If your happy, friendly dog changes to a monster at mealtimes or when playing with a favourite toy, they may be resource guarding.... But what is the reason behind this behaviour and how do you stop resource guarding in dogs? Before the professional dog trainers are called in, let’s make sense of what makes your dog so determined to guard food or treasured possessions.

What is Resource Guarding in Dogs?

Resource guarding occurs when a dog considers another dog or person a threat to a resource, and to maintain possession or access this resource, they'll display guarding behaviour. This resource guarding behaviour developed in wild dogs when they had to protect resources from other pack members. The resource they guard is important to the dog’s well-being and/or safety.

If another dog (or person) comes near that resource, they feel threatened and will take measures to stop it being taken away. This can include hiding it in a different place, but they can also begin displaying aggressive behaviour. If anyone or anything attempts to approach, look at, touch, take, or even move in between the resource and the dog, then this may be seen as a threat and triggers the behaviour.

If avoidance (moving or hiding the object) and body language doesn't remove the threat, the dog may then show aggressive behaviour. They'll snap or growl if anyone approaches their food or treasured possession. If they retain the resource by showing aggressive behaviour, then they’ll feel this has been successful and will repeat the behaviour. This can be potentially dangerous, so it is the responsibility of dog owners to ensure resource guarding is dealt with in their dog training.

A dog resource guarding a favourite human being can also be a problem - they'll consider the person as being ‘high value’ and may show possessive aggression towards anyone that gets in the way!

What are the Signs of Resource Guarding?

The first thing that dogs may do is to move or hide the resource. If they have a chew, toy or food they want to protect, they may turn their head slightly away from the perceived threat. They may also try to hide it by burying it (perhaps under their blanket, behind the sofa or in the garden).

This may work for small, moveable objects but for larger objects, this strategy won’t work. Your dog may then mark the object with small amounts of urine or stand over the resource. They’ll then drop their head, either avoid eye contact or look frequently at the threat to monitor and assess the situation. They’ll also try to block the person or dog getting near the resource that they’re guarding.

Are Some Dogs More Likely to Resource Guard?

Resource guarding behaviour is natural in dogs, but it’s more likely to be seen in anxious dogs. High levels of anxiety can lead to objects, locations and people being associated with safety and security.

Early experiences can also affect whether a dog guards their food. Group feeding of puppies from a single large tray can mean they learn food disappears very quickly. Mealtimes become stressful situations, especially for smaller or less confident puppies.

If dogs have limited access to resources like food, toys, or places of safety, then they’ll hold these in high regard. The perceived value of food will also increase if the dog has an increased drive to provide for or to protect other family members or has a health condition that causes increased hunger.

How to Prevent Resource Guarding

Understanding a dog’s body language is very important so owners recognise when they feel stressed or threatened. Always use positive reinforcement (with praise or treats) and train your dog to be relaxed around resources. Aggressive behaviour is only used after the dog’s other coping strategies have failed to remove the threat.

Top Tips to Stop Resource Guarding in Dogs

• If a dog is eating and you approach their food, they may think that you’re going to take it away. Always provide a quiet place for them to eat their food and leave them to it. If you have more than one dog, feed your dogs separately so that they don’t have to compete with others for food.
• Keep dog beds, cushions and crates in a quiet area so they can relax away from busy walkways and children’s play areas.
• Teach the commands ‘leave it’ and ‘drop it’. Always reward when they respond - never punish as this will increase the dog’s anxiety about keeping items.
• Teach your dog to swap the resource and then immediately return the item. Start with a low value item such as a boring toy that the dog is happy for the owner to have. If you need to take something from your dog, you can swop for something of equal or higher value. Your dog will learn that letting go of something they value can be a good thing.
• To stop your dog resource guarding whenever someone approaches your dog, teach your dog that the person is not a threat to the resource by approaching and rewarding. Allow your dog to interact and access the resource in an open area without anyone approaching or showing any interest in the resource. The person can then casually leave a food treat when passing, so the dog learns that a person approaching can be a good thing.
• If your dog resource guards a favourite person, reduce the amount of time the dog spends with that person and let another family member spend more time with them.

Getting Your Dog to Return Stolen Items

Stolen items are often regarded as high value! So, if your dog likes to steal items, show no interest. Never punish them as they’ll associate confrontation and loss when they’ve got a high value possession. They’ll lose interest and the need to guard it will be reduced.

If they’ve stolen something that's harmful to them or you don’t want destroyed, scatter some irresistible treats around the room, shut the door and the dog should leave the stolen item to eat the treats. Remove objects that you know your dog values highly to avoid these situations.

Resource guarding is a natural behaviour dogs show, but it's still a behaviour you want to reduce, whether your dog guards toys or their food bowl. If the above measures don’t help to curb your dog’s resource guarding, speak to your vet as the sooner resource guarding behaviour is addressed, the more successful the outcome. Your vet can also refer you to a dog trainer if needed. 

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Content provided from Vetstream's Vetlexicon Canis - www.vetstream.com/treat/canis 

Vetlexicon is the world’s largest peer-reviewed online clinical reference source. All our content is written and peer-reviewed by over 1,000 of the world’s leading veterinarians, ensuring relevance, accuracy and quality.