‘I train dogs – pets with 1 worrying sign are bite risk’

A dog trainer has issued an alarming alert to pet owners about a worrying sign he occasionally sees in pets that can ultimately lead to them being put down.

Canine behaviour specialist Will Atherton, who founded his own dog training academy, took to TikTok to tell his followers what to look out for. The expert claims the problem is a “bite waiting to happen”, but is there a way of avoiding it?

Will elaborated: “The one behaviour I have seen with dogs that leads to them being put down is resource guarding. This is a dog in the home that has learned to guard – whether that be food, toys, or its bed – and then somebody, often a child in the house, ends up getting bitten.”

To help dog owners, Will said he has made avoiding resource guarding a “fundamental principle” of his puppy training routines.

According to the expert, there’s a few ways this can be done. So here’s everything you need to know to curb the issue.

Will explained: “First, we have to make sure we begin with ourselves. We have to become high-level canine leaders that build a relationship with our dogs where they see us as our leader and look up to us for guidance and direction. Once you get that right, 98% of resource guarding is never really a concern.”

The next step of the process is to build up “impulse control”. This helps our dogs understand that if they really want something, they must first control that impulse and follow their owners’ guidance.

He went on to explain: “We must also then have rules, boundaries and expectations that we enforce with militant-like consistency.”

Adopting every aspect of Will’s advice, along with your dog’s basic levels of obedience, manners, and socialisation, will create the “perfect canine companion”, he believes.

Will closed: “If a slight smidge of resource guarding ever starts to show itself, you will now know how to nip it in the bud immediately and never let it become a problem that leads to a bite – that leads to a euthanasia case.”

Supporting Will’s advice, the RSPCA has shared it’s own resource guarding suggestions. The charity advises online:

• Vary feeding times a little to prevent tension/anticipation as that time of day approaches.
• Have a few different bowls that you can alternate at random. This will reduce the value of a particular bowl, and the dog won’t get as possessive of one particular bowl.
• Vary the areas where the dog is fed around the house, so that a particular area does not become too high-value.

Other things to consider: