Guarding, jealous... what is this new behavior?

[chelle]

I'm not sure if this is the right section, so please move if needed?

I did some searching and can find somewhat similar posts, but not similar enough, so I hope no one minds me posting my own.

I am seeing what I think may be Bailey (my 8 month old WGSD mix) showing jealousy or "guarding" *me.*

There have been three incidents with my 8 year old American Eskimo.

It has happened twice when I'm sitting on the recliner or the computer chair. Bailey usually wants to be right at my feet.

Dolly (the Eskimo) came up to the side of the chair for petting/attention. Bailey, twice, came between Dolly and me and given her a nasty, mean, serious business bark and somehwat lunged at her. No contact, but scared the Eskie to really crying in fear. The first time I was so surpised and told him NO!. The second time I told Bailey NO, YOU WILL NOT, loud, firm, and picked up my Eskie and petted her and kept her on my lap and made Bailey go lay down. The third time... I know I'll catch grief, but I want to be honest... The third time was in the kitchen as I was standing and Dolly got beside me when he did the same -- scary barking -- seeming like he'd attack but no contact and he scared the tar out of her, totally squealing in fear of him and he got a darn good scruff shake out of that ordeal and held down for a full minute or so. (Held down -- not an alpha roll!!)

This has always happened in my presence only. He doesn't care what Dolly is doing otherwise. In fact, both Dolly and Bailey sleep in the same bedroom with me every night with no issue. Dolly takes the dog bed, Bailey prefers under the bed, no problem.

The Shiba does the same thing, (gets close to me, jumps on my lap) but Shiba girl takes no guff from pup Bailey so Bailey doesn't bother to try to intimidate her. It won't work.

Is he trying to "guard" me from the dog with the sweetest temperment in the house? Is he jealous? Both? Did I make mistakes in my handling? I am super hyper vigilent now anytime they're close together.

[Jax08]

He's resource guarding. I would put him on a leash and let your SO hold it. When Dolly comes to you, give him a treat. He will learn that Dolly coming means good things. I think your timing needs to be pretty good. You want to treat him before he reacts or wait until he's calm.

The Shiba does this to Bailey? It could be a learned behavior from her then. Work on your Shiba so she doesn't do this also.

[chelle]

No, I didn't explain that right... just that the Shiba can come up beside me, my chair, jump on my lap, do whatever she wants and Bailey wouldn't even begin to try to scare her away from me. She isn't the least bit scared of him and he full well knows it.

I'll work on your idea. Thanks.

[Freestep]

Yes, resource guarding. I once had a dog that would not allow other dogs to touch me. And god forbid I should try to pet another dog in her presence! She was okay with the other dogs in the household, though.

To me, this is an authority issue. The dog needs to learn that YOU decide who gets attention, when, where, and how--NOT him. However, I wouldn't make a big show of putting the other dog on your lap and cooing over him, that could build frustration which Bailey may then take out on the other dog. I like the idea of giving Bailey a treat while you give attention to the other dog, but you'd have to be really careful of the timing and the body language Bailey is showing, so that you don't inadvertently reinforce the wrong thing.

Personally, when I call one dog, I don't want the other dog getting up in my grill too. If he does this snarky behavior again, I'd give him a sharp reprimand, put him in a down stay, and then calmly, without any fuss, give the other dog a few ear scratches. If Bailey stays, tell him what a good dog he is and reward him. If he's not solid on down-stays, I'd work on that first. Then when he's doing really well, you can start petting your other dog while he's on a down-stay and reward him richly if he obeys. That way he will make a positive association--when the other dog gets some goodies, he will too, if he is patient and waits his turn.

[chelle]

Originally Posted by Freestep

Yes, resource guarding. I once had a dog that would not allow other dogs to touch me. And god forbid I should try to pet another dog in her presence! She was okay with the other dogs in the household, though.

To me, this is an authority issue. The dog needs to learn that YOU decide who gets attention, when, where, and how--NOT him. However, I wouldn't make a big show of putting the other dog on your lap and cooing over him, that could build frustration which Bailey may then take out on the other dog. ......

Ok I wondered about that. (bolded)

Funny, Bailey doesn't mind dogs that approach me at the park or anywhere. No reaction. This thing with my oldest dog is just...well.... odd, but I want to address it correctly nice and early so we don't end up with a big issue. No one is picking on my pretty Dolly girl. Bailey boy is going to have to behave himself and respect his elders.

We'll work on this. Thanks for the advice so far.

[mysweetkaos]

Originally Posted by Freestep

Yes, resource guarding. I once had a dog that would not allow other dogs to touch me. And god forbid I should try to pet another dog in her presence! She was okay with the other dogs in the household, though.

To me, this is an authority issue. The dog needs to learn that YOU decide who gets attention, when, where, and how--NOT him. However, I wouldn't make a big show of putting the other dog on your lap and cooing over him, that could build frustration which Bailey may then take out on the other dog. I like the idea of giving Bailey a treat while you give attention to the other dog, but you'd have to be really careful of the timing and the body language Bailey is showing, so that you don't inadvertently reinforce the wrong thing.

Personally, when I call one dog, I don't want the other dog getting up in my grill too. If he does this snarky behavior again, I'd give him a sharp reprimand, put him in a down stay, and then calmly, without any fuss, give the other dog a few ear scratches. If Bailey stays, tell him what a good dog he is and reward him. If he's not solid on down-stays, I'd work on that first. Then when he's doing really well, you can start petting your other dog while he's on a down-stay and reward him richly if he obeys. That way he will make a positive association--when the other dog gets some goodies, he will too, if he is patient and waits his turn.

Good advice.