Dad's bark sends puppy bounding to her owner — and it's not because she's scared

Kaylin Arguedas, a real estate agent, posted a clip of her scared Yorkshire terrier puppy running to her for protection. As reported by Newsweek, Arguedas posted the video on her official TikTok account (@kaylinarguedasrealestate) and captioned it, “She’s so funny.” The clip captures the puppy initially standing by a tree next to her father in Kaylin’s backyard, when he suddenly senses a threat and initiates barking. Taking it as a signal, the small pup instantly runs to her owner, hiding from her dad. "She hears her dad about to bark which means go to your human for safety," Arguedas wrote.

The puppy’s adorable and funny behavior made the video a super hit on social media, garnering more than 2 million views and 447,000 likes since 18th June, 2025. The clip gathered a lot of positive attention as well as varying interpretations from the viewers. 

Many individuals have suggested that it is an act of guarding. According to a report by the National Library of Medicine, dogs portray 'resource guarding' or 'possessive aggression.' This type of behavior occurs when dogs try to safeguard their valuable items like toys, food, or even humans. Their feelings can be expressed through different forms, like aggression, avoidance, or even rapid ingestion. A few common examples of these behaviors can be: a dog barking at a stranger when their owner is around, or hiding their toys, food, or other valuable items, or quickly eating their food before anyone approaches them.

A study with 2,207 dog owners and data on 3,589 dogs showed that dogs with higher impulsivity were more likely to show all types of 'resource guarding' behavior. The study also suggested that such behaviors can change depending on the dog’s personality, human interaction, and overall training.

Newsweek also quoted a dog expert and founder of Wiggle Butt Academy, Nicole Kohanski, regarding the behavior of the Yorkshire terrier puppy in the viral video. Nicole stated, "When a dog guards their owner from friends, family, or other known dogs, it is considered undesirable guarding.” Numerous users left their own opinions on the video and the dog’s behavior. @thehellyeahguy42069 commented, "lmaooo he ran over to protect you! If he was running for safety, he would’ve stood behind you." @mischiefspirit said, "Nah, she’s in front of you. She’s there to defend you while dad goes on offense." 

Many users even had an amusing response to the viral video. @chikinnuggittsss wrote, "She parallel parks better than me." Another user shared his own experience, @kamikaze_dat_ho, and commented, "This is how my youngest dog is. As soon as my oldest barks. He finds me and once he feels safe he then runs back out like he's big and bad."

For more adorable dog content, you can follow @kaylinarguedasrealestate on her official TikTok account.