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Small dog’s possessiveness of owner
Tips to stop a small dog’s possessiveness of his owner
How to stop my dog from resource guarding me
1. understand the problem – Why does my dog guard me?
2. dedicate to solving your dog’s guarding
What to do if your dog is protective of you?
3. Do not hold the dog when he’s growling
4. block your dog from guarding you
5. Don’t enable your dog on the furniture (temporarily)
6. Do not enable possessiveness of food or toys
7. practice solid obedience skills
8. teach your dog it’s ok to be alone
9. assist your dog bond with people other than you
10. Reward great behavior
Signs your dog is protective of you
Is my dog protecting me or scared?
What are some other tips you’ve used to prevent a dog’s territorial behavior?
Best products to assist with resource guarding:
More resources to stop your dog from guarding you
Small dog’s possessiveness of owner
I typically hear people ask, “How to stop my small dog from guarding me?” however huge dogs will likewise guard their owners.
With small dogs, the scenario goes something like this:
First, the dog barks as well as growls whenever people come to the door.
Next, the dog’s owner picks him up to stop him from barking or growling.
From his owner’s arms, the dog continues to growl at anyone who tries to get too close. He might not even “allow” anyone else to sit on the couch next to his owner.
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Tips to stop a small dog’s possessiveness of his owner
If your medium or big dog is showing possessiveness, these rules will likewise apply!
How to stop my dog from resource guarding me
1. understand the problem – Why does my dog guard me?
If a small dog is guarding his owner, he is typically acting aggressive since of an insecurity.
The dog’s owner has been carrying him around for months, shielding him from experiencing the world as a dog. Whenever the dog is frightened, the owner picks him up.
Although the owner is trying to protect her dog, the dog never learns exactly how to offer with the real world. He never learns exactly how to cope with new environments, other dogs approaching him, kids reaching for him, etc.
Naturally, the dog feels safe (and therefore more powerful) when he’s in his owner’s arms. He wants to maintain that feeling of power, so he learns to growl at anyone who comes too close.
When he growls, people move away. The dog learns that growling protects his “power source.”
Often, if the owner would simply set the dog on the ground as well as ignore him, the dog’s state of mind would quickly change. more repetitions of that as well as ultimately the dog no longer growls.
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2. dedicate to solving your dog’s guarding
It’s typically difficult for dog owners to realize they themselves are the problem.
What to do if your dog is protective of you?
If you can dedicate to making modification in your own behavior, you can assist your dog. I understand it’s not always easy, so hang in there!
Are you ok with setting your dog on the ground when he’s scared? Are you ok with ignoring him? using a firm voice? setting clear rules as well as boundaries?
If you are willing to make changes, you will be able to assist your dog overcome his possessiveness over time. If you can’t change, then it will not be possible for your dog to change.
Keep reading for more ideas on what to do if your dog is protective of you.
3. Do not hold the dog when he’s growling
When you hold your dog, you enable him to ended up being more powerful.
Obviously we love lap dogs, as well as it’s not a poor thing to hold as well as cuddle them. That’s one of the reasons we love dogs!
However, we should not hold or cuddle our dogs when they are acting insecure or aggressive. Doing so encourages the wrong behavior. If you hold a dog when he’s growling, he is not discovering a more appropriate behavior. He thinks the barking is ok when it’s not.
I’m not saying you can’t provide comfort to a frightened dog, however when the fear is resulting in aggression we need to look for other ways to offer comfort vs. picking the dog up.
See my post: Can you reward a dog’s fear?
4. block your dog from guarding you
If you set your dog on the ground, he might sit at your feet as well as guard you from there. Or, he might keep trying to jump back onto the couch or onto your lap where he feels more powerful.
Don’t enable this.
If he jumps onto your lap, set him back on the ground.If he tries to jump on the couch, block him with your arm or leg. push him off if needed. If he sits at your feet, put his leash on him as well as tether him to a chair across the room. Or, if he keeps hiding behind your legs at the dog park, keep moving away.
The dog needs to discover exactly how to cope without you.
When placed on the ground, the dog will most likely stop growling as well as barking. Instead, his true stress and anxiety will show. He might pace as well as whine, frantically trying to get back to his “power source” – your lap!
This is when you should simply ignore your dog. Don’t think about him. Don’t touch him. Don’t even glimpse in his direction. Act as though he is not there. as well as don’t feel poor about it.
You are helping him ended up being a more confident, normal dog. When he’s calm as well as quiet, that’s when you should pet him as well as even invite him back to sit with you.
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5. Don’t enable your dog on the furniture (temporarily)
If your dog has a habit of guarding you, I recommend a no dogs on the furniture rule, at least temporarily.
This rule seems very difficult for the owners of small dogs to enforce, however it’s important. (My dogs are never allowed on the furniture as well as they are just fine!)
