German Shepherd's 'No Toy Left Behind' Rule Has His Bed Looking Like a Toy Store

German Shepherds are, behind Golden Retrievers, one of the most well-known dog breeds of all time. They're everywhere, from the police force to at airports and even sniffing out explosives on the front lines. German Shepherds are some of the most impressive dogs ever.

But that's just it: they're dogs. At the end of the day, they want love, and comfort, and toys, and all of those things the "nicer" breeds get to have. Luckily, they often get their happy endings; on September 5th, one of these sweet pups had a reservation at the all-you-can-cuddle buffet, and all of his favorite toys were there:

Hannah Marie must witness this pretty often: he's an indecisive boy, and you know what? That's fine. We love him anyway!

Related: German Shepherd Brothers Have a Gut-Busting Old Western Style Standoff

There are four German Shepherds in this house, so it's totally understandable that sweet Goro (who, by the way, works as a K9) wants to guard all of his favorite toys. According to his mom, most of these actually aren't even his toys, and he hasn't touched most of them in weeks, but as soon as she looks ready to play with it, you best believe he's on top of it.

Goro has a job, okay?! He deserves some time with his toys. They're all stuffed toys, and they're all intact, which is nothing short of a miracle. With 4 German Shepherds, you'd think a soft stuffed toy wouldn't stand a chance!

Resource Guarding vs. Protecting

Goro's behavior here could be construed in one of two ways: he's resource guarding his toys, or maybe he's just protecting them. To me, this feels like general hogging, because there's a clear difference between those two things.

If a dog is resource guarding, they'll become very aggressive when their things are touched, whether that's toys, their bed, or their food. They might growl, bark, and even bite at whoever touches their things. However, if your dog is just gathering all of their toys in one place, it's not necessarily resource guarding: it's just that those are their things and they like them. Slightly protective "hogging" behavior is normal. Resource guarding, not so much.

The best course of action for a dog with a resource guarding problem is to remove whatever you can from the situation. If a toy is causing the behavior, take it away and give it back after a period of time has passed. The best way to help your dog understand that there isn't a need for resource guarding is to show them that there are plenty of resources to go around. However, if need-be, your vet may prescribe medications or other treatment to help your dog manage their anxiety. Goro isn't anxious, though: he's just sick of his siblings taking his things!