Are you a trigger, or a leader?

Is your dog following you around everywhere in the house like a shadow? Is your dog very aggressive towards other dogs and people around you? Does your dog try to stop other people from entering your home, from talking to you, from shaking your hand…

This is not because your dog loves you; this is an indication that your dog thinks of you as something they need to keep tabs on all the time.

Why are they so obsessed with keeping tabs on you? Because you are being perceived as the dog’s possession. Dogs will want to keep tab on their toys, their food, their territory, and in this case, their human owners’ location, movement, and action as well.

The owner is being perceived as a valuable resource that the dog is obsessed to control and guard.

This is a form of resource guarding, where the owner has become the resource.

Such a dog could be quite calm with a dog trainer, then the owner shows up, or says something like “good boy” to the dog, and the dog suddenly tries to bite the trainer.

When the presence of the owner will instantly trigger the dog to become aggressive, the owner is the trigger to the dog’s behavioural switch - so the owner really needs to change in order for the dog to change.

This change is not about the owner learning some new commands. This has to start from how the owner truly feels about the dog.

Is the owner also very obsessed with the dog? Is the owner treating the dog like a human baby? Is the owner very anxious once the dog is not right next to them?

Very often, a dog who is resource guarding the owner is a dog who is obsessed with coddling with the owner. In return, the owner is also obsessed with the dog - they not only try to always coddle with the dog physically, but they also display very emotional energy around the dog all the time.

When the owner is acting like that, it will make the dog look at the owner like a free vending machine of goodies (ie unearned affection, misplaced freedom…).

The dog will want to really keep tab on this machine to make sure he can get his goodies whenever he wants. As he keeps getting all the goodies day in and day out this way, all the repetitions will continue to affirm to the dog that the human is indeed a very valuable resource which he should obsessively and compulsively guard with his life.

This aggression can progress and worsen to a point where the dog will not only act aggressively to other people but to the owner as well. The dog will want to control the movement and action of the owner, and will get mad when the owner is not responding accordingly - much like how a kid will kick at a vending machine when the candy bar is not falling quick enough.

When the human are not doing what the dog wants when the dog wants, the dog will use his teeth, muscle, and voice to make sure they follow his desire.

No one would look to a vending machine for life advice. The dog expects everything to be free from the vending machine. He will not wait patiently. He has no respect for this machine. The dog will not trust the machine for protection. The dog will not look to this machine for direction.

The human - who is being viewed as a free dispenser of emotional goodies - is not a leader; the dog is in control of the human who is supposed to do what the dog wants when the dog wants it. This is a very unhealthy relationship that will only get worse until the humans can make some serious change to themselves.

Are you a trigger, or are you a leader?

A leader is emotionally strong and independent. A leader will put the dog’s best interest above their own emotional wants. A leader has the toughness to forego their own emotional pleasure so the dog can break this unhealthy cycle and thrive.

A leader will do the right things even if it is hard. If you do not want your dog to keep acting so anxious around you, please make the right changes for your dog.

Hope this helps.

Thank you.