05/02/2026
Resource guarding isnāt about your dog trying to ābe dominant.ā
Itās about emotion, fear, and value.
This post does a great job explaining it and how we can prevent itādefinitely worth the read š
I think itās really important to talk about how we describe and approach behaviours like this.
I saw a post earlier about a young adolescent dog being described as ādemanding all the resourcesā
and in many cases, whatās actually being described is resource guarding.
Resource guarding is when a dog feels the need to protect something they value, such as, food or chews, toys, a bed or resting spot, a person, or space
It can look like, hovering or controlling access, freezing or going stiff when approached, taking things and running off, growling or snapping
From an educated trainers perspective, this isnāt about dominance or a dog trying to be in charge.
Itās usually rooted in,
āŖļø Anxiety about losing something
ā¢ Not feeling safe around their resources
ā¢ Normal behaviour (especially in puppies and adolescents)
So when a dog is guarding, theyāre not being ādifficultā, theyāre communicating:
āIām worried this will be taken from me.ā
This is also why itās so important that we listen to the early warning signs, especially the growl.
A growl is not ābad behaviourā, itās communication. Itās the dog giving us a chance to back off and change what weāre doing.
When we introduce things like āpsychological pressureā, using body language, space, or intimidation to control the dog, we risk doing the opposite of what we want.
Instead of teaching the dog theyāre safe, it can:
ā¢ Increase anxiety around their resources
ā¢ Make them feel the need to guard more strongly
ā¢ Suppress warning signals like growling
And when those warnings are shut down, we donāt fix the problem, we remove the safety signal.
Thatās how you can end up with dogs who:
ā¢ Stop growling
ā¢ Seem āfineāā¦ until theyāre not
ā¢ Go straight to snapping or biting without warning
Thatās what people often mean when they say a dog ābit out of nowhereā, but in reality, the communication was just suppressed.
Thatās why approaches that rely on punishment, pressure, or making behaviour āunacceptableā can be so risky. They may stop the behaviour in the moment, but they donāt change how the dog feels , and can actually increase anxiety.
When we focus on changing the emotion, we get safer, more lasting behaviour change.
A positive approach looks like:
ā¢ Building trust around resources
ā¢ Teaching that people approaching = good things happen
ā¢ Trading instead of taking
ā¢ Reinforcing calm, relaxed behaviour
Resource guarding isnāt a dog being ābadā, itās information.
And when we listen to that information, we can support the dog in feeling safe, rather than just trying to stop the behaviour.
