Resource guarding is quite common in dogs and happens when there are multiple dogs in one household.
This type of dog behaviour is done to convince other dogs to stay away from their own resource, whether that be a particular toy or treasure, favourite bed or chair, and especially items like treats and food.
It is important to note that resource guarding is normal dog behaviour and is borne out of the fact that dogs are opportunistic feeders. This type of behaviour only becomes a problem when a dog threatens another or threatens its human through snapping, biting, nipping or growling.
It is easily identifiable as the aggression will be done over a particular resource. Can it be funny though? Yes!
In the above video, we see Duncan tap into his opportunistic feeding behavior in a funny display of treat stealing. You see Hana sitting very pretty, upright, and alert but Duncan, on the other hand, had another cunning idea.
He kept looking over at Hana and eyeing her treat while she played the “good dog” role. Duncan only managed to look back up at his owner when she called out his name.
As soon as the owner said “okay” to give Hana and Duncan the go-ahead for their delicious treat eating, Duncan immediately jumped over Hana’s treat and snapped it up quick.
Duncan then whirled around to try to grab his own, but his owner pushed the treat out of his way and allowed Hana to get at it by pulling him back a bit.
Apparently, this is a reoccurring behavior in Hana and Duncan’s home. He’s the avid treat stealer, while Hana is the TDI International Therapy Dog and is Good Citizen Test certified.
