Best I can do with a laptop touchpad
Lets consider this dog. He's coming up on 3 years old (April). He *knows* two sports, and plays one quite well. He's quiet and clean in his crate, sleeps the night without problem, and is quite willing to sleep in with me. He has 30+ tricks that can be strung together. He plays nicely with most dogs, behaves in the dog park, loves people, and is a car-ride champ.
He resource guards. I mostly have this taken care of, but there are some situations that I simply "manage" as opposed to "train". They are beyond me at this time, and I'd rather he not practice the behaviour while I figure out how to deal with it. His favourite resources are the good foods, and me, and he will defend against dog and person alike.
The problem: how did THIS become the Epic that people know (and the one that *I* even talk about), as opposed to the guy I described in the first paragraph?
We do the same with Dixie. It's not fair, and I'll try to knock it off now. You're welcome.
We talk about problem behaviours in the hope of finding a solution. Not because they are what ultimately defines the dog(s). They don't. Also, fwiw, I don't think of Epic as a resource guarder (until it's food time). I DO think of him in all those positive lights you mentioned in the first paragraph. And if we're talking problem behaviours, even the best dogs have one or two of those that we manage (or try to manage, or just put up with). And yes, Dixie is much maligned. A good girl with quirks we can't quite figure out how to handle. So who's really the simple one ... her or me?
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