07/07/2025
Living in a multi dog household with a dog who resource guards against other dogs can be stressful and challenging. Particularly when the behavior stems from a genetic tendency toward guarding.
Fortunately there is hope, no matter whether your dog’s resource guarding is purely a learned behavior or has a genetic influence!
Of course supervision and management will always be critical to ensure safety, but dogs can in fact learn to regulate big feelings and make better choices.
When Ilsa first came home, Kira wandering anywhere near an item of value could trigger a fight. Now, Ilsa will calmly place herself by a food item and largely allow Kira to move about freely. Ilsa will even choose to take a food project to the dog bed (designated location for food related activities) when Kira is laying less than a foot away!
Just today, when Kira came into the room, Ilsa made the choice to create distance by picking up the food project she was saving for later and taking it to the dog bed. She then layed there so unbothered by Kira’s presence that the food towel became a pillow 😆 (Note: never give food towels to any dog unsupervised)
Now would I expect her to be so comfortable with a resource around a different dog? No.
I never assume safety around a food item. Not even with Kira. That does mean I will always be supervising and managing dogs and resources; however, it also means I will have plenty of opportunity to build Ilsa’s trust in me.
Ilsa being confident I will be there for her and take action before she feels the need to assert herself will help us in other contexts too, as a solid partnership based on trust is key for any true behavior change. Taking action could be calling Kira to me, physically guiding Kira around/away from Ilsa’s bubble, or simply standing between the dogs (although Ilsa has improved so much that it’s now more of standing on/over her). Ilsa is often even content to simply see me place an item she is not actively working on somewhere safely out of Kira’s reach.
She is much more tolerant of cats scavenging the kibble and crumb trail she leaves with food dispensing toys as well, which I have never bothered to actively work on as even my 15 year old cat is quick and clever enough to safely avoid being caught.
If you are also living with a resource guarder, whether against other pets or people, help is available! The road ahead can be a lot smoother and your household more peaceful.
