Dogs and Resource Guarding

What is Resource Guarding?

Resource guarding in dogs is a behavior where a dog protects and defends their valuable resources, such as food, toys, treats, bones, or other items that they perceive as valuable, even their owner can be viewed as a resource to a dog.

Resource guarding can be exhibited in a variety of ways, such as growling, snarling, barking, or even biting to prevent anyone from taking away the valuable resource.

Resource guarding is a natural behavior for dogs, and in the wild, it helps ensure their survival by protecting their resources from other animals. However, in a domestic setting, resource guarding can be a problem if it becomes excessive or poses a risk to the dog's human companions.

Resource guarding can vary in intensity, with some dogs only guarding certain items, while others may guard all of their possessions. It can also be influenced by a dog's past experiences, such as if they have been deprived of food or have had to compete with other dogs for resources.

It's important to recognize the signs of resource guarding in dogs, such as growling, snarling, or biting when someone approaches their resources, and to take steps to manage and address the behavior to prevent any potential injuries or accidents.

How to recognize resource guarding

Learning to pick up on your dogs signs and body language can prevent the situation getting worse, such as a dog bite perhaps. Watch for cues that your dog could be getting anxious around food, toys, beds or even you or another human family member. Sit back and quietly observe how your dog looks and acts. What do you see?

Signs of resource guarding

Look for these signs in your dog. If your dog is doing any of these things it could mean that they are feeling anxious, fearful, threatened.

• Growling
• Lip licking
• Curling their lips upward, showing teeth
• Ears pointed backward
• Body stiffening
• Super fixated attention on a person, or object
• Staring at another dog

How to stop resource guarding

Try these simple approaches to help your dog feel more relaxed. Show them they have nothing to worry about.

• Make sure your dog gets enough food, water, and is not teased by anyone.
• If you have more than one dog, make sure each of them has their own toys, their own separate beds, their own food and treats.
• Don't feed multiple dogs out of the same bowl.
• Use positive reinforcement to encourage good behavior.
• Help your dog to be able to associate a person coming up to them and their new toy (is ok), by gently approaching and offering them a few treats you know they will like.
• When your dog is being good, give them praise.
• Never punish your dog for behaviors you do not want, as this may make the aggression worse.

Teach your dog basic obedience commands

Teach commands such as "Sit," "Stay," and "Drop it. " A dog that has learned these commands can be better controlled in certain situations. Practice these commands with your dog during training sessions and use positive reinforcement to reward them for following your commands.

Teach your dog the "Trade" command: The "Trade" command involves giving your dog a high-value treat or toy in exchange for the object they are guarding. This teaches your dog that letting go of their object results in a reward, rather than a punishment.

Teach "Go to your bed" or "Place": Teach your dog to go to a specific spot, like a bed or mat, when asked. This can be useful during meal times or when visitors come over, providing a safe space and preventing guarding behaviors around food or guests.

Manage the environment

You can manage your dog's environment to minimize situations where they are likely to guard resources.

• If your dog is guarding their food bowl, try feeding them in a separate room or separate crate where they won't be disturbed.
• If the problem with resource guarding is with only one particular toy, take that toy away when they are sleeping and remove it from your home.
• If you have two dogs that show aggression towards each other at meal time, put each of them in separate larger crates to eat, or separate rooms to eat.
• If you have two dogs that argue which bed to sleep in, even though they have their own beds, teach them a cue to go to their own specific bed, with rewarding with a treat. If they choose to go to the wrong bed, no treat.
• If you allow a new dog to come into your dogs environment, put your dogs toy basket away, so there are no squabbles.

Seek professional help if needed

If your dog's resource guarding behavior is severe or poses a risk to you or others, it may be necessary to seek help from a professional dog trainer or behaviorist. They can help you develop a personalized plan to manage your dog's behavior and reduce the risk of injury.