As a dog owner, resource guarding behavior in your dog is something that can be difficult to deal with. This problematic behavior is one that can leave many dog owners baffled as to what to do to get rid of the behavior. Resource guarding is something that you don’t want to allow to get out of control as it can be a danger when it isn’t reigned in. Blitz K9 Club is here to talk about resource guarding and what could be causing your dog to resource guard.
What is Resource Guarding in Dogs?
If you have never experienced resource guarding, you might not know exactly resource guarding looks like. This behavior happens when your dog turns aggressive whenever they have access to a valuable item like food, toys, places and even people. Here are some signs that your dog is resource guarding:
– Hunkering and guarding an item when someone gets too close
– Stiffening over an item
– Running toward and item or hurrying to eat their food when someone enters the room
– Stiffening or hunkering over an item while looking out of the corner of their eye at someone in the room
What is the Cause of Resource Guarding?
There is usually more than one problem going on that leads to resource guarding. Following are some of the most common causing of this unfortunate behavior:
– Dog Breed: The unfortunate truth is that some dog breeds are more prone to resource guarding than others. There are some dogs that are bred specifically to watch over livestock or property. These dogs are going to be naturally more protective. Also, lap dogs often have problems with resource guarding as they can be extremely protective of their owners. It is important to remember that some breeds will have some behavioral traits that resemble resource guarding, but that isn’t actually what’s going on.
– Early Environments: If the dog was in less than desirable conditions as a puppy, they can have resource guarding issues. Puppies that are from puppy mills are more likely to have resource guarding problems.
– Training Techniques: If the dog was trained with aggressive behavior as a puppy for chewing, counter surfing, or getting into the trash, they can start to show signs of resource guarding as they get older. You should avoid harshly correcting your dogs for bad behavior as a puppy.
– Multiple Dogs: If there are multiple dogs in the home, it can lead to resource guarding as well. If there is one dog that is resource guarding, the younger puppies and dogs in the house might pick up the behavior as well.
Dog Obedience, Socialization & Behavioral Training in Royal Oak, Bloomfield Hills, Farmington Hills, Rochester Hills, Pontiac, Commerce Township and other areas within an hour of our home base of Waterford, Michigan
If you’re struggling with a dog that is resource guarding, you can turn to Blitz K9 Club to help correct the behavior. It is our goal to help you enjoy your dog to the fullest with some helpful training techniques used to break bad behaviors. Call us today!
