The short answerA dog that bites over turkey, a stolen cotton swab or anything else it treasures usually doesn’t have a food problem. In my experience, it most often comes from how the dog sees its standing with the people it lives with. Treats won’t fix that. The fix starts with daily relationship work, and only then the guarding itself.
When it’s serious
If your dog has bitten hard enough to break skin, guards things around children, or the family is living in fear of him, don’t wait for it to pass, and don’t try to win items back by force. As I told Liz, you shouldn’t have to pick a fight and win to turn this around. If you’re weighing your options with a dog this serious, read Seven Options Available to Dog Owners with Dogs With Very Serious Behavior Problems (Aggression).
The letter
Dear John,
About 5 months ago, my family adopted a 1 ½ year old neutered jack Russell/poodle mix (we think!) named Jack from the SPCA. He has proven to be a challenge, but until recently we have not had any issues that aren’t fixable through simple training. On thanksgiving day, Jack somehow got a hold of a cotton swab and took it into his crate with him. I idiotically reached in to get it from him, and he left some nasty bite wounds on my hand. Yesterday, my dad had the leftover turkey on the kitchen counter, and when he left the room for a minute, Jack managed to grab a turkey leg and bring it into his crate. My dad had to use a garden rake to retrieve it, which Jack proceeded to bite and attack the rake throughout the process. Today, my mom had the turkey out on the counter, and when I stepped in front of Jack in attempt to get him away from the turkey, he immediately went into attack mode; if I had not been wearing plush slippers, there’s a good chance I’d be in the emergency room right now. Other than this newfound aggression over turkey, Jack is a sweet, affectionate and playful dog. It would be my worst nightmare to have him put down over this. I understand that there are no quick fixes to such severe behavioral issues, but my family and I obviously cannot go on living in fear of Jack attacking every time we eat. PLEASE HELP!
L.Z. Philadelphia, PA
My reply
Hi Liz,
Thanks for the email. We have to keep in mind that I haven’t met your dog or asked the questions I would ask in a consultation but I can say I’ve seen this behavior before in Jack Russell Terriers. You can find it in any breed but in some it’s more likely to rear its head if you don’t dot your i’s and cross your t’s as far as what I call daily relationship reinforcements. I suspect that over the last 5 months your dog has been noting the way you interact with him and has come to the conclusion that relationship-wise he’s equal to or greater than other householders in contexts that really count from his perspective. At least that’s what I’ve found to often be the case in situations like this.
Love isn’t the same as respect
He may have responded in the past to direction regarding minor issues particularly if the motivation has been food but that’s a very different type of relationship and one that doesn’t often influence dogs of this nature. In essence there’s a difference between a dog that loves its owner (and/or its owner’s treats) and one that respects its owner’s status.
In order to turn this dog around I suspect you’re going to need to focus on strategies that reinforce the aforementioned latter. It’s not hard to do, but in my experience it often proves difficult to find a trainer who knows how to go about it, as in North America many trainers’ skills are limited to getting a dog to do something for a treat, which frankly isn’t all that hard to do with most dogs. I think that this would be the wrong way to motivate a dog like this and one might argue considering that dogs are the only species selectively bred to love human beings it isn’t the best way to use as a foundation for any dog. I think if you aim at a dog’s tummy, you often miss the best part of the dog and trigger the wrong sort of motivation.
What kind of trainer to look for
Instead, you’re looking for a trainer who understands how a dog sees the world socially, how it makes connections during day-to-day interactions that influence who should be taken seriously as the teacher and who should be the student.
Where I’d start
Generally speaking, dogs don’t pick fights like this unless they’ve been given good reason to believe they can win, and you shouldn’t have to pick a fight and win to turn this around. I have about a half dozen exercises I recommend clients incorporate into their day with their dogs that subtly reshape the dog’s relationship perception. Only after a month of consistency in that area would I directly address the actual resource guarding.
If you can’t find someone locally to help, you should book a free 15-minute Zoom pre-consult with me, so I can ask a few more questions and be sure I can help before you book a consultation. I coach owners by Zoom across Canada, the United States and overseas.
