Normal Canine Behavior Communication

Resource guarding is a NORMAL canine behavior. Wolves often stash their extra food after a good feeding because they can’t finish it all and they never know when they will get another meal. Think of a Northern breed of dog who has to go miles between eating and doesn’t know when they will get another meal. Or perhaps a Livestock Guardian Dog who is bred to protect it’s flock. This could be a type of resource guarding. Or how about a little lap dog who feels so safe with her owner that she doesn’t want to lose them?

We humans will also resource guard if we feel a resource is needed and we don't want others trying to take it. Otherwise, we would leave our garage doors open for all to see and take (over simplified example). We can all find ourselves resource guarding items we think is important to us. TP in 2020 anyone?

Dogs are dogs. They have a limited means of communicating their feelings. They don’t have a vast array of colorful words to use. They should never be punished or thought of as bad animals when the way they express their emotion is considered in a negative light by humans. When dogs behavior is perceived as a negative in human's perception, humans often get into the mindset that the dog "needs to be fixed" (nothing wrong with the dog. Plenty wrong with humans but that's another day), and winds up on a road of being "corrected" (forced or punished for behavior). I deal with this happening a lot to people that come to me for help with their dogs. It makes things worse!

If you try to take my ribeye off my plate, and try to correct me for growling, snatching it, running away with it, ummmmm our problems just got worse.