Resource Guarder?

I've noticed that Dakota acts up when the guys walk by her crate. Nothing major like real aggression, but I suspect she's a resource guarder with her toys. Do you have any tips on working with this? To be honest, I haven't had to deal with resource guarding of toys ever.

We had to be very careful with toys between Duncan and Molliepops, Duncan was a ripper aparter and Mollie looked after hers like they were babies.

Consequently they had his and hers toys and I would walk one while my husband played with the toys with the other and when they were home together all toys were put away.

It's been interesting having Betty and Elsie as they are sharing and playing together with things, most odd to me but very nice to see too.

I would suggest of she is guarding her toys in her crate then remove the object she is "guarding"

Jade snarls and growls something serious when Nigredo gets too close to her crate. However, she is no more than average when it comes to RG with other pets and has none of this with humans.

She doesn't like toys and has none as she refuses any toys I buy her, so she can't guard those. She doesn't like him near her crate, is all. Her food bowl, her blankies, all HER stuff is in there and she doesn't want him near.

He can be a thief, so this makes sense. I don't consider the dog RG her toys from other dogs a real problem. If I were you, I'd see if she did it with people before I got to worrying about it big time.

I can leave toys, bones, and even food down and she won't challenge him for anything or attempt to take anything from him. She won't even touch his food bowl at all.

If I give HER food, such as put a bowl down and she eats from it and captain thief moves in for it... she will growl, but will back down if he persists and let him have it. Yet looking at her reaction in her crate you'd think she'd maul him over stuff. Nope!

Also, it's not nearly as bad as when the door is left open and she is in there, for some reason. All in all, not a problem at all. Her crate is hers and Nigredo is to leave her alone while she is in there.

So, your girl might not be really a resource guarding dog, she just might wish to be left alone by the other dogs... which to me is OKAY!

I just have always allowed my pets to guard their things from other pets to a degree, but not from people. Not to where fights start, but they are not punished for growling etc. when another pet moves in to steal or be too nosy, instead... the intruder is removed.

Have no experience of RC,Lacey toys are her's and being an only dog,she has no other bothering her for them.Just wanted to pick up on something MYRA said regarding Nigredo taking Jade's food.
If I had two dogs,I wouldn't allow that Jade seems placid and extremely tolerate of Nigredo and that's lovely but her food bowl should belong to her.She shouldn't have to back down and give up her food to him and in my mind he shouldn't be allowed to steal it Whether she's done with it or not.
She's doesn't go near his bowl and I think that should work both ways,it's only fair.I'd separate them if need be,so she has peace to enjoy her food.
Just my opinion

I never said I allowed it, in fact I don't do that at all now. I know he will steal her food, so she is fed in her crate and he isn't allowed to bother her. This statement was my last paragraph...

I just have always allowed my pets to guard their things from other pets to a degree, but not from people. Not to where fights start, but they are not punished for growling etc. when another pet moves in to steal or be too nosy, instead... the intruder is removed.

Admittedly, when he was little... I did make some mistakes in thinking that she should defend her own food, but I've long since realized that she needs my help in warding off the big thief.

When he was little he would ignore her growling (in all situations), and I learned that she would back down before she actually did anything.

Nowadays, he is kept away from her food and he isn't allowed in her crate and he's not allowed to harass her in it. He doesn't touch her food bowl and when she is eating, she is locked in her crate to ensure he won't steal.

She is a placid/submissive dog and I work hard to ensure he respects her space, even though sometimes he does get ahead of himself and I end up having to separate them or move him away.

I don't stand there and let him eat her food. I promise. They eat two totally different kinds of food anyway. If I did that, he'd be 100 lbs and she'd be skinny as a rail.

Indeed we have had food guarders before no one allows it really it just is so we take precautions to make sure everyone got fed separately if needed. You aren't alone in different diets either we have had allergic dogs so they had very different diets and elderly dogs and puppies again very different needs. So don't worry sounds like yours are perfectly normal and you are dealing with it like most of us do

Thank you. I try not to let the pets bother each other when they are eating. Nigredo is allergic to soy (and I believe wheat, as well) and Jade is 11 and gets senior food. They cannot and do not eat the same kind of food.

Not saying I'm perfect, but everyone gets their food. Which is the most important thing. The cats sometimes poke under Nigredo for his food, he doesn't mind and eats along with them so I allow this.

So long as the other pet isn't bothered by it, I think I'm doing okay. Growling means bothered, so gotta make a move there... which I do when I see/hear it.

I will try this. I would to work with this with Dakota. There is some interest in her adoption and they have another dog. Best to try to get her as adoptable as possible.

All dogs will resource guard to some degree as it is an instinctive survival behaviour & really shouldn't be treated as a bad problem.

So many people repress this natural instinct & then come a cropper later on. The growling is a warning & should never ever be punished, otherwise the dog will learn not to warn & go straight into aggression, the dog then sadly get labelled as unpredictable.