Tips For A Successful Trip To The Vet

If you're new to puppy ownership, you may well be smitten by your new four-legged friend. Each day brings a new adventure, and you're learning about them as they also learn about you. While much of this journey is enjoyable, you may nevertheless be confused by certain aspects of their behaviour. In particular, why do they suddenly turn into a snarling menace whenever they are playing with a particular toy? What can you do in this situation as you focus on their training?

Understanding Why Puppies Guard Their Resources

This type of behaviour is often known as "resource guarding." It's difficult to be sure why they behave like this, but they may have been raised in an environment where resources were not immediately available. They may have felt an element of deprivation when they were very young. In this situation, they may want to hang on to a particular object (such as a favourite toy) in case someone should try to deprive them of that enjoyment.

Alternatively, the puppy may simply be reacting to your general behaviour when you appear to make a big deal of their actions. If you seem to be very happy or congratulatory when they pick someone up in their mouth, they may attach some additional value to that object. When you get close to them, they may think you're going to take the object away and act defensively instead.

Identifying Behaviour

Does your puppy tend to act in a strange way when you get close to them? Sometimes, they may freeze on the spot, which is recognised as a sign of resource guarding. Do they tend to eat very quickly whenever you put their food down? Again, this could be a throwback to those early days when resources were not as readily available to them. 

Establishing Good Routines

To try and break them from this habit, make sure that you get into a good routine. Certainly, you'll want to ensure that they have adequate food and drink, and you should make this available according to a set routine. This will eventually convince them that this precious resource is not about to disappear and does not have to be jealously guarded.

Teaching Them To Fetch

You may find it beneficial to teach your puppy to fetch. When they do so, you can give them a treat, so you are teaching them that retrieving something means they'll get something else. Eventually, they'll get into the habit of bringing you their items instead, which should go a long way to breaking that bad habit.

Getting Further Advice

If you're not making any progress with this problem, have a chat with your vet. They may have some ideas to help you with this critical part of your puppy training regimen.