I don’t think there’s any way to fix this but hoping for a miracle

[BQ91]

Hi,
We have a beautiful 3 year old working cocker spaniel. We also have a 20 month old and a 4 month old. When we go to my parents house (they have an elderly dog who she has known since she was a pup) our dog will sit on the sofa and when their dog comes into the room she starts becoming agressive snarling, growling and barking. She also does it at our house if a dog walks into the room. This seems to have started once the new baby came along. I am not sure if she is guarding the room or if she’s guarding the children. Sometimes she won’t do it but sometimes she will. There seems to be no pattern. She goes to doggy daycare and gets on with the dogs at our house otherwise, just seems to be when she’s sat on the sofa and a dog walks in. Sometimes we think it’s overtiredness. We have absolutely no idea how to fix this or even if there’s a way. We had a dog behaviourist help us years ago with her general house behaviour but cannot afford to get another one at the moment. Needless to say we are being extremely careful with her around the children and is quite a worry. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Unfortunately I think this is probably a signal that your dog cannot be allowed on the sofa any longer.

Probably not the answer you were looking for, but it's the simplest way - and will avoid the behaviours becoming ingrained and possibly generalised.

I'd get your dog a beanbag to lie on and not let it on the sofa.

I'd suggest keeping a diary and noting exactly what's going on when she does this, and just before. Also make a note of the scale of barking, growling etc. I did this for my dog's unexplained barking and it became very clear that she disliked the sound of the post van and the sight of the postman. Because her hearing is so much better than mine, I hadn't made the connection.

Once you have a diary it may be clear what you need to do next. If not, I suggest contacting the behaviourist you used before and seeing if she can give you some more advice as a one off. As she already knows you and your dog, and you will have some solid evidence for her to go on, you may find that this isn't as expensive as you fear.

For starters I’d have her off the sofa and I’d be thinking about whether the dogs need to be in each other’s houses.

yes, surely an easy immediate fix - don’t give her the opportunity to behave like that, so she’s not allowed on the sofa and teach an alternative behaviour when a dog does come in, for which you can reward her when she does it (a ‘settle’ on her bed, a touch, literally anything)

Ive got spaniels and due to virtually all spaniel breeds proclivity to resource guarding I don’t let them on the sofa.

Thank you for all the replies, this is so helpful. I have tried to settle her on her blanket on the floor but she is very territorial with that and won’t let any dog go near it. So should I just teach her to settle with treats when a dog comes in?

I mean when she is settled on her blanket and a dog comes in she will growl snarl and bark the same as on the sofa

Put her mat or area that is quiet and where she will not be disturbed.

Resource guarding is very common in spaniels unfortunately it will spread like fire if it is not treated. The longer you leave it to get professional advice the worse it will get. however I understand money being tight so if you do get advice make sure you are getting in the right help. It may initially be more but it will be quicker and solve the issue once and for all.

A dog that resources guards is always an anxious dog so in the short term look at ways to destress your dog eg lots of uninterrupted sleep, no chase games or ball games, lots of chewing activities, lots of scenting games, make an area where your dog will know they will not be disturbed.

I wouldnt be introducing treats into a resource guarding situation if two dogs are involved

How often are the dogs together? The easiest answer is not allowing them in a space where your dog has a resource to guard. I'd be shutting them in different spaces

Do they need to be in each other’s houses? She’s resource guarding because there is another dog in the space she thinks is hers. She can’t win if there’s no way to remove the ‘invader’

Thank you for all this advice, I will try a mat in the far corner away from the other one. We visit my parents probably once a month so they can see the grandchildren so I don’t think there’s any way of avoiding them not being together. She doesn’t get much sleep when she’s there so maybe I should teach her to sleep in her settled mat area so she can have longer sleeps.

Send her to daycare or boarding when visiting. I would do everything possible to avoid a dog fight in granny's house and that's where you're heading.

It does seem, as others have said, that this could be relatively easily fixed by not putting your dog in a position that she feels she has to defend.

If you must have dogs in other dogs' houses, then make sure the visiting dog is well exercised at regular intervals and settle them somewhere cool and quiet in a covered crate, perhaps? (Obviously making sure they are trained to this, not just expected to accept it immediately.) If this is once a month, it's not going to kill any dog to have to settle somewhere secluded for a while.

It is a lot to ask to allow dogs to roam willy nilly over another dog's territory and not expect any repercussions.

Do you walk the dogs together before bringing them into the house? I find that helps them bond. In the house id keep them separate or at a minimum keep them on leads and not allow them to approach the problem area. You need to take control of the situation to avoid it escalating

You need to get help from a qualified dog behaviourist.

Please don't take any well-meaning advice from posters on here - they don't know you, your dog or the dynamics on your home and could very well make things worse.

An APBC qualified behaviourist is what you need. They will require a vet check as well to make sure the behaviour isn't related to pain so I would look into booking that too.

Please don't wait any longer to get help - resource guarding can escalate incredibly quickly and if she bites a human you may end up with no choice but to have her PTS.

Agreed - this is classic resource guarding which (imo) can be well managed with the right training - get a behaviourist in for advice and in the mean time keep the dogs separate and where possible off the sofa. Being physically higher up from the other dog can give them more confidence - my MILs spaniel is the same way and once he was banned from the sofa the issues with our dog coming round and getting growled at just stopped.

Resource guarding needs professional help, speak to your vet for a recommendation

Also baby gates are a good solution for separating dogs if you must bring your dog when you visit.