How to stop pup growling when he has something of high value?

[PanadTe]

It could be a treat or a toy, or even being picked up whilst playing.

He does it when our other dog approaches him, or if me or dh do.

It hasn’t gone further than a growl but he’s only 10 weeks so want to nip it in the bud.

You nip it in the bud by changing your behaviour. Don’t pick him up - if you need to then give him a treat as you do it so he associates it with a good thing. Don’t take stuff - swap it. Remove anything you don’t want him to have. Remove high value things when your other dog is around.

puppies are 99.99999% management and waiting for them to grow up!

A growl is your pup communicating that they are uncomfortable with you or your dog approaching when they have something of high value.

It would be useful to know what exactly is happening when your pup growls - is he worried some-one is going to take his toy / treat? Has that happened before?

What are the circumstances when you pick him up?

Resource guarding can generally be managed by making sure that the dog isn't worried they are going to loose what they value - things we did with Bella to help her with resource guarding is:

Not allowing anyone to go near her (dog or human) when eating.
Giving her space to eat chews - so letting her take it into the garden or other rooms is she wanted to.
Never telling her off for growling (it was her warning and much better than going straight for a bite).
Removing toys etc that she could resource guard when other dogs around.
If she had something we didn't want her to have i.e. a shoe we would offer something of higher value to swap.

With your puppy have you thought about a puppy pen so they have a safe space to have their toys / treats without worrying about them being taken away?

Does your older dog have a habit of taking their toys etc?

The high value item this morning was a toy he’d taken off the floor and sat on the bed with.
My other dog jumped on the bed next to him, not even wanting the toy.

Very normal. It’s mine and you are not taking it. Really with multiple dogs toys need to be policed. It may mean your older dog can only have them when he’s on his own. I’ve had foster dogs and the toys go away until things settle down. It’s not worth the risk.

Agree with this.

Also please, OP, do not have puppies on furniture! The jumping up/down damages their joints (along with a host of other reasons). 10 weeks is WAY to young. I know it's not the point of the thread, but you're really risking your dogs health...

Depending on the breed, some dogs shouldn't be jumping on/off furniture until they're well over 12 months!

It’s more the pup than the older one that steals, then guards. The older one’s not fussed at all.

They play really well with mutual toys too both in the garden and in the house. Chase mostly

Thanks. Pup doesn’t jump on and off… we place him. The older whippet cross does! He jumps on the window sill from floor level! I found him in the kitchen counter once 🙈 Our pup is whippet cross too.

Thank you. I’ll limit toy play in the house. We play with them all the time. They very rarely play on their own together… unless they’re bouncing about the garden

We have a crate which stays open. Pup will go in there often with something he deems high value.

We’re not in the habit of taking things off him… But that’s why he growls. He’s done this since coming from the breeder. He was one of 7, so wonder if that plays a role?

We treat often, but not always when picking him up. He only does it when you pick him up during heightened play. I do it to stop him becoming too heightened.

He’s not bothered around food in his bowl. It’s mostly hard type toys that he can chew on.

Puppy pen and door shut immediately on that room. No eye contact just a sharp ‘no’ and straight into pen and close the door. We currently only then leave for 15 mins then come back in and act as if nothing happened it’s vastly reduced the incidents. Never use the crate as that’s a safe space so it’s in a totally different room to avoid negative connections being made

We treat often, but not always when picking him up. He only does it when you pick him up during heightened play. I do it to stop him becoming too heightened

Stop picking him up. If you need him to come away from play then call him with a high value treat or toy and encourage him that way.

I'd be concerned that this approach would escalate the behaviour - you are effectively proving the pup right that there was a need to resource guard and that growling didn't work!