See our post: stop my dog from growling at me on the bed
Often, the furniture itself is what triggers the possessiveness. The dog may not enable strangers to sit on the couch, for example.
If that’s the case, the owner should not enable the dog on the couch at all. The human decides who sits on the couch. The dog does not get to decide.
The dog might even growl at someone who sleeps in his owner’s bed! Again, the human should be the one to choose who sleeps on the bed. The dog does not get to decide!
Enforcing a no dogs on the furniture rule will likewise teach your dog a higher level of self control. This is important overall since a dog with more self control is generally going to be more obedient, balanced as well as happy.
6. Do not enable possessiveness of food or toys
Dogs that are possessive of their owners are typically possessive of food as well as toys as well. This is habits that you should not tolerate from your dog.
To stop a dog’s possessiveness of food as well as toys, it’s important to teach the dog a command for “drop” or “leave it.” It’s likewise important to comply with consistent rules, as well as to teach your dog that whatever belongs to you – even “his” toys, food as well as bed.
7. practice solid obedience skills
Dogs with solid obedience skills are generally more respectful of their owners. They listen to commands, as well as they have a high level of self control.
It’s not a coincidence that small dogs are less likely to be trained as well as more likely to be possessive compared to larger dogs.
It’s never too late to start training your dog, though. I extremely recommend you start taking your dog to group obedience classes. It’s important for the dogs to discover self control while working around other dogs.
*This article has been expanded into a FREE ebook on how to break a dog’s possessiveness. Få det hit.
8. teach your dog it’s ok to be alone
Sometimes a small dog feels the need to guard his owner since he is not comfortable being alone. He barks as well as growls at anyone who comes near since that person might be trying to remove him from the owner.
You have the capability to modification your dog’s habits by helping him cope without you. It’s not healthy for a dog to be near his owner 24/7 just as it’s not healthy for any type of two people to be together all the time!
So, provide your dog some time each day in his kennel or in a separate room. You can provide him a special treat during this time like a Kong toy with peanut butter. If the dog whines, it’s very important to ignore him until he’s quiet.
Another way to produce separation is to tether his leash to a chair as well as sit on the other side of the room, ignoring him for 20 minutes.
You should likewise work on teaching him a solid down/stay command until he will lie on a dog bed or mat for up to a half-hour.
See: exactly how to teach the place command.
9. assist your dog bond with people other than you
Ask pals as well as household members to feed your dog, take him for walks as well as play with him from time to time. This will assist your dog see that other people are good, too!
And here’s a fantastic training exercise recommended by a reader named Marie:
Tie your dog’s leash to a chair as well as sit on the chair. Then, ask different people to approach you as well as your dog. The second your dog barks or growls, get up as wellas walk away without saying a word. This will teach your dog that barking as well as growling will not assist his situation. It will really make you go away!
Sounds like a fantastic concept to me!
10. Reward great behavior
It’s important that we praise our dogs when they are showing great behavior. If your dog is sitting calmly on the floor while guests are over, make sure to pet him as well as tell him he’s a great boy. Or toss him a treat.
If he sits patiently while you pet one more dog, tell him what a great dog he is.
We want to ignore unwanted habits as well as reward the good. I recommend the treats called wellness Well Bites.
Signs your dog is protective of you
Finally, I quickly wanted to listing out some signs that your dog is protective of you since it’s not always simple to tell.
Signs your dog is guarding you:
(These can likewise be signs your dog is scared, which is typically the real reason the dog is protecting you. She’s frightened!)
Growls or barks when other people approach you
Places herself between you as well as one more person
Backs into you or sits on your feet or at your feet
Is my dog protecting me or scared?
Often, both! The top reason dogs “protect” their owners is since they are scared. Their owner is the one thing that helps them feel secure as well as safe, so they want to “protect” this “power source.”
The best thing you can do is assist develop your dog’s confidence as well as security using some of the tips outlined above.
What are some other tips you’ve used to prevent a dog’s territorial behavior?
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*This article has been expanded into a FREE ebook on how to break a dog’s possessiveness. Få det hit.
Best products to assist with resource guarding:
High-value treats!I recommend the brand Wellness Well Bites when you work with your dog on “drop”, “leave it” as well as trading them.
Treat pouch.Use a treat bag to conveniently hold all your treats during your training sessions.
Clicker.Use the clicker to mark the precise moment your dog does the correct behavior. In our case, it’s “drop” or “leave it.” followed by a treat!
More resources to stop your dog from guarding you
How to break a dog’s possessiveness (my long article)
Book: The cautious Canine by Patricia McConnell
Dr. Patricia McConnell’s article on guarding
Lindsay Stordahl is the creator of That Mutt. She writes about dog training, dog exercise as well as feeding a healthy raw diet.