Resource Guarding
Have you seen the viral videos of dogs resource guarding seemingly random objects in the home? They get loads of cheap likes and comments on YouTube, Instagram and Tik Tok. People say things like: “Awww what a cute angry guy” or “That Maltese is Alpha AF”.
These videos are watched by millions, but if you watch closely there is fascinating behaviour going on that has it’s roots in survival.
Access to resources like food, water, and space is essential to survival for not only dogs, but people, elephants and clown fish. It's hardwired into the animal kingdom to protect the things we need to survive.
So, what is resource guarding?
It’s when a dog seeks to control access to something of perceived value such as food, toys, locations, people; it can be anything. The first thing to note is that resource guarding is not a ‘bad’ or maladaptive behaviour; it’s part of a dog’s natural instinct to survive. And it comes in different forms.
Let’s say your dog has found an old bone in the yard. You try to take it so he doesn’t swallow it - but are confronted with a row of sharp teeth and a head turn.
Or, perhaps you come home from work and go to sit next to your dog on the couch; suddenly you are on the receiving end of a hard stare and a low growl.
Resource guarding is also common amongst dogs. A dog may show aggression if another dog appears while they are eating dinner. Or they could even see you (people) as a valuable resource to be guarded from other dogs, especially if there is food or what the dog perceives to be a high value toy involved.
But should we be surprised by this behaviour? Not at all, because it’s a natural and instinctive.
Tony the Taker
Imagine you go out to an Italian restaurant with a mate from school. He’s a good friend, but sometimes gets on your nerves at times. You order your favourite pasta, and it tastes delicious with a glass of wine and garlic bread. As your mate tells you about the new car he just bought he says, “you don’t mind, do you?” Before you can answer, he grabs some of your garlic bread... You tense up and look at him as he reaches forward and takes a sip of your wine. “Bloody good wine,” he says. You frown at him and put your arms around your meal, as he continues to talk about his car. After a minute he looks at your pasta. As he starts to move his fork towards your plate, you flip and say “back off” as you push his hand away. He looks shocked by the reaction and everyone in the restaurant turns to look at you.
This may seem like a far-fetched example, and sure it anthropomorphises resource guarding behaviour. But, it helps us get some perspective - would you guard your pasta in this scenario?
What are the signs?
Our dogs are resource guarding resources they perceive to be valuable that are in their possession/control. Essentially, if the dog feels they are about to lose a thing they find valuable, then they display warning signals to remove the perceived threat, telling it to “back off”.
There are usually early signs of resource guarding that we can be aware of, such as:
Lowering their chin over a resource.
Clenching a resource with their front paws.
Stop eating food or chewing a toy suddenly, freezing mid-motion.
Running away with a resource.
Eating really fast.
If these low-level signs of discomfort are ignored, the dog may escalate to other behaviours such as growling, snapping and biting to get the message across.
So, what’s the consequence of these behaviours?
Well, if the threat backs off then the dog keeps the resource - It worked!
The more this is repeated, the more the behaviour will be reinforced and may escalate.
What could be the cause?
Well first let’s remember — resource guarding is a normal and natural dog behavior!
The intensity with which a dog guards their food, toys, or space can be affected by many things attributed to learned history, environmental factors, genetics and the dog’s internal state - so let’s talk about it.
Reinforcement history. A dog can learn that guarding items or food is needed because of previous experience. Imagine you head towards your dog and you swiftly take away a prized chew toy - your dog may learn that next time they need to defend that resource. Let’s say next time you head towards them, the dog growls and in response you move away. Well hey-presto, the behaviour works and the dog will likely do it again.
Scarcity of resources: Having a lack of possessions in a previous home or in their litter could be a factor in increasing guarding behavior. This can be seen with runts who may have been sidelined while the rest of the litter got fed. We may also see an increase in guarding behaviour with dogs who have been neglected in a previous home.
Genetics: A dog's breed may have encouraged a predisposition for increased guarding behavior. For example, Cocker Spaniels and Golden Retrievers have been known to get bit possessive over the odd sock or pig’s ear from time to time.
Environmental stress: When a dog is feeling stressed, resource guarding may increase. This stress could relate to new dogs in the house, fireworks, changes in routine, moving to a new house, lack of stimulation or a combination of these factors. Heightened stress can impact the dogs ability to regulate serotonin.
