Resource Guarding in Dogs: Causes and Solutions

If you’ve ever had your dog suddenly get protective over something like food, toys, or random objects, there’s a name for the behavior: resource guarding. It’s a misunderstood dog habit that requires action on an owner’s part to ensure that it can be solved effectively. Here’s what you need to know about resource guarding, including why dogs resource guard and solutions to deter it. 

What is Resource Guarding in Dogs?

Thousands of years ago, dogs were not fed in bowls on a schedule. They hunted in a feast or famine cycle. Resource guarding, also known as possessive aggression, is an instinct that dogs have to protect something valuable to them, and it helped ancient wild dogs survive. Modern dogs can guard high-value items like toys, beds, or food. Dogs can even resource guard their favorite people, such as owners.

With resource guarding comes “back off” behavior that ranges from subtle body language shifts to in-your-face aggression. Dogs can do it to humans, other dogs, or other pets. Resource guarding isn’t about a dog asserting dominance, but rather them trying to protect something they value.

Signs of Resource Guarding in Dogs

Dogs can show that they are protecting something that means a lot to them through different body language cues. They can be barely detectable or aggressive. Some signs of resource guarding include:

• Freezing or tensing up
• Dilated pupils
• Growling
• Baring their teeth
• Snapping or biting
• Lunging
• Chasing you away
• Using their body to block access to a resource
• Moving away with the item
• Eating faster if they are guarding food  

Difference Between Resource Guarding and Food Aggression in Dogs

Food aggression is a type of resource guarding, and is common in multi-dog households. If you need to feed two dogs at once and they are showing food aggression, you can try the following to prevent or mitigate it:

1. Feed dogs separately. Use baby gates, feed dogs in separate rooms, at different times, or in crates to help prevent competition at mealtime. Offer treats like bones and chew toys separately.
2. Create a routine. If dogs are fed regularly, they have fewer reasons to guard or be protective of food.
3. Keep mealtime calm. A calm environment during meals can help dogs relax.
4. Use hand-feeding. To prevent food aggression in the first place, try using hand-feeding to teach your dog that people and their food can coexist without being a threat. If your dog is already showing this behavior, use positive associations to change it. Over time, gradually approach their feeding area as they eat while offering high-value treats to create positive associations.

What Causes Resource Guarding in Dogs?

Resource guarding is part instinct and part learned behavior. If your dog is resource guarding, it might be due to:

• Breed type: Some dog breeds are more likely to have guarding behaviors, such as Mastiffs, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Bloodhounds, and Beagles. These breeds were created to guard, retrieve, or track down items.
• Learned behavior: If a dog has successfully guarded an item once, they might do it again.
• Anxiety: Anxious dogs that are uncertain about their surroundings or that are not confident might resource guard.
• Lack of training: Dogs that have been inconsistently trained might be unsure of how to act. If a dog has been punished in the past for having something, such as a shoe, they might resource guard out of fear.
• Awareness of value: Dogs are smart. They know when they have something worth guarding, such as a bone.
• Pain: Dogs that are in pain or discomfort might guard what they have.

How to Stop Resource Guarding in Dogs

If your dog is resource guarding, there are ways to fix it, although it takes patience and consistency. To stop resource guarding in dogs:

1. Get professional help: Rely on a trainer or boarded veterinary behaviorist to help you, especially if your dog has been outwardly aggressive about items.
2. Remove the high-value items: Remove or limit access to anything that has proven to stir up resource guarding behavior in your dog.
3. Work on training: Training is the first line of defense against resource guarding. Teaching your dog a “leave it” or “drop it” command, especially early on as a puppy, can be invaluable later on. Use positive reinforcement to help them understand good behavior versus bad, and that “trading up” will get them something even better than what they are protecting. Never punish a dog for resource guarding. It can increase their anxiety around an item and intensify resource guarding or make it happen more frequently.
4. Make resources available: Your dog might be resource guarding because they have a scarcity mindset. Access to ample toys, food, and attention might reduce the need to guard.
5. Respect their space: If your dog is eating, chewing on something, or playing with a high-value toy, give them space. Don’t disturb them, which might cause them to guard. If your dog is resource guarding another human, you’ll want to move slowly around them.
6. Address anxiety: Some dogs guard because they are anxious and not confident in themselves or their surroundings. Build up your dog’s confidence to make them more relaxed. 

You won’t be able to fix resource guarding overnight. It’s best if you can start early as a puppy through training, but patience and consistency can fix the problem in older dogs. If it doesn’t seem to be working, or if your dog’s level of aggression is intense, call in professional help to get the job done and make your home more harmonious.

Conclusion

Resource guarding is a natural behavior in dogs, but one that can be alarming. Use patience, positive reinforcement, and consistent training to overcome any resource guarding issues. If possible, start early in puppyhood with a “leave it” or “drop it” command to prevent issues later on. Making giving up resources, or having others around them while they have resources, a positive thing to desensitize and countercondition your dog.

For more expert tips on dog behavior, explore our other understanding dogs articles.