Expert: Anne Springer, B.S., Dip., CAPCT - 7/24/2010

Question
Overall my Aussie is a wonderful dog however when i was cleaning some dog biscuits that fell on the floor I tried to sweep them together so the dog could eat them up and he went after my hand.  He did not hurt me but this is not the first time he has done this while I was cleaning something up from the floor.  Two days prior to this I was stepping on a cardboard box trying to break it down to put in the recycle bin and he snapped at my foot.  He had a time out for both of these instances.  He does not seem to do these things to my husband just me.  Any suggestions.  Thanks

Answer
Time out is an appropriate punishment for children, but rarely for dogs.  They simply don't make the association between that and their behavior most of the time.  The behavior you describe is called "resource guarding" and can be dangerous if left to progress, especially if you have children in the home.  The reason that your husband is not victimized in this way is that your dog probably regards him as a more powerful "animal" than you.  Dogs that guard will often do it to one person and not others.  Fortunately, there is a really good little book on this subject, written by Jean Donaldson, called "Mine! A Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs"  It's inexpensive and worth getting, so that you can institute the protocols.  I do it as preventive training for all my puppies.