Resource guarding in dogs: how to keep everyone safe

Resource guarding is a natural behaviour that has helped dogs survive for thousands of years. And it’s not just dogs that show this behaviour – most animals (including us) can feel the need to protect things that are important to them.  

When resources are scarce, protecting what you have can be the difference between surviving and not.  

Although resource guarding is natural, not all dogs will show this behaviour. For those that do, their response is likely to be influenced by:

• individual preferences – like guarding specific toys, chews or food
• hormones – some females can guard toys during real or phantom pregnancies
• their current needs – for example, only guarding food when hungry
• how much of the resource is available
• how threatened they feel – this may be related to previous experiences.    

Resource guarding was once misunderstood as a dog being ‘dominant’. Research has since shown this theory is wrong.

Guarding can develop for several reasons, including:

Fear – The main reason for guarding is fear of losing valuable items. Repeatedly taking things away from your dog or telling them off for guarding is likely to increase their anxiety about losing things. This could make them feel the need to protect those valuable things even more.

Competition for resources – The stress of competing for resources can make dogs more likely to protect these resources. For example, a puppy that’s repeatedly pushed off their food bowl by another dog might learn to protect their bowl in future.  

Availability of resources – If a valued resource is scarce or access has been inconsistent, your dog could feel anxious about sharing it or fear it being removed.  

Past success – If guarding behaviours have worked to keep items in the past, your dog is more likely to use them again in future. The more they practise a guarding response, the more of a habit the behaviour can become.  

Stress – Like us, our dogs’ ability to cope with stress varies. When stressors happen close together, even a naturally resilient dog can be overwhelmed. We call this trigger stacking. If a dog is trigger stacked when they have a prized resource, they may be more likely to guard it.

Dogs can become over-aroused when their senses or emotions are more than they can cope with. For example, when they feel very excited, frustrated, stressed, or when lots of stimulating things are happening at the same time.  

Overstimulated dogs can struggle to control their behaviour or think clearly. They might also be unsure how to share resources with others.

Dogs can feel frustrated if they can’t do or have something they want. Taking something from them can cause frustration, and they might use aggressive behaviour to keep hold of it. If this works, they’re likely to try this approach again in future, which could lead to guarding behaviours becoming a habit.

There are strong links between dogs resource guarding and them being in pain, feeling unwell, and having conditions that affect their metabolism.  

Take your dog to your vet if they start to show signs of protecting things.  

Dogs with underlying medical problems might feel less able to protect their resources or that competing for resources will cause them more pain. This could lead them to use aggressive behaviours sooner as a form of defence.  

Medical conditions and medications that affect hunger levels can also increase the likelihood of food guarding.

Dogs that guard food or treats might show behaviours like growling, stiffening, snapping and biting around:

• their food bowl
• dropped food
• food they find on the ground (even if we don’t think it’s food)
• discarded food wrappers  
• their chews or treats.

Here are some helpful management tips: 

Mealtimes – Choose a ‘waiting area’ for your dog while you prepare their food. This should be different to their eating area so you can put their bowl down safely.

Feed your dog where they can be left alone and not interrupted by passersby. Make sure everyone knows where, and when, your dog eats – putting signs on doors can help.

When your dog is finished, call them into another room before closing the door or gate behind them. Remove the bowl and check for hidden food if your dog does this.

Treats and Chews – Avoid giving your dog chews, especially long-lasting chews, in busy areas of your home. You may prefer not to give long-lasting chews while you wait for behaviourist support.  

If you do give treats, count how many you give your dog. Watch to make sure they’ve eaten all of them. If treats are hidden for later, they might be guarded later too.

Out and about – Scan the area as you walk. If you see something your dog might guard, cross the road, turn around or move far enough away that your dog can’t pick it up.  

Consider training your dog to wear a muzzle so they can’t pick up things they might guard.

Dogs might guard toys or objects because they value the item or love what happens after they get it. For example, the fun of being chased to get the item back.  

Put anything your dog guards somewhere out of reach while you work on how they feel with the support of a behaviourist.  

