New Dog in Class Guarding My Dog

Jenne

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#1
Chase started obedience I tonight. There was a whole new group of dogs. Everything was fine at the beginning of class. But by the end another dog started guarding Chase. The other dog guarded him from other dogs Chase was playing with and at one point guarded him from me. While there was no actual snapping or biting, I found it kind of weird and Chase was upset. He likes to play with other dogs and he wants to be near me, so being unable to do so seemed to make him uncomfortable. The owner is kind of new to this dog (he's a rescue) and seems unsure on how to utilize the techniques the trainer gave her. The trainer interrupted when the dogs seemed stressed, but at one point it was me, Chase and a barking dog in a corner. While the trainer was dealing with some questions another person had. I ended up using treats to lure the new dog away from Chase. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can handle this if it crops up again?
 

ihartgonzo

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#2
I would ask the owner of the guarding dog to lure him away with treats, and remove him from the play group at least for a minute to have a time out. This is a play group, right? I'm kinda confused. :p Chase deserves to play and no one is doing that dog any favors by allowing him to guard and intimidate dogs & people! I'd then ask the trainer if she can give the dogs owner tips on making sure he isn't intimidating or guarding any other dogs. Body blocking, distracting, and even interrupting with a squirt bottle would all work to break up his behaviors and let him know that's not going to be tolerated.
 

Barb04

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#3
Why isn't the trainer taking care of this situation and tell the owner of the other dog what to do? Your dog deserves to play with the other dogs.
 

Jenne

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#5
This is obedience class. So there is some play time before while waiting for everyone to get organized and after class there is playtime in which the trainer will walk around answering questions and going over anything anyone is having trouble with.

The trainer did tell the owner how to handle it (body blocking, distracting, luring, and she may have made some other suggestions I didn't hear). The owner isn't utilizing them, or she's not utilizing them effectively. She seems hesitant and unsure. I guess the main problem is the owner isn't confident enough in how to handle her dog even with the trainers suggestions.
 

Doberluv

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#6
What did the dog do that made you think he was guarding? Was he growling or stiffening up his posture? Personally, I wouldn't use luring for this. It can be construed as reward for that behavior. Can you keep more distance between them so he can't practice this behavior...prevent it in the first place? Sounds like that dog needs to be kept leashed and needs confidence building games. He should be worked with distance and rewarded by getting to play with what he's guarding after displaying non guardy, polite behavior. And walked away promptly or take what he is guarding away when he begins to be guardy. But that should be in another setting...a private lesson.
 
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Emily

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#7
Aw man, you really should not be dealing with this. I would never let this go on in my obedience classes. I mean, to be fair, some clients are REALLY hard to gain compliance from but I would still do my best to get the dog away from you and Chase. Honestly? First, talk to the instructor. Just let them know that the dog's handler is not follow instructions and as a result, it's making things difficult for you and Chase. Second, talk to the dog's handler, be super friendly and sympathetic, but say that Chase would like to play with the other dogs and not just hers, so if she could do her very best to keep him from guarding Chase, etc. That said... some people. You can say, "Ok, don't let him do that, let's do X instead," and they'll smile and nod and let their dog keep doing what he's doing, unfortunately.

But yeah, first and foremost, talk to the instructor.
 

Doberluv

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#8
Totally...that trainer should be preventing this. Dog leashed and kept away. It is her duty to maintain a safe and pleasant place for all. I was just explaining what I'd do with that dog to help him. My .02 worth as a trainer. Lol.
 

Jenne

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#9
For some reason my multi-quotes aren't working... Anyway, the other dog was standing over Chase, legs and body stiff, barking at any dog that got to too close. Then he had Chase backed into a corner and was standing in front of, slightly over Chase (again legs and body stiff). The owner was tugging on the leash with her back turned to us (don't ask, I'm not sure what the heck she was trying to do) and I was trying to leash Chase from the side and the dog whipped around and growled at me. When the other dog saw it was me, his body posture relaxed until his owner turned around again. At which point I grabbed the leash from her, and started luring the dog away.

This was our first class of this series, and the trainer made some suggestions on how we can handle it in the future. Basically keeping the other dog and Chase separate at all times, it just kind of sucks because this dog only wants to play with Chase and isn't interested in the other dogs in class. Chase will play with anyone really.

I think the trainer also offered some one-on-one training to the owner for other RG issues that had cropped up at home. Maybe she'll address this issue as well. The trainer would interrupt the behavior, either pulling the dog away or calling Chase away while the owner held the leash, but once the trainer was turned away dealing withe something else, the owner would be lax again. All this was occurring after the class ended. I think next class, I'll leave as soon as it's over. The trainer suggested I bring Chase 10-15 minutes early to play with the dogs who stay for a little from the earlier class so he still has social time.
 

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