human conditions (predictable and otherwise) for which they train dogs. But, yeah...good point.

This is definitely one of the more delicate balancing acts.

[Dutchringgirl]

I would think that any heightened emotion by the human would put the dog more on alert than normal. For example, when I know someone is coming to the house, Sadie is way more alert than normal, then any move I make Sadie is up like a rocket and waiting to see what I do or will start barking. When all is calm, she falls alseep. So for someone with PTSD, you are always in a more heightened emotional state, then when there is a noise or a situation that triggers PTSD, the emotional response is much greater than a human with out PTSD. The puppy is learning her way in the world and is picking up more cues from and being a pup with out knowing what to do and not having the tools yet, Gigi is more confused and will over react.