Yep, it’s another month, another installment of “Better Humaning Through Dogs.”<\/p>\n
Generally, I try to write about the positive elements of dog companionship – or at least, the interesting ones. And generally, people who love or work with dogs understand the psychology of these animals, or are willing to learn.<\/p>\n
But sometimes, I swear to dog, er, god, media makes education difficult, and I just have to scream.<\/p>\n
Recently I saw a People magazine article, one of those clickbait headlines squibs, about a puppy so protective of a new family member, it wouldn\u2019t even let the baby\u2018s mama touch baby. And it was, as these things always are reported, done up in a sweetly twee, isn\u2019t it cute! tone.\u00a0 Isn’t that a\u00a0good dog?<\/em><\/p>\n No, it\u2019s not cute. At that level, it’s called resource guarding, and it\u2019s not something you should be encouraging in your dogs, OK? (Or your cats, for that matter.)\u00a0 Yes, dogs are excellent guardians, and are often very careful and watchful around the younger members of their pack, four or two-legged.<\/p>\n But when the family dog gets upset when anyone else comes near the baby, to the point of growling or showing teeth, Rover or Fluffy isn\u2019t being protective over your offspring. Rover or Fluffy is claiming them as their property, their territory.\u00a0 That’s a version of resource guarding, and it’s not a healthy situation, much less “cute.”<\/p>\n Resource guarding, within context, isn’t a bad thing.\u00a0 Between dogs, it’s annoyingly common – I’ve seen this play out more times than I like, working with shelter dogs, with friend’s dogs, with my own dog. Between dogs, its a way of laying down boundaries: this is mine and I will share it, this is mine and I will not<\/em>. Most dogs will recognize and accept those boundaries, and back down (when they don’t, that’s when you get dog fights).<\/p>\n But humans, for the most part, are clueless about the warning signs, and very bad about backing off.\u00a0 And no, you can’t count on your dog recognizing you, and knowing that you are to be trusted.\u00a0 Not in the instant of reaction, anyway.\u00a0 To the resource guarding dog’s mind, everything<\/em> is a potential threat to their possession of the beloved object.\u00a0 Even another pack member, maybe even alpha pack members.\u00a0 And they’re not going to sit back and rationally think it out; they’re going to respond the way they’re designed to, quickly, efficiently, and potentially bloodily.<\/p>\n And a dog’s idea of defensive behavior?\u00a0 Involves teeth.<\/p>\n That means anyone attempting to reach for the child, in the case of this article, or a person in need of medical care, or even a partner attempting to show affection, risks getting bitten.\u00a0 Maybe badly.<\/p>\n So yeah, articles like the one I saw are the worst kind of narrative, assigning emotions and motives inaccurately, and making it seem like a good thing. A trained guard dog does not behave that way. An untrained guarding<\/em> dog is a danger to everybody. Including that dog. Because you know what too-often happens to dogs that bite. Even if they’re not at fault.<\/p>\n So yeah, please,\u00a0please<\/em>.\u00a0 If you have a dog that is showing signs of resource guarding against humans, particularly <\/em> if they’re resource guarding another human, get them (and you) professional help to stop it.<\/p>\n The life you save may be theirs.<\/p>\n