5 Tips to fix resource guarding in dogs (2025)

Guarding is a very problematic behaviour, with a simple fix!

1. What is resource guarding?

Resource guarding is fear-based, a fear of something being taken away. It is self-preserving; it is a survival instinct. It’s important to get our definitions straight because it then becomes easier to understand our dog and in turn, manage and treat the behaviour.

To treat and prevent resource guarding we need to know why it is happening and what triggers the behaviour! Once we know these 2 things we can then appropriately manage and prevent the scenario from happening.

This goes without saying but it is very important to know what items in particular your dog is likely to guard. Maybe it’s during a certain time of day or from a certain person? The more this behaviour is practiced, the more your dog is likely to repeat it again.

2. Why do dogs guard?

As mentioned, resource guarding is a survival instinct which has proven advantageous over the thousands of years of domestication because it was needed, and some dogs are simply more predisposed to it more than others. However, this doesn’t mean the behaviour will stick around forever!

Resource guarding is often a safety mechanism which rears its head when the dog feels afraid that something is going to be taken from them. This gets SO much worse when owners try to compete for the resource, yes, some dogs are biddable enough to allow it to happen, you are their primary caregiver so you can “get away with it” but this is damaging to the relationship and under more stressful circumstances, that same dog may one day just snap, quite literally. If you know someone who has been bitten by their dog you may have heard it yourself “It came out of nowhere” or “he never normally does that”, well 99% of the time we can trace back to a reasonable cause. Veterinary factors can also play a role in some instances of guarding, so make sure your dog is being checked regularly!

3. Forget everything you know about the term “Alpha”, get this word OUT of your vocabulary!

This is one of the most important things that anyone could understand about resource guarding, your dog is not trying to control you, they are not being stubborn, nor do they believe they are a leader because they’ve nabbed your dirty socks.

If you want your dog’s behaviour to be dictated by your “status” then you are working on the assumption that; when that status comes into question, you are relying on combative characteristics and therefore have to enforce this. This simply wouldn’t work with a 50kg dog (especially if they had some issues), and besides that, we would much rather behaviour to be dictated by mutual trust and understanding right?

4.  Household rules

Even if you have to write out a list of rules on the fridge, everyone must be in agreement.

As you have probably heard and know already, to get results when training your dog consistency is key. In every household it’s not uncommon for there to be some variance in approach between family members. It can be useful to set boundaries for the whole family, such as not approaching the dog when they are eating or sleeping, after all, the most important thing for the household right now is to minimise any future incidents.

 So, now we know what resource guarding is, where it comes from and what not to do. It’s time to discuss what you can actually do, this assumes there are no young children in the household, as levels of unpredictability are far too high!

5. Positive outcome – the basic principles.

Treating resource guarding is a gradual process, and it really is quite simple. Just make sure you don’t give your dog anything they value too highly, start easy!

Avoid anything long lasting like Kongs or a chew (bless me), don’t feed your dog when the kitchen is busy and don’t approach your dog when they are eating. Have some treats at the ready in a pouch that are slightly more enjoyable than kibble, but not too high value.

·       Put a handful of kibble in a bowl and set it down for your dog, if safe to do so.

·       At a distance where your dog does not growl, freeze or rush their food throw a treat into the bowl, it’s okay if you miss (your partner may judge you, but your dog won’t!).

·       If it’s breakfast time or teatime and your dog is eating, you can throw more treats from a safe distance to signify that you give the food, you don’t take it! Taking care not to move around too suddenly or too close.

·       You may find your dog looks toward you more and more, this is great, throw a treat when they do this.

You have now learnt the basics of how to treat this very problematic behaviour!

Any comments, queries (or kibble) send them over to contact@dhbehaviour.co.uk