My Experience With How to Respond to Dog Guarding Behavior

Here's my story about how to respond to dog guarding behavior - I'm sharing this because I wish someone had told me earlier.

Question:

Can I stop my dog from guarding their food and toys?

I wish I had known this sooner. answer:

But first, for your safety, a quick snapshot of what guarding looks like: Dogs with food or toy aggression often display stiffened body postures when a person or animal approaches their food or valued possession.

A behaviorist can help determine whether your dog’s guarding is a major or minor problem by asking about their behavior in other situations.

Does your dog also show signs of aggression when moved off of her favorite resting spot.

Treatment begins with developing a safety plan to reduce the chances that your dog will behave aggressively.

Please note that there is no way to completely eliminate that risk.

I learned this the hard way, but at least Cooper is okay now.

with some dogs, you can resolve this problem by reducing the value of the item.

For the dog that does not respond to the law of supply and demand, or for more serious cases, the solution is to teach the dog that they do not gain anything by their unacceptable behavior.

There are several techniques that can help reduce the stress and anxiety related to the item.

If you're going through something similar, know that you're not alone. And definitely talk to your vet - they know way more than I do!