Some dogs learn to guard items by swallowing them. This is usually the result of repeatedly having things taken from them. This can be very dangerous, especially if they have an object like a battery or stone. In emergencies like this, you can try:

• throwing a handful of tasty treats away from you and your dog
• use a word like ‘yummy!’ as you throw the food
• as your dog moves to the treats, throw or place a pile of treats even further away
• repeat the step above until you can safely retrieve the item (you may need your dog behind a closed door or baby gate to do this).

Teaching your dog to ‘leave’ is a useful skill that teaches them to ignore whatever has their attention. If your dog already guards resources, we recommend that this be taught with the support of a qualified professional.

Some dogs worry about losing access to their favourite rest spots. This might be their favourite bed, the comfiest armchair, their crate or the thick rug in front of the fire.  

This might look like:

• using their body to block others from getting to their favourite armchair
• growling at those already using their rest spot or settling near it
• refusing to move from where they’re settled
• barking and growling at others passing their bed
• darting back to their favourite spot and jumping into it if another dog, person or animal move towards it. They may growl or bark as they do so.

While it’s important your dog has a comfy place to relax, it’s also important that everyone is safe. Here are some tips that can help:  

Use physical barriers – Closed doors, baby gates and puppy pens are all great options to keep your dog from something they might guard. Be aware that completely stopping access to these areas could cause frustration-related behaviours.  

Create buffer zones – A ‘buffer zone’ is a physical barrier, like an unfolded puppy pen, that fences off your dog’s preferred rest spot. This will keep any perceived threat away, so they can relax rather than be on guard.  

Manage access – Keep your dog on their lead when preferred rest spots are likely to be taken. For example, if visitors come. Another option is to encourage your dog into a different room with some enrichment to keep them busy while their preferred space is in use.

Be consistent – If you decide your dog isn’t allowed on the sofa, make sure you stay consistent. Clear boundaries help them to learn – stick your ground rules on the fridge so everybody knows them.

Offer an alternative – Create a safe space that your dog can rest in undisturbed. Some dogs will feel more relaxed if this is in a quiet place. Other dogs may be keen to stay with their family or medical problems might mean they prefer not to move too far.

Some dogs can become protective of specific people, often their owners. They might growl, lunge, bark or jump up at anyone who approaches their owner.  

Although guarding people can sometimes feel like a different issue, the motivations and risks of aggressive behaviours are the same as any other type of resource guarding.  

If the behaviour they use to ‘protect’ their special human works, they’re likely to do the same in future.  

Some things you can try:

• avoid situations where your dog may guard people
• politely say no to strangers who want to treat or pet your dog
• reward your dog for being calm around other people
• use management strategies like greeting friends when your dog is out of sight or behind a physical barrier.

Dogs often display resource guarding behaviours towards other dogs, even if they don’t to humans. This can be challenging and sometimes embarrassing.  

It’s possible that someone who owns only one dog may not realise their dog has the potential to guard resources until they find themselves in the situation for the first time.  

Conflict over resources could happen for the following reasons:

• real or perceived competition for resources like attention, food, chews, toys, mating opportunities and rest spaces
• real or phantom pregnancies can cause females to guard toys
• frustration at not being able to get to a valued resource or if another dog has it
• overarousal affecting their ability to control themselves or their ability to think clearly
• reduced ability to cope because of pain, illness or trigger-stacking.

Because the value of a resource varies between individuals, it’s common for dogs that live together to establish ‘rules’ they live by. For example, if one dog loves food and the other loves toys, there can be a common understanding not to take the preferred resource from the other dog.

Dogs who live together might behave differently to protect resources than they would with unfamiliar dogs. Instead of aggressive behaviours, they might:

• create a distraction like barking at the door – when the other dog goes to investigate, they jump into the recently vacated rest space
• use play to move the other dog away from a valued item.

You can try:

• making sure items that could be guarded are put away and not within reach of the dogs
• creating a safe space for each dog to retreat to and remain undisturbed
• separating dogs into different rooms or behind barriers before feeding or giving enrichment
• supervising dogs so you can separate them if you notice signs of worry
• providing regular breaks during play so your dogs calm down.

