Resource guarding - puzzle

[weatherbell]

Hello. I have a pretty stressed out 5 Yr old cockapoo who is resource guarding around 50% of the time. The puzzling thing is that she guards any object she can find - whatever is closest - rather than a food bowl or toy or similar. She appears to be triggers by family members going upstairs, particularly in the evening. Due to these reasons we're finding that the recommended training advice for dealing with guarding isn't working as it seems so random. Any thoughts or tips hugely appreciated. We're really struggling to cope.

Get a dog trainer in to come and look at the sitiuation?

Can you remove the dog to safe space when you go upstairs, if this is the trigger?

We had a behaviourist come in a year ago and she seemed as puzzled as us and recommended anti anxiety treatment. She also recommended a safe space. We tried her on the medication to no great effect and we are going to try another type soon. We also got her a crate, which she seems to love and uses a lot but then she guards her crate. So if we shut the door we can't get near to it to reopen it. We've had to do it with a broom a couple of times to maintain distance.

Once the moment is over, she goes back to her usual self. It's exhausting as it is so regular and fierce.

I think you need to see another behaviourist, ideally a veterinary one that can work alongside your vet to provide treatment alongside a different type of medication.

Ultimately though, I think you need to think about whether your dog is safe in your home - if you're in a situation where you can't even open doors and are having to use brooms to access areas of your own home, then I think you really do need to think about whether she would be better off in a more experienced home, or just in a different environment.

Do you have young children? Are they safe around her?

Thank you for your thoughts. I was wondering if anyone had any insights into cause or similar stories. It seems so extreme and not following a typical pattern so I'd really appreciate a deeper understanding as a way to avoid being reactive.

Join this FB group, read their (excellent) guides, and then ask their experts (and I do mean experts, they're not just some FB randoms). The advice you can find in there is your best chance of fixing this! www.facebook.com/groups/dogtrainingadviceandsupport/?ref=share

Nobody on here can really give you any answers as they can't see the behaviour in person.

Most reactivity stems from anxiety but there could be 101 different reasons for a dog to be anxious - some can be worked with but for many others it's just about management - and that's not always safe or possible in many "normal" pet homes.

You need to see another behaviourist.

@AtLeastHalfRelieved has recommended an excellent source of advice. Please join it. They have loads of info about resource guarding.

Thanks so much everyone for the thoughts and link to the FB group. I will sign up to FB again to join and take a good look around. We've taken her to my mum's today to see if she can rest and re-set her nervous system a little. She doesn't tend to do it in other people's homes.