My dog bit my daughter over a bone. How to stop resource guarding?

Question

We have a wonderful black lab. We are babysitting another dog for a week that my lab is only politely tolerating in his house. When the other dog went to steel our dog's bone he got angry at the other dog and snaped at her. My daughter (12) went to grab the bone he was chewing on so they would not fight over it again, our dog bit her. I think he though it was the other dog again. We were so surprised because our daughter is absolutely his favourite person! What should we do about this situation? Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Male | unneutered | 9 years and 10 months old | 70 lbs

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS · Accepted Answer

Pipo is being aggressively protective of his bone. I would take away that bone and not allow him to have it while this other dog is in your home. I would also look into keeping them apart as much as possible. He isn't neutered, and dogs who aren't neutered can become territorial over their toys and home, leading to aggression. Keep them separated as much as possible during this visit will help prevent any further incidents of aggression. Feed them in separate rooms, and definitely do not allow this other dog near Pipo's food while he is eating. If you do face another situation where he has a toy the other dog wants and Pipo is getting upset, immediately remove the other dog from the room, and Pipo from the toy. Do not reach for the toy as he will likely bite again. If you are going to be babysitting other dogs in the future, I would consider neutering Pipo, as that cuts down and can eliminate hormonally related aggressive behaviors such as territorial aggression.

My dog bit my daughter over a bone. How to stop resource guarding?

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