Furthermore, the use of inconsistent terminology has been recognized as a significant impediment to advancing behavioral science ( 6, 7). However, pet owners may struggle to effectively relay this information, given that the language used to describe behavior between lay people and clinicians may be different ( 4, 5). Clear descriptions of the behavior patterns involved are essential to proper diagnosis, and clinicians often must rely on pet owners to provide this information ( 2, 3). Treatment and management advice differs between categories of aggression ( 2, 3) and as such, it is important for clinicians to diagnose the type of aggression correctly. Based on expert contributions, we define resource guarding as “the use of avoidance, threatening, or aggressive behaviors by a dog to retain control of food or non-food items in the presence of a person or other animal.”Ĭanine aggression is the behavior problem most commonly referred to companion animal specialists ( 1), at least in part due to the potential danger involved in living with an aggressive dog and the advanced knowledge typically needed to address the problem. Considering 100% consensus was not reached regarding terminology among experts in the field, future authors and clinicians should provide clear definitions where terms are applied to ensure effective communication between all parties and to ensure consistency in canine behavior research. Following content analysis of the data from the discussion board, we conclude that the majority of participants preferred the term resource guarding. Detailed exploration of meaning and definitions required in-depth discussion beyond traditional survey methods, therefore, respondents from the second stage of the survey were invited to participate in an online discussion board. Results from the two-stage survey found that the majority of participants preferred the term resource guarding. Eighty-five individuals met the inclusion criteria and were invited to participate in a two-stage online survey. The aim of this study was to explore the opinions of canine behavior experts on the meaning of and preference for the terms possessive aggression and resource guarding, as well as to develop and propose an operational ethological definition for the preferential term identified.
The use of inconsistent terminology may impact the effectiveness of communication between dog owners and clinicians, affect treatment and management success for the behavior, and inhibit research progress. The terms possessive aggression and resource guarding are often used interchangeably to describe behavior patterns used by a dog to control primary access to a perceived valuable item.
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