The other day I gave my puppy a new chew that she’s never tried before. She loved it. But she was chewing it super fast and it seemed like she was swallowing it in chunks, so I got worried. I tried to take the treat from her calmly and she growled at me and barked and lunged at me. Didn’t bite me or anything but it was clear she was guarding it, so I gave up trying to take it away. I tried to trade for something better, and nothing was working. She slightly did it again today, just less intensely, when I gave her a frozen lick mat. I just walked near her while she was working on it and she barked at me.
She’s only 15 weeks old, but I’m scared because I really don’t want this to turn into a normal behavior. She doesn’t seem to be like this with her regular food, just with special treats but I don’t want it to get to that point.
Should also mention she’s a golden retriever. I’ve read that they commonly resource guard their food if not trained correctly. I can train her out of this, right? Any advice?
submitted by /u/Interesting-Door3369
[link] [comments]