Dog resource protection

Sharing is considered good manners. And so the owners are frightened and upset when a puppy or an adult dog begins to protect toys or food from them …

It’s called resource protection, and it’s an unpleasant and sometimes dangerous thing. Especially considering the illiterate methods that are often used to deal with this problem.

Protecting a resource is a normal behavior for a dog, which, however, sometimes becomes unacceptable in a family. The owners at the same time believe that the dog “does not love” and “does not respect” them, tries to “dominate”. So, the owners are convinced, such manifestations must be suppressed in the bud! “Good” owners (often under the guidance of “specialists”) begin to pull the pet by the collar, choke it with a noose, beat it, take food and toys away, and “put it in its place” in other ways. As a result, the dog either develops learned helplessness, or it becomes even more fiercely protective of what it considers its own. Both that, and another – very bad, but natural result. At the same time, the dog’s trust in the owners is coming to naught, which causes new behavioral problems.

Of course, you can and should work on protecting the resource! But smart.

If the resource protection problem has already manifested itself “in all its glory” in your dog, the best way out is to contact a competent specialist who works by the method of positive reinforcement. The specialist will develop a correction program and help build relationships with the dog and teach him to share.

However, like any problem, protection of a resource in a dog is easier to prevent than to “treat”. How to do this (and how to prevent the development of many other behavioral problems), you will learn using our video course on raising and training a puppy in a humane way.