.com Forum · Real Show Dogs

Hey everyone,

I am hoping someone can offer me some good advice on this matter. My dog has started to guard the couch, challenging us if we tell him to get down. I realize this is a result of our leniency with him on this matter, and he has begun to think the couch belongs to him. I desperately want to resolve this behavior before the aggression escalates. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how we can correct this?

Thanks so much in advance for any help,
Diapason

Make it better on the floor. Buy a really nice dog bed, reallygoddogbeds.com, and give him bully stick to chew on.
If he is on the couch when your not home, but a plastic runner on it- upside down. He'll choose the dog bed. Lots of praise for when he chooses the floor, treats and all.

I'm sure you'll get more advice. But this is a start. Remember aggression begets aggression.

Well, I've had a food guarder and a person guarder (with multiple dogs in the house) but never a couch guarder.

Try luring him off with a treat while giving a stern "off" command followed by praise and the treat. Make that treat really good. Then stretch out on the couch so he can't get back on (lol). Offer him something else comfortable to lay on as was suggested too.

Avoid getting physical if you can. Try pushing him off with a broom or better still, get out the vacuum cleaner and 'vacuum' him off.

When you're not home I'd make that couch unavailable either by confining to another area of the house or with the barrier (plastic runner as suggested above). And don't let him back on even to share.

What is the age, sex, and breed? Do you have any other similar issues with this dog.

Whatever, you can not have a dog who controls you. I spoil my dogs but I do not tolerate back-talk like this - it's my couch dammit but I let you lay on it.

Good luck.

Thank you so much for your insightful responses so far! He is a male APBT and is a year old this month. He challenges us on other small things occasionally, like coming back in the house from the yard or getting in his kennel.

Last night was the first time I have ever seen him act aggressively about any resource. When we used the command "off", he growled and snapped at my hand.

Today, we have banned him from the couch, but he is very persistent. I will definitely try all your suggestions. Thank you!!

With resource guarding you have to re-claim whatever they are guarding. One of the important tricks to reclaiming is don't bend over or crouch to get him off the couch because bending over/crouching are signs of submission/capitulation. Always stand tall when reclaiming something. This means you'll have to use your feet or a broom/pole to block or nudge him off if he refuses, also take precautions so you don't have to be scared if he tries to snap because any backing away means he wins. If he immediately moves around you and jumps back on the couch use other furniture to block off access to the couch except for a gap that you can block with your legs by standing in it, again the goal is for the couch to belong to you not just for him to not want to lie on the couch anymore.

grif,

Personally, I would use a kennel lead, lasso it on to him, and use the lead to get him off the couch with an 'off' command.
ONLY allow him up on the couch when you allow him to, he doesn't get to make that call any more. If you keep a kennel (slip) lead on him, you can put the lead under your foot while youre sitting on the couch, thus making him lay on the floor.

It'll take some time, but its much easier to correct now than down the line!

I would be hiring a professional to come into your home, observe the behavior, and give you advice accordingly. In the meantime, I would be making the couch (and bed) off-limits. If that means confining him to another room, so be it.

While some of the advice on here may be sound, there is also the potential for it to escalate the situation. I would suggest looking for a CPDT or APDT certified trainer in your area (or someone with similar credentials) that has a primarily positive-based protocol.

Resource guarding - especially in a young, headstrong and powerful dog - needs to be nipped in the rear swiftly and properly so that it does not continue or escalate.

JMO.