DEAR JOAN: My wife and I rescued a 3½-year-old female Cavalier King Charles, Sadie, 17 weeks ago. We do not have much history on her but understand she had been in three to four different homes before us.
We have really enjoyed her company and have not had any problems. Then, on Nov. 14, we picked up an 11-week-old male cavalier puppy, Toby. They get along well, and we feed them separately, so there are no food fights.
Lately, Sadie has become possessive of some of the toys. We bought duplicates of most of them, so they would have their own. They can be playing with their own toys, when Sadie will try to get the one Toby has. If we give Toby the one Sadie had, she will try to get it back.
Is there a way we can train this trait out of Sadie so she will share her toys? Otherwise, these two great pups get along well together.
Norman and Joann Roush, Sunnyvale
DEAR NORMAN AND JOANN: While it doesn’t sound like much of a problem at this point, Sadie is showing the beginning signs of “resource guarding.” While it’s mild now, it can increase to include more aggressive guarding of food, toys, beds and humans.
Before we start shaming Sadie, we should know that this is typical dog behavior that traces back to ancient times, when dogs had to guard their food, homes and packs in order to survive. This behavior today isn’t a sign of aggression or a bid for power. It’s just instinct.
Sharing is not a natural concept for dogs, and just like petulant toddlers, they have to be taught that sharing is a good thing. Fortunately, Cavaliers are naturally sociable and adaptable.
Many dog trainers recommend first teaching your dog how to share with you. Start with a toy that Sadie isn’t all that interested in. Have her hold it in her mouth, then put a treat in front of her nose. This should cause her to open her mouth, dropping the toy. When she does this, say “drop,” praise her, give her the treat and set the toy aside.
After a lot of practice, she will learn to automatically release whatever she has when given the “drop” command.
Next, move on to training her — and Toby — to share with each other. If Toby is playing with a toy, and Sadie makes a move to take it away, call her to you, praise her and give her a treat. Then give Toby a treat, too. Remove the toy from the play area, but put it back a short time later.
Every dog has possessions that they care the most about. Learning to share doesn’t mean they have to give up these toys. After all, I’m willing to share nearly all of my crafting supplies, but nobody touches my favorite scissors.
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If one dog grabs the toy, use the drop command and offer a reward.
When dispensing treats at other times, take turns on who gets the treat first. Apparently, this matters a lot to dogs, who are more keenly aware of the hierarchy than we are. By taking turns, they learn they are on equal footing and have no need to compete.
Use this form to submit questions. Photos should be mailed separately to jmorris@bayareanewsgroup.com.
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