question about dog interactions

So, I know you are not supposed to reprimand a dog for growling at another dog. They are communicating and it is important that they be allowed to do so.

If I am on the couch with Bonnie and a foster dog gets too close - like wanting to get on the couch with us - Bonnie will growl at him. I know she is just telling him to back off and I should let it go. However, I am also concerned because at that point I am in the middle of it and I don't want any redirected aggression to end up getting me bitten!

Since the fosters aren't allowed on the furniture anyway, I usually just push him away and he gets distracted by something else.

I have also seen Bonnie occasionally guard a bone from him. Nala will do it with things she thinks are "special." And once I was letting Bonnie and Nala lick peanut butter off the knife I was using and the foster came over to join in and he got snapped at. I just turned around and walked away so nobody got to finish. I never really thought about it before how lucky it is that Nala and Bonnie will both stand together licking the same knife with such a high value treat on it and not get mad at each other.

I suppose I could work on resource guarding with Nala, but she only does it for high value things (and never with humans) so I just manage it instead. So if I see Bonnie or Nala getting upset with Chomper because he wants their bone, I usually try to distract Chomper so that it doesn't escalate, but I don't reprimand the dog who is growling. But when I am the resource....what should I do?

 

LOL! As usual, I just noticed that the new issue of Whole Dog Journal has an article on "Why you should never punish a dog for growling." I swear, they read my mind sometimes.

 

Please let me know when you find out the answer to your question.

I have to separate my dogs when I give them something to chew on and Brie actually wants to chew. I recently gave them nasty cow hooves with the tendons still in there and Zoey turned into a demon-weenie. She snarls at anyone who walks by and the cats only want to cover it up with imaginary dirt lol. Brie now stays away from her and hides and won't touch the hoof. But sometimes she puffs up and walks real stiff like by her...I pick it up at night so there's no fighting. But Zoey is still obsessed with it and will stare at wherever I put it.

 

I do separate the dogs if I am giving them something "special" to chew on. Bonnie will actually growl at the cat if she comes too close to her when she is eating. The cat is totally clueless, so I usually pick her up and take her elsewhere to avoid any trouble.