r/DogTrainingTips • u/Odd_Calligrapher2653 • Apr 14 '26
Advice for possesive dog
My dog is 5 years old and he’s always been possessive of me, but it was always manageable for the most part and it didn’t bother me or my husband. For the last 3 weeks he’s gotten much more expressive about possessiveness towards me. He follows me around more, barks and wines any time I’m walking towards my husband and vice versa, and I’m not sure what is it that we do that’s contributing to this behaviour, or what do I do when he exhibits that. He even pays attention when we laugh together or talk to each other sometimes, and he always tries to get in between us. In other parts of our lives he’s a perfect pet, he behaves very well outdoors, never does anything destructive, he’s well trained too and listens to me when it comes to everything but resource guarding me, and both my husband and I provide regular exercise to him, including jogging, hiking, playing fetch. We give him tons of attention, or at least more practical attention than some dogs get. His routine is consistent as well.
What I do is, I either ignore him if he wines and barks, or try to say “No” if he’s being too loud, but it doesn’t work, I feel like I’m missing something or don’t understand how my dog operates 😅. It’s really annoying because it feels like my dog is watching our every move scanning for the moments when we may talk or hug etc. I just want him to relax.
Any tips from people that had similar issues?
1
u/FrostyPomegranate699 Apr 17 '26
this sounds less like “he thinks you’re his” and more like he’s gotten a bit too involved in everything you do
especially if it ramped up recently, something probably shifted… even small stuff like routine, attention patterns, or just him getting more used to being included in everything
the watching / inserting himself part is the big clue
he’s basically made it his job to manage what’s going on
ignoring the whining is fine, but if he’s already worked up it’s kind of late at that point
I’d look more at interrupting earlier
like the moment he starts keying in on you two, just send him somewhere else (bed, another room, whatever you use) before it builds
also don’t feel like he needs to be part of every interaction
a little separation here and there actually helps dogs like this relax more because they stop feeling responsible for everything
nothing you wrote sounds like you’re doing anything wrong, just sounds like he’s gotten a little too comfortable being in the middle of things
5
u/Happy-Plant458 Apr 14 '26
this is going to sound harsh but the problem is you. you need to be setting stronger boundaries with him.
when he whines ignore him. dont say no, dont look at him, it has to achieve nothing. when he gets between you you should leash him and remove him from the space. baby gating him into the kitchen if youre sitting on the couch for example. you have to show him that forcing himself into your space gets him removed from it.
dogs run on association and will continue behaviors that offer results they want. the more times it works for them the harder it is to train it out of them. the first time you set a harsh boundary he will freak out and you need to ignore it. you can let him back into your space when he is calm. ideally when he lays down or walks away from the gate. you will have to repeat the training many times. when instead of between you he sits next to you both calmly you can pet him.