Do dogs grow out of guarding?
Thurman McLaughlin
2025-06-03 18:00:06
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: 9
DOGS DO NOT GROW OUT OF GUARDING BEHAVIORS; THEY GROW INTO THEM.
Insecure dogs are more likely to guard, because they are reacting to a fear of losing something of value to them.
Because dogs change through developmental phases from puppy to adolescent to adult, it’s a good idea to practice these preventive measures until adulthood.
Adult dogs who guard require a plan of counter conditioning and management.
Depending on severity, changes take time: four to six months.
Many guarding behaviors can be fixed, and others must be managed.
Owner follow through is essential: dogs don’t change their behaviors until owners change routines and habits.
Key factors are observation, prevention, and early intervention.
Vita Adams
2025-06-03 16:55:02
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: 13
These aggressive behaviors as well as other fear-related behaviors do not improve with age. Instead, they worsen with maturity and in severe cases, could lead to a bite towards a family member. Mild resource guarding can either be reinforced, ignored, or punished. If you are reinforcing low-level resource guarding, you will keep the behavior at its current intensity. Suppose the low-level resource-guarding behaviors are put on extinction or punished, this will cause the behavior to escalate. Punishing low-level resource guarding eliminates those behaviors, but the motivation to keep the item and get the handler to go away remains and often grows. As a young puppy matures and the environment runs its course, resource guarding and touch sensitivity become more apparent and often dangerous for everyone involved. Touch sensitivity is very similar to resource guarding in terms of the behavior’s progression. As puppies age, they become more sensitive to being touched.