Resource Guarding in Dogs: What It Is and How to Help Your Dog

Resource guarding is when a dog uses body language, threats or aggression to keep hold of something they value while a person or another animal is nearby. The "something" is often food, a chew or a toy, but it can also be a bed, a sofa, a spot by the door or even a person.

It is a normal behaviour. In the wild, a dog that gave up every bone would go hungry. The problem is that in a family home, a dog who growls or snaps over a stolen sock can easily bite someone, and children are the most likely to get too close. The good news is that guarding usually responds well to calm management and reward-based training.

What Resource Guarding Looks Like

Guarding isn't always growling. In a 2018 study of expert opinion, researchers led by Jacquelyn Jacobs at the University of Guelph grouped guarding behaviour into four kinds:

• Avoidance: turning or curling the body over the item, grabbing it and running off, or eating very fast.
• Threats: stiffening, freezing, lifting a lip, growling or barking.
• Aggression: lunging, snapping or biting.
• Anxious signs: lip licking, yawning and looking away.

These usually build up like a ladder. Dogs Trust lists the early rungs as lip licking, "whale eye" (showing the whites of the eyes while side-eyeing you), tension in the face and body, and standing over the item. Further up come growling, barking, lunging, snapping and biting.

The earlier you spot the ladder, the easier it is to stop well short of the top. If your dog freezes and stares when you walk past their chew, that is them asking for space, and it's worth listening.

Why Dogs Guard Things

Guarding comes from the fear of losing something, not from spite or trying to be "top dog". The RSPCA says the most common cause is having things repeatedly taken away without anything given back. Dogs Trust also lists competition with other pets, things feeling scarce, stress, over-excitement and medical problems.

A large survey of 3,589 dogs, published by Jacobs and colleagues in Preventive Veterinary Medicine, found:

• Dogs rated as more impulsive were more likely to show every kind of guarding, and fearful dogs were more likely to guard aggressively.
• Dogs that had been taught to reliably "drop" items were less likely to guard aggressively.
• Adding tasty bits of food to the bowl during meals was linked to milder guarding.
• Taking the food dish away during meals was linked to more severe or more frequent guarding.

That last one matters, because "take the bowl away so they learn you're in charge" is still common advice. The research points the other way. Our piece on why alpha theory doesn't work explains where that idea came from.

If guarding appears suddenly in an adult dog, book a vet check first. A dog in pain is quicker to protect their space and belongings.

What Not to Do

• Don't tell your dog off or punish a growl. The RSPCA says it only adds to their anxiety. A dog who learns that growling gets them into trouble may skip the warning and go straight to a bite.
• Don't snatch things away unless it's dangerous. Every time something valuable disappears, the dog's fear of losing things grows.
• Don't chase or corner your dog when they've run off with something. Dogs Trust advises staying calm and moving away.
• Don't test them by putting your hand in the bowl or taking toys "to check they're OK with it".

Manage It at Home First

While you work on training, stop the guarding from happening. Every time your dog guards successfully, they practise it.

• Feed in a quiet room or behind a baby gate, and leave them alone until they've finished.
• Put away anything they guard, such as chews, particular toys, or socks and tissues they like to steal.
• Give long-lasting chews only when your dog is in their own space, away from other pets and children.
• Feed multiple dogs apart. Guarding between dogs is often about sharing space around the bowls.
• Keep children away from your dog when they are eating or have anything they value, and never let a child take things off the dog.
• If your dog guards the sofa or your bed, use gates or closed doors, and call them off with a treat rather than moving them by hand or by the collar.

How to Change How Your Dog Feels About You Approaching

The aim is to teach your dog that people coming near their things is good news. Go at your dog's pace. If you see any of the early warning signs, you've moved too fast, so go back a step.

Approach and drop (for food bowls)

1. Put your dog's empty bowl down. When they look at you, drop a bit of their meal into it from a comfortable distance.
2. Once they've eaten it, walk away, come back and add a little more. Repeat until the whole meal is fed.
3. Over several days, as your dog stays relaxed, add a much tastier extra (a piece of cooked chicken or cheese) as you walk past a normal meal, then walk on.
4. Only when your dog is happy to see you coming should you get closer or bend down.

This is a simplified version of the RSPCA's food bowl plan. If your dog has already bitten, skip this and speak to a behaviourist first.

The swap (for toys and stolen items)

Swap, don't take. Offer something your dog values as much or more than what they have: a handful of treats scattered on the floor a little way away works well. While they eat, pick up the item calmly. With toys and chews that are safe to have, give them back afterwards, so your dog learns that giving something up doesn't mean losing it.

Teach "drop" as a game

Practise with low-value toys when nothing is at stake. Say "drop", show a treat, reward the moment the toy falls, then give the toy back and play again. The reward-based training basics apply: short sessions and lots of success. A reliable "drop" is exactly the skill the Jacobs survey linked to less aggressive guarding.

When to Get Professional Help

Get help straight away if your dog has bitten or snapped at anyone, if there are children in the home, if guarding is getting worse, or if you feel frightened. If your dog is already hard to handle, muzzle training is a useful safety net while you get help.

Anyone in the UK can call themselves a dog behaviourist, so check qualifications:

1. See your vet to rule out pain or illness. Many behaviourists work on vet referral.
2. Search the ABTC register. The Animal Behaviour and Training Council keeps a national register of assessed trainers and behaviourists who use non-punitive, reward-based methods. For guarding, look for a Clinical Animal Behaviourist.
3. Or search the CCAB register. Certificated Clinical Animal Behaviourists are accredited by CCAB Certification, which took this scheme over from the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
4. The APBC (Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors) is a membership body whose full members meet ABTC standards.

If you'd like to talk it through first, the Dogs Trust Behaviour Support Line is free on 0303 003 6666.

Sources

• Jacobs et al. (2018), Defining and clarifying the terms canine possessive aggression and resource guarding, Frontiers in Veterinary Science
• Jacobs et al. (2018), Factors associated with canine resource guarding behaviour in the presence of people, Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Dogs Trust: resource guarding in dogs
• RSPCA Brighton: how to treat existing resource guarding
• Animal Behaviour and Training Council and CCAB Certification