05/07/2026
Resource Guarding is one of the most common reasons I am contacted. Most humans unintentionally make it worse by trying to show the dog who is boss rather than addressing the underlying need the dog has to protect their resource (whether it's food, a toy or the human). Just because this is actually a pretty common and typical behavior, it doesn't mean it shouldn't be addressed as it is a safety issue.
Dogs can show aggressive behaviour when protecting items they percieve as valuable, but please understand....
Your dog is not trying to show you who's boss" that idea is outdated and scientifically incorrect. Resource guarding is a NORMAL, species-typical behaviour [1]. Animals that protected vital resources were more likely to survive, and that history is part of your dog's biological make-up.
On top of that, resource guarding can be unintentionally reinforced every time the behaviour produces an outcome the dog seeks. When a dog growls as a communication signal and the person moves away, the behaviour has been successful, so it gets repeated. That's associative learning, not a character flaw [2].
For some dogs, anxiety or insecurity around losing access to something important adds fuel to the fire, though this varies from dog to dog. Not every dog that guards is anxious (many have a well-practised behaviour that reliably works for them), but where fear or insecurity is part of the picture, it shapes how you need to approach it.
It's NOT dominance!!
If you are sitting down to your favourite meal and someone reaches across and puts their hand in your plate, or tries to take your food, you are going to object. Does that mean you are trying to dominate them? Of course not. You are protecting something you value which is a completely normal response for any species.
And if that same person offered you something you wanted more (a hundred dollars, your favourite bottle of wine) you would probably hand it over without a second thought. Dogs work in a similar way.
Resource guarding does not always look dramatic. Dogs communicate in layers, and the early signals are easy to miss. You might notice your dog eating faster the moment you approach, going very still and tense, hovering over the item, or positioning themselves between you and whatever they have. A hard stare, stiff body, flattened ears, or a tucked tail are all part of that communication too.
These signals tend to follow a pattern. Early on, you might notice nothing more than your dog going still or eating faster as you approach, easy to miss, and easy to dismiss. From there, signals become clearer… a lowered head, ears back, body stiffening, hovering over the item. It's only when those signals are repeatedly missed or ignored that a dog moves into an overt threat display (hard stare, growling, lip lift) and eventually, if nothing changes, into snapping or biting. The escalation is not sudden. It builds, and the earlier you notice it, the more options you have. See the infographic above for a visual breakdown of the four escalation stages.
This is also why children and regular visitors add an extra layer of risk. They are often less able to read those early, subtle signals, which means a dog can go from low-level guarding to a bite with very little warning from a human perspective.
Punishment makes it worse!
Using force or punishment to address resource guarding tends to make things worse and does not ‘correct’ the behaviour you think you are teaching [3].
It increases anxiety and can escalate the behaviour. There's also a more specific problem with correction and intimidation-based methods… punishment can cause a dog to learn that growling is not safe, so they stop doing it. That sounds like progress, but it's not. The underlying emotional response is still there. The warning communication has just been suppressed [3]. Next time someone approaches, there may be no growl, no warning signal, and no opportunity to move away before a bite happens.
Practical Tips…
First, managing the environment to reduce opportunities for the guarding behaviour to be practised while training is underway, because a behaviour that keeps being repeated keeps getting stronger [2].
Second, using systematic desensitisation (gradual, below-threshold exposure) paired with counter-conditioning to change how the dog feels about people approaching their resources, not just what they do [4].
Teaching a reliable, rewarded trade is a good training tool in this process, as well as dropping a treat on the floor towards the dog every time you walk past to begin building a positive association with your presence. Over time the dog learns that someone approaching does not mean threat or loss, it becomes a predictor that something good is coming.
If you have a puppy, resource guarding is much easier to prevent than to address later. Teaching a young dog early that a person approaching while they have something good always predicts something even better, and is an easy habit to build from day one.
Walk past your puppy while they have something valuable and drop a high-value treat near them without stopping or reaching for what they have. Over time, your puppy learns that people approaching means good things happen, not that something valuable is about to be taken away [1].
If resource guarding is something you are dealing with, especially if there are children in the home, I would strongly recommend working with a qualified behaviourist or force-free training professional in your area. 🐾
[1] Donaldson, J. (2002). Mine! A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs.
[2] Pryor, K. (1984). Don't Shoot the Dog.
[3] Herron, M.E., Shofer, F.S., & Reisner, I.R. (2009). Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in client-owned dogs showing undesired behaviours. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 4(2), 47–54.
[4] Overall, K.L. (1997). Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Small Animals.
