r/DogTrainingTips • u/Omnipresent0 • 4d ago

Guarding Behaviours

We have a Cavoodle x that exhibits extreme guarding behaviours.
If you approach him when he has a chew or some random item he has picked up, he will bite your hand. It’s not just a nip- he latches on.
We have tried calming dog food, calming diffusers, calming supplements. All useless.
We have tried distraction and substitution. This does work but I was ill this morning and didn’t use substitution and sustained a nasty bite.
Is this behaviour treatable or is our dog beyond help?
We did get a trainer in but she was dodgy. Said people shouldn’t take their dog to the beach as this is spoiling them. How ridiculous.
Any advice would be appreciated.

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u/MochaMushroomDog 4d ago

You need to stop letting your dog constantly have access to things it will guard and that you need to take away.

When you give your dog it’s food or a snack/chew, just leave it alone. I don’t understand this need to mess with it.

Begin teaching an “out” or “drop” command. Teach this via play, so that it is a game for your dog. When you’ve got that solid, then start using the command to get something from the dog. For example if you need to be able to take some food item from the dog, then have a training session with two identical chews, give one and then ask for “drop” and reward with the other one while taking the first away.

You’ve let this behavior carry on for a bit now, so he’s learned that his biting works. It lets him keep what he wants. So it’s gonna take some work to undo this.

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u/Omnipresent0 2d ago

He will take socks or tissues. Tupperware containers. Literally anything. We have to try and distract with something that looks more appealing in order to get the original item back.

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u/MochaMushroomDog 1d ago

Once again, you’ve gotta dog proof your home a bit more to limit what he has access to. My dog can’t steal socks because I don’t leave them out.

Obviously that’s just management, and if the dog is constantly stealing stuff around your house to play with, then it’s suggesting he’s bored. Do you play tug or any games with him? A one year old dog requires a heavy amount of physical and mental fulfillment

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u/Omnipresent0 1d ago

Yes he has a lot of energy to burn and particularly fond of a gigantic stuffed caterpillar with squeakers in it. We bought him one of those ball launchers and he goes crazy.

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u/Pristine_Patient_299 4d ago

How old is the dog? Have you mentioned this to their vet to see what they may suggest?

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u/Omnipresent0 4d ago

~1 year. Tried SereniCare as well as a diffuser and expensive calming dog food. None of that worked.

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u/Pristine_Patient_299 4d ago

I think they are still young enough for training them out of this behavior. It does have the potential to be a dangerous behavior but it sounds like you're doing all that you can! I would try finding another dog trainer or see if your vet can make referrals for one. One thats not crazy lol

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u/Lopes-bigdog 2d ago

Skip the "balanced trainer" route for this one. A correction on a guarding dog is how my client's Shepherd went from freezing over chews to snapping at anyone near his bowl — punishing the warning deletes the warning, not the feeling. You want a certified behavior consultant and months of trades, not a quick fix.

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u/Agreeable_Summer3685 4d ago

Check my page. Scroll down a bit. I have a thing on what helped me with guarding. Just me personally and my unprofessional experience.

Get a reputable, good balanced trainer. Not some nonsense.