Resource guarding

 A couple of things to keep in mind:

• Your pup may be comfortable with familiar people/dogs approaching, but not unfamiliar people/dogs. It is smart to anticipate there may be a difference and increase management of high-value items until you are confident, they are comfortable.

• Guarding against people is typically easier to address than guarding against other dogs.  If a dog is guarding items against other dogs, good management will be most prudent.

• Resource guarding will often pop up later in development, as the pup is more mature and more confident about holding on to resources.

Prevent:

• Puppy proof to prevent your puppy from picking up items they shouldn’t have.

• You can offer higher-value items in the crate or behind a gate if you have any concerns about guarding.

• If a puppy has an item, it is theirs.  No dog or person should be allowed to approach and remove that item by force or intimidation.

What to Do:

• We can teach our puppies to be comfortable with people approaching them while they have something valuable.  Approach and deliver something good while they have something they value.

• If your puppy has something you would like to remove, don’t just grab it from them.  Trade!  Get a high-value food or toy – show it to them, when they drop the item toss the trade away so you can collect the item while they chase it.

• If you see distance-increasing behaviors (like growling, snarling, snapping, biting) – stop and move away, then decide what to do when they are calm.

• If they seem to be guarding you, get up and walk away.  If guarding makes the resource (you) go away, there is no reason to guard.

•   Guarding is not about being alpha or dominant, it is an attempt to hold onto something your dog finds valuable in the moment.

• Forcing a puppy to tolerate removing items/food, being touched or handled while they are eating can cause resource guarding, it does not prevent it.

• This type of aggressive behavior can respond well to training – proactive intervention at the first signs of a problem can make a big difference.

• Guarding shouldn’t be confused with social anxiety – if a dog is upset about being approached by dogs or people regardless of where they are relative to a resource, then addressing the behavior relative to social trigger is needed.