Exactly!
. I like a dog that growls, it's a warning.
Seriously????
With all due respect having a relationship with a dog that growls at you in any form other than play growling seems incredibly hard to appreciate and understand.
But, as they say, to each their own.
The growl is a clear sign that the relationship between the boyfriend and the dog is lacking. I agree. You also speak of reading the dog's other signs of stress. Not sure the OP is versed on this, as they would have likely seen the signs before the growl occurred.
I have also modified this behavior in several of my foster/adopted dogs, as well as with client dogs. I work as a dog trainer, and we specialize in these types of issues. We teach the dog what to do, build trust and strengthen the relationship, and teach the dog that people approaching items is not a threat.
I think something that you are missing is that a big part of modifying this behavior is managing the environment to prevent this behavior from occurring. I think the links talks about this as well. So if done right, the dog will not have opportunity to practice the behavior and learn that growling works. I caution against taking the item while the dog is guarding because I do not know this person or this dog. I do not know how strong and trusting their relationship is. Often what happens if the person keeps removing the item while the dog is guarding is that he will think, hmm, growing isn't working. I guess I'll have to up my game. And that's when a bite happens.
So sure, allowing the dog to keep the item tells him that growling works. But ideally with management, the dog doesn't have the item in the first place. Not until some training has been done and trust has been built. And isn't growling better than biting? We want to avoid teaching the dog that he must up his game to protect his item.
I respect what you are saying but I do disagree, as my intention is for the owner to educate themselves on the topic, learn how to manage the environment and modify it, but most importantly remain safe, and prevent the dog from thinking his only option is to bite. All dogs
can bite, all dogs
will bite if pushed far enough, and I have no way of knowing the strength of their trust and relationship to suggest that simply removing the item while the dog is growling is safe.
I personally have not used NILF for resource guarding, but can see how it could help in general. I do like teaching a dog default behaviors like sitting and giving me attention before they receive things, at doorways, etc, so I think we can agree on that being very useful.
Ultimately we are not going to change each other's mind, but I wanted to offer a safe way to approach the situation. And it's good to have various opinions because it provides an educational opportunity for those reading this thread.
Forgive me if I missed anything. I think we agree on several things, but our approach is obviously different.
I do suggest to the OP that a session with a trainer would be a good place to begin. Steer clear of anyone talking about dominance, wolf logic, or status.