Regards,
John Wade
6 thoughts on “Resource Guarding Jack Russell Terrier”
Could you direct me to the place that I can read about the exercises you suggested?
Thanks,
Buffie Brown
Hi Buffie,
The exercises are a piece of the puzzle, but real behavior modification involves some other pieces, and they work best when they’re fitted to your dog. If you’d like help, you should book a free 15-minute Zoom pre-consult with me, so I can ask a few more questions and be sure I can help before you book a consultation.
Regards,
John ‘Ask The Dog Guy’ Wade
Embracing Science and Common Sense
http://www.askthedogguy.com
Hi John, to make a long story short, I have 2 Jack Russell Terriers. Oslo, the male is 8 1/2 and have had him since about 8 weeks. My other Jack is a female named Stockholm. She is approaching 4 yrs old. Oslo has had biting issues since day one and some are so severe that I probably needed stitches but opted not to. When I brought Stockholm home as a cute little pup, she and I were laying on the bed cuddling. Oslo did not like this, jumped up on bed after her but I rolled over her to protect her and was bitten on the cheek which left 4 bite marks and multiple trips to my Dr. At one point he drained 3 tablespoons of pus out of my cheek. I have been bitten COUNTLESS times, most drawing blood. He can be triggered just by me bumping him. It has gotten worse as time goes on. I have had 3 trainers, no help. When I called the Oklahoma Jack Russell Terrier rescue she advised me to put him down because if I handed him over to him, that is what they would do. Oslo is also on an anti-depressant and canine CBD oil, not working. Now, over the last 6 weeks my female Jack and him and gotten into to 5 vicious fights and me trying to separate them (and me getting bit by one of them). This is what happened this morning and I was bitten in 3 spots, one that wouldn’t stop bleeding. I can’t live like this anymore. BTW, Oslo has bitten 3 contractors and my dog sitter and a friend, all when they turn to leave my house. I have a dog gate up so I can out of the house to go to work. I open it really quietly so he doesn’t hear but usually does. He grabs the bars on the gates and shakes it as hard as he can and howls and almost screams like, totally out of control. My question is, do I put him down or just keep on living like this (which I can’t). What if he is sick and I just don’t know it? Any information would be helpful Thanks John
Hi Jeffrey,
When you have a dog with this level of aggression, it’s a tough place to be. It’s also worth asking your vet to rule out pain or illness, since a dog that hurts can bite more readily. I wrote this article for people in this sort of situation as a means to collect their thoughts in a more objective manner, as to what their options are. I hope it helps. Seven Options Available to Dog Owners with Dogs With Very Serious Behavior Problems (Aggression)
– John Wade (www.askthedogguy.com)
This post is very timely for me. I’m currently house sitting for a Jack Russell/terrier mix who displays resource guarding behaviour, something I’ve never encountered before. In addition he’s unpredictable. Your explanation has helped me understand what’s happening with this dog. He usually coexists peacefully with the resident cat, but during human meal times, he becomes frantic and guards the kitchen area and meal areas.
This behaviour explains all the sticks I’ve found tucked into corners throughout the house and the tennis racquet in the kitchen – they’re likely the owners protection if he’s out of control. I initially thought he might have been a rescue with a difficult past, but his records show he was adopted as a puppy. In conclusion, this situation is becoming too challenging for me to manage, and I’ve decided it’s time for me to end this house-sitting arrangement
Hi Puddleduck,
I’m sorry this sat so long without an answer. Thank you for writing, and I’m glad the article helped you make sense of what you were seeing.
Stepping away was a sensible decision. A dog that guards the kitchen at meal times and is unpredictable is a job for his owners, with experienced help, not for a house sitter to manage alone.
If you know an owner in this spot, they should book a free 15-minute Zoom pre-consult with me, so I can ask a few more questions and be sure I can help before they book a consultation.
Regards,
John ‘Ask The Dog Guy’ Wade
Embracing Science and Common Sense
http://www.askthedogguy.com