My dog guards his bone and growls. How can I stop this behavior?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is of course unacceptable behavior and it is called food aggression. This is usually corrected with appropriate training. I would highly recommend you consider reaching out to a dog trainer who can work with you in person to correct this. Best of luck!

Some dogs can become very aggressive or protective over objects they really love. Since he is young this behavior can be prevented. I would encourage to have him neutered as the aggression could get worse as he gets older. Also I would not give him that type of bone again. You may want to try a different type of bone or no bones at all. I hope this helps!

Hi there. Many dogs will freeze and growl, snarl, or snap if they have something valuable (like a bone or bully stick) and they're afraid you might take it away. This is actually quite a normal behavior for dogs, and is just their way of trying to protect their stuff :) To help Sam learn that you're not a threat, you can try walking by and casually tossing him a treat occasionally while he's chewing on his bone. This way, he learns that good things happen when you approach - so no need to growl! NEVER reprimand him for growling, and never try to forcibly take the bone away, as this will only teach him that he was right to be wary of you approaching and is likely to make the problem worse. If you want more detailed information about how to work on this problem, I highly recommend the book "Mine!" by Jean Donaldson.

Pipo is being aggressively protective of his bone. I would take away that bone and not allow him to have it while this other dog is in your home. I would also look into keeping them apart as much as possible. He isn't neutered, and dogs who aren't neutered can become territorial over their toys and home, leading to aggression. Keep them separated as much as possible during this visit will help prevent any further incidents of aggression. Feed them in separate rooms, and definitely do not allow this other dog near Pipo's food while he is eating. If you do face another situation where he has a toy the other dog wants and Pipo is getting upset, immediately remove the other dog from the room, and Pipo from the toy. Do not reach for the toy as he will likely bite again. If you are going to be babysitting other dogs in the future, I would consider neutering Pipo, as that cuts down and can eliminate hormonally related aggressive behaviors such as territorial aggression.

The best thing to do is to avoid these situations all together. Avoid giving them bones and if you do, make sure the dogs are separated so they can’t see each other while enjoying their bones. This type of behavior, if allowed to continue, will escalate and the dogs could hurt each other or you. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is not a normal behavior in puppies. I recommend you seek the help of a dog trainer or behaviorist to try to deal with this while he is still a puppy which is a lot easier than when he becomes an adult. Good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Unfortunately, this is a tough one. My two thoughts are: trades and avoidance. Trades Carry a really desirable treat (whatever he loves) with you on the walk. Give the command “sit” and give him the treat. Do this occasionally throughout the walk. Then, if you come to the bone, immediately tell him to sit and offer the treat. Hopefully he thinks it’s preferable to the bone and drops it. Avoidance If possible, can we go a different route? Stick to sidewalks where you can see things more easily? Or consider a comfort fit basket muzzle for walks that doesn’t allow him to eat anything. There are cute shapes or you can decorate and bedazzle them to make them look less scary. Best wishes to you and Blanco!