Resource Guarding

It is indeed alarming for most people to see frank aggression in puppies. In the case of resource guarding – food, bone, bed etc. possessiveness – there is good news and bad news. The good news is you can start addressing it in a young, hopefully plastic, spongy puppy with weak jaws.

Food aggression occurs, because some dogs associate people or other dogs coming near their food, as being a bad thing.

WebMD discusses food and resource guarding behavior in dogs and how to treat it.

How to correct a dog with food aggression.

Does your dog growl and show his teeth if you come near him while he’s chewing on a bone? Does he stiffen if you try to take a toy from him? If you walk near him while he’s eating, does he eat faster? Would you be nervous if a child approached while he had a rawhide? If you can answer no to all of these questions, take a moment to appreciate your good fortune: you have what most dog people want. If you answered any in the affirmative, your dog is exhibiting behavior that canine professionals call “resource guarding.”

Does your dog get aggressive around their food? Here's 5 tips I've used to help reduce resource guarding around food.

As with many behavior problems, the best solution is prevention and early training.

We have all heard the stories of dogs protecting their owners in the sign of imminent danger, and we’d probably all love to think that ours would do the same for us. However, it generally takes a properly trained dog to handle such courageous acts, and also to know when the time is right to take action.

Who owns the kibble in your house, once it hits the dog bowl? Does Rover run you out of the kitchen when he is eating dinner? What happens if you need to take away a tasty rawhide?

Canine Possession Aggression.Object Guarding. This is the act of aggressively protecting objects such as toys, pigs ears, rawhide chews and other treasures It can also be the dog's bed, the dogs space ,the dogs body, or approaching a sleeping space, or touching the dog when it is at rest, or even just stroking. It can also happen whilst approaching the dog when it has bones or articles that it has found, been given or stolen.

It’s pretty unsettling when your beloved pet fiercely defends a bowl or toy from you. Doesn’t he know who you are? Doesn’t he know that you love him dearly? That you are his best pal? That you were the one to give him that treasured object in the first place? Doesn’t he know that YOU ARE THE BOSS OF HIM? Take a deep breath. It’s okay.

How to handle resource guarding.

Guarding possessions from humans or other animals is normal behavior for dogs. Wild animals who successfully protect their valuable resources—such as food, mates and living areas—are more likely to survive in the wild than those who don’t. However, we find the tendency to guard valued items undesirable in our domestic pets, especially when the behavior is directed toward people.

Get The Dog Trainer's take on resource guarding. Learn what resource guarding is and how to prevent resource guarding.

Whole Dog Journal reports on how to improve upon your dog s resource guarding behavior; focusing on dogs that resource guard against other dogs which could be dangerous.

Is resource guarding between your dogs causing you stress and anxiety? This article will help you take steps to manage, correct and stop the behavior.

“You shouldn’t bother the dog’s food while he’s eating,” is a traditional piece of dog advice that is based on the assumption that dogs protect or guard those things (“resources”) that they value and don’t want to lose. And food certainly fits that description. But is that advice valid?

Resource guarding prevention and training.

Resource Guarding: Learn about what this dangerous behavior issue is and how to prevent it.

Resource guarding is when a dog controls access to food, objects, people and locations that are important to him through defensive body language or overt aggressive display. This is a relatively common canine behavior and is influenced by a number of environmental and situational stimuli, including a dog’s natural instinct to survive.

Does your dog growl at you when you approach his food bowl? Is your puppy possessive about toys and rawhides? Does he snap at you when you even step near him when he's got a bone?