If your dog uses aggressive behaviours to protect resources, they’re not being ‘mean’, ‘jealous’ or ‘dominant’. They’re probably trying to tell you that they’re struggling with visitors or children.

We know how stressful it can be when your dog behaves like this. You’re not alone, we’re here to help.  

If you need some free advice, or just someone to talk things through, call our free Behaviour Support Line today.

To keep everyone safe:

Avoid interactions – This is a short-term solution, but the safest one. Keep your dog apart from visitors or children while you seek professional support.

You can do this by:

• limiting the number of visitors to your home
• using physical barriers to keep your dog separated
• making sure visitors and children know not to approach or interact with your dog
• always actively supervising children and dogs
• following our advice to help dogs and children live happily together
• reading our tips for managing aggression towards visitors.

Clear the decks – Remove all items your dog might guard. Make sure the whole household knows this is a strict rule. For example, no food to be eaten in the living room. This reduces the risk of someone forgetting a plate or crumbs being dropped.

Create a safe space – In this context, the safe space should be in a quiet part of your home and comfy enough that your dog can fully relax, undisturbed. Your dog can choose to enjoy resources in their safe space, away from visitors or children. They might need help to cope alone at first.

Understand your dog’s body language – If you can see when your dog needs space, you’ll be able to act quickly to support them and keep everyone safe. Test your knowledge with our dog behaviour quiz so you can spot the signs quickly.

Yes, resource guarding is a normal and instinctive response to the fear of losing a valued resource. And it’s not just a behaviour we see in dogs - you might have felt this way yourself when someone’s tried to steal food from your plate.  

While the behaviour is normal and instinctive, it can still be challenging to live with. Explore this page for more information.

Resource guarding isn’t a behaviour that dogs grow out of. This is partly because the behaviour is a normal, instinctive response that helps dogs (and other animals) survive.  

There’s also a strong link between resource guarding and underlying medical conditions.  

We know that asking for help can be daunting, but with the right support, this behaviour can get better.

- Take your dog to the vet for a health check – this is especially important if the behaviour is new

- Speak to our friendly Behaviour Support Line team for free, qualified advice, and help with what to do next  

- Remember that support is important for both ends of the lead. Find out more about owner support.

Yes, puppies can show resource guarding behaviours. The behaviour is an instinctive survival response.

The good news is that puppyhood is the perfect time to teach your pooch that others approaching things they value is nothing to worry about. You can do this by consistently swapping items. For example, every time you take something from your pup, exchange it for something of the same or greater value.

If your puppy shows guarding behaviours, it’s still important to rule out any underlying medical problems with your vet.

Growls are a normal way for a dog to ask for space. If your dog growls when you approach something they value, stop and move away.  

If the item isn’t harmful or precious, wait for your dog to finish with it. If it’s harmful or precious, call your dog away, or create a distraction, like knocking on the door. Reward your dog for moving away from the item and use a physical barrier, like a door or baby gate, to keep you safe while picking it up.

Growls act as a warning system, so it’s important to never tell off a growling dog. While your dog might learn not to growl if they’re told off, how they feel about you approaching things they value won’t have changed. This limits your dog’s choices and means they may escalate to using aggressive behaviours like biting to get the space they need.  

If your dog is guarding resources, please don’t try to carry on without support. We understand that asking for help can be scary, but it’s important that both you and your dog get the right support.  

Take your dog to the vet to rule out underlying medical problems, and call our friendly Behaviour Support Line team for advice.

Resource guarding stems from a fear of losing something your dog values. If you take items from your dog, their worry is proved right. This may leave your dog feeling like they’ve no option but to use aggressive behaviours to protect the item or get it back.

It’s far better to exchange items. For example, throwing a tasty treat away from the item they’re guarding so you can safely pick it up.

Try not to tell your dog off if they’re guarding something. Your dog is probably feeling worried, so telling them off is likely to strengthen that feeling. This could make the situation worse, or strengthen their worries about you approaching things they value.

Every time your dog uses aggressive behaviours when resource guarding, and it works, they’re more likely to behave this way in the future. If the success of this response is repeated, these behaviours are more likely to become their ‘go-to’ response when guarding.