Why has my dog suddenly become possessive?
Jacey Kris
2025-06-24 12:04:46
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: 10
Possessive behavior in dogs can be prevented. Big issues can arise when a dog becomes confident at defending bones, toys or other items. Some dogs even become possessive of people and won’t let others approach or sit next to their human. Possessive behavior is a pretty natural state of being. Without some innate sense of it, I doubt any of us, dogs or humans, would have survived very long. The thing is, we want to teach our dogs that it isn’t necessary. If a dog with resource guarding issues gets a hold of anything potentially dangerous it can be very challenging to try and take it away. It is now dangerous for the dog, plus dangerous that someone may get bit trying to remove the item.
Nakia Jaskolski
2025-06-10 22:18:13
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: 14
My dog has never been aggressive or possessive toward me or my husband or our other dog, but today we were at our neighbors and he was sitting on their patio when their 4 year old was climbing up the side of it. My dog started getting into his possessive mode and tried to head butt the kid off of the patio and snarled at him. He didn’t snap at him, but he snarled which is not okay with me. He’s always had some resource possession but the ones mentioned above are completely new and a little weird. We’ve taken him to numerous trainers and we had some improvements with our most recent one, but he finished up with their program and when I expressed my concern about the possessiveness they advised me that it’s just how some dogs are - it’s in his personality.
Nya Carter
2025-06-10 20:23:31
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: 9
Possessive behaviour happens when your dog lays claim to a particular resource, like a toy or bed, and seeks to protect it. Some possessive behaviour may not seem like a big deal, for example, your dog ignoring you when you ask her to drop a tennis ball is a minor form of possessiveness, but it probably doesn’t alarm you much. However, these small signs of resource guarding can grow into bigger issues. If your dog growls or snaps at you when you try to take back a toy, you have a problem. The first step to managing a possessive dog is to recognise the warning signs of possessive behaviour: Refusing to give up a toy or treat when asked, Snapping at other dogs while eating, Hoarding toys or treats, Growling at other animals while holding a toy, Jealous dog behaviour such as head-butting another dog who’s being stroked. The longer you let your possessive dog get away with resource guarding, the more it will be reinforced. Dogs who get anxious, growl, or even snap at other animals are showing possessive aggression, and it’s important to intervene.
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