[geoffgarcia]

My girlfriend has 2 dogs, a 9 year old female wirehaired griffon (Peggy), and an 11 year old male chocolate lab (Scout).

95% of the time the two dogs get along, but if the lab comes between the griffon and her bones or toys then she lets into him. Deep growling, and often neck/head biting that causes the slow moving lab to shake uncontrollably and whelp in fear/pain.

These dogs grew up together and apparently this type of behavior has been happening for years. Apart from taking away bones/toys and verbally scolding the griffon no other punishment is issued.

While it is rare that blood is drawn (scratches), it is very upsetting to see the older arthritic dog bullied by the younger griffon and see him in such fear and pain. We have discussed punishment options, but neither of us knows what would be appropriate. Any suggestions? I was thinking a 1 hour muzzle period might help.

These are indoor/outdoor dogs that are alone together for 6 hours during the day, and for the rest of the day are playing with us.

Thanks for any help.

[Todd]

this is a very common issue with dogs. it stems down to the fact that wolves in the wild had to be possessive in order to claim what was theirs to survive. it is much, much more complex to solve a possessive problem between two dogs than between a dog and owner. is your dog just aggressive with your older dog or with oyu as well? is he's possessive with you as well, this is the first problem to solve. as far as stopping him from being possessive with your older dog, it's going to be very, very difficult if not impossible to solve because the fact of the matter is that it is instinct. you cannot neccessarily solve this problem, but you can control it. Negative reinforcement or punishment is NOT the answer in this particular situation! It will only make matters worse. positive reinforcement is the only way to control this situation. i would try to use diversion tactics in this situation. when your older dog approaches the younger one and starts to either growl or stare in a possessive manner, divert the younger dog's attention and reward him with a yummy treat. reward him for leaving the older dog alone with the assistance of attention diversion tactics. when you're away from home, either keep the two dogs separated or keep toys/treats/chews away to eliminate the triggers. again, i realize this isn't solving the whole problem, but in this particular situation your only successful option is to control the problem.

Here's an article I found online;

Most dogs are naturally inclined to be possessive of some objects. This can be clearly observed in multi-dog households where some dogs may act aggressively towards other dogs that get too close to them while eating or playing with a toy. While possessiveness of such objects is a quite normal reaction when a dog is dealing with other dogs nearby, it should not however ever be directed towards its owners.

A dog acting possessively may be an accident ready to happen. An owner may get easily bitten simply by getting too close to a dog that is eating a meal or chewing on a bone. Some dogs can be even possessive of toys. A typical scenario is a dog getting into a trash can and the owner scolding the dog. Upon trying to get something out of the dog's mouth, the owner may get easily bit if the dog is possessive. All of these scenarios are dangerous situations that can be prevented and sometimes treated depending on the level of aggression.

Different Levels of Dog Possessiveness
Most humane societies are well aware of how possessiveness may lower the chances of placing a rescue dog in a new home. Indeed, extremely possessive dogs are often euthanized rather than being put up for adoption with the end result of being a liability, and therefore, endangering families, especially those with children.

For this reason, possessive dogs are carefully evaluated using tests and graded depending on their level of possession. Typically, according to Marin Humane Society, the following scale is used to depict the dog's level of possessiveness.

No Possession. The dog has no problems when food and toys are taken away.

Mild Possession. When approached while eating, the dog eats more quickly and wags its tail fast. When playing with a toy the dog averts its head, avoids the hand or walks away to be left alone.

Possessive. The dog buries his head in the food bowl, often moving it away or clearly shows its teeth and stares aggressively. When approached while playing with a toy, the dog grabs the toy and will not let go of it unless forced to.

Major Possession. The dog snarls and growls while eating and will snap if a hand is placed near the food bowl.

Extreme Possession. The dog will clearly protect its food even when the owner is feet away.

Generally, mild levels of possession can be worked on and may yield good results with time, patience and leadership. Owners dealing with mild cases of possessiveness may work on it by using some effective training methods.

How to Deal with Food Aggressive Dogs
Dogs who are food possessive are often managed in the wrong way by well meaning owners. A typical scenario, is a dog owner that decides to take away the food from a food possessive for the simple fact to 'teach the dog a lesson'. This approach is dangerously wrong and may easily lead to a bite and a tremendous increase in food aggression.

Basically, what this owner is telling the dog is that the dog is absolutely right to defend its food because the owner is really a threat and doing what the dog personally fears the most: having its food taken away. The dog therefore will trust the owner less and less, and may feel justified from defending its food with all its might.

Another mistake is to pet the dog while he is eating. Often dog owners do so because they want their dog to tolerate being petted while they eat. Nothing can be more wrong! This may actually encourage food aggression and make it worse. After all, not even humans may enjoy being touched while eating, so why should dogs? In nature, after all, dogs are always left to eat undisturbed by the pack. So what makes people think that they should tolerate being unjustly petted while eating?

So how are food aggressive dogs dealt with? The best approach is a positive reinforcement approach that will go to the root of the problem, allowing the dog to finally trust its owner and relax. Basically, the dog will have to learn that the owner means no harm and that actually great things happen when the owner approaches!

It all starts out by having owners arm themselves with some tasty treats. Such treats must be more valuable than the actual meal the dog is eating. Good examples are portions of freeze dried liver, slices of hot dogs, chunks of grilled chicken or steak. The owner therefore will approach the dog from a safe distance where the dog does not react. From this distance, the dog is tossed a few of these treats when the dog appears relaxed and not growling. Slowly over the days, the distance is decreased gradually.

At some point over the days, something both wonderful and magical happens: rather than growling or lifting its lip in a snarl, the dog starts wagging its tail looking forward to seeing its owner pass by while he eats! The situation is therefore totally reversed to both the owner's and the dog's advantage.

Other positive methods that can be incorporated involve emphasizing the role of the owner as the primary food giver, such as hand feeding the dog or having the dog sit and wait for a command to eat, once the food bowl is placed on the floor. This helps the dog understand that the owner is in charge of the food and therefore provides it only when the dog behaves and is calm and relaxed.

How to Deal with Toy Possessive Dogs
The same sort of dynamic is taught to dogs that are toy possessive. However, in this case the dog must learn the 'drop it' command. In this scenario, the owner 'trades' the dog's toy for tasty treats while saying the command 'drop it'.

For instance, the dog is chewing on a ball but the owner needs to put the ball away for the day. Instead of chasing the dog around the house or risking to get bit, the dog is shown a tasty treat (most dogs are really willing to trade a toy for a treat!) and told 'drop it'. The dog therefore, will release the toy right away and accept the treat. While the dog is distracted and eating the treat, the owner can safely remove the toy and put it away.

Most dogs will be quite collaborative once they learn that owners trade the toys for tasty treats, rather than taking the toy away. Humans therefore are able to offer friendlier and more fair options which the dog finds easier to accept. This trading method comes also very handy when the dog is holding in its mouth something that it is not supposed to have, for instance, an item dangerous to be swallowed, since the 'drop it' command will prompt a fast release.

As seen, there are some great ways to handle mild possessiveness in dogs that revolve around positive training methods. Such methods indeed encourage trust and helps dog and owner bond better, versus using negative approaches that set dogs and owners apart.