If you find yourself and your pup working through resource guarding, you are not alone! Here is a great article from our friends at Whole Dog Journal to help you out!

It might come as a shock when your sweet fluff of a baby dog suddenly and fiercely stakes a claim to the treats that you’ve been tossing to your adult dogs. Your dogs have always shared quite nicely with each other, and until recently, the puppy has, too. So why is he suddenly resource-guarding from his dog friends? And what can you do about it?

First, don’t panic. Resource-guarding is a natural, normal canine behavior. Sometimes referred to as “possession aggression,” resource-guarding is when a dog sends body-language signals to another dog (or human) that he is not willing to share whatever valuable item (food, treats, toy) he possesses or desires possession of. 

Ideally, the guarding dog sends only low-level signals to his competitor, such as a hard stare, a freeze, hovering over the desired object, a growl, or a snarl. These appropriate, social-communication signals are intended to prevent conflict by deterring the competitor from approaching – and this often works! If, however, the target of this communication ignores the signals and continues to approach – or offers offensive social signals in return – the guarder may feel forced to escalate the intensity of his signals and may snap, lunge, or engage in actual aggressive contact (a fight).

Find the full article on here: https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/puppies/resource-guarding-in-puppies/