Inherent value: Food often has the highest inherent value, as food is necessary for survival. But every dog is different in what they find inherently valuable, so it may relate to space, people or special toys.
Perceived value: This can occur if we make a big deal out of our dog stealing something. This could be things like dirty old socks that we chase them down for and pull out of their mouth. Novel items can be valuable, particularly if we are reinforcing them for stealing these items by chasing them around to get them back.
Biological fulfillment: If we are not helping our dogs to meet their needs through mental stimulation, exercise or enrichment every day, then they may take to guarding items that they see as valuable which can help to meet these needs.
Underlying medical issues: Pain or physical discomfort can cause an increase in the frequency or intensity of aggressive behaviours. Be sure to have your veterinarian complete a physical exam to rule out medical issues if you are seeing unexplainable changes in your dog’s behaviour.
Modifying Resource Guarding Behaviour
When treating resource guarding, we first need to remember that it’s a normal behaviour; all dogs have potential to resource guard. Resource guarding starts out mild in most cases, but usually gets worse as the dog is confronted.
The best way to address this is through prevention, management and supervision by understanding your dog’s triggers. The method used will vary depending on the severity and frequency of the behaviour.
“Classical conditioning refers to learning that occurs when a neutral stimulus (e.g, a visual cue) becomes associated with a stimulus (e.g., treats) that naturally produces a behaviour. After the association is learned, the previously neutral stimulus is sufficient to produce the behaviour.”
Every dog is an individual and the dynamics of resource guarding can be complicated. If you are seeing extreme resource guarding in your home where you or loved ones are at risk, contact a behaviorist or progressive trainer who understands how to use classical conditioning. If on the other hand your dog is threatening but not necessarily dangerous, conservatively follow the steps outlined below.
STEP ONE: Be an expert in observation and write down what items or things your dog is guarding. You can go one step further by observing what behaviour you are seeing and at what distance. Here’s an example:
Items: Chew toy, Kong, little pig toy.
Behaviour & Distance: The dog initially stops chewing and freezes if I get within 3 meters of him while he is chewing on the pig toy. If I move within ~2meters, his body tenses, he stands over the item and holds paws over it. If I proceed any closer, he low growls.
STEP TWO: Find something of a higher value than the thing he guards. Often Prime 100, cheese, chicken or ham is good, but it depends on your dog’s preference. In some cases, a tug toy or flirt pole may be higher value. Food is ideal because it is portable, enabling you to do lots of repetition.
STEP THREE: Stocked with lots of reinforcement (high value rewards), set up a low stakes situation where your dog may guard an item. That is, a situation that you can control in a low-distraction environment. Leave your dog with the resource, and then enter the room and stop well outside the reaction zone. Toss a reward towards the dog, wait a few seconds, and then toss a treat away from the resource. Your dog will then make a decision to stay with the resource, or will they leave and take the treat. Note: Always ensure your dog is outside the reaction zone when throwing the treat, it may be 5 meters to start with.
STEP FOUR: Do not move forward or advance to the resource in the first session. Your dog should have complete choice and agency to go between the treats thrown and the resource. This signals to your dog that you are not a threat and you are not trying to take their resource.
STEP FIVE: In subsequent days and sessions, gradually, decrease the distance between you and the resource. Be conservative with this and carefully watch your dog’s body language to ensure they have a soft body posture (ie. relaxed eyes and face, soft tail). The idea is that we are changing your dog’s emotional response from: “Oh shit, my toy is going to be taken away” to “Brilliant, when old mate comes over to me while chewing the toy, good stuff happens and no one is taking anything - Bonus!”
STEP SIX: Keep practicing, gradually decreasing the distance further ensuring your dog maintains a soft body posture throughout. Ideally you should be able to walk past or close to your dog with the resource without them reacting. This leads to less stress for your dog and helps support a healthy and strong bond between you and your dog. If done correctly, your dog should take delight when you move towards them with a valuable resource. Why? Because it means they are getting something heaps better in return and they can be secure in your presence. This is a skill that should be practiced and reinforced an ongoing basis.
The key is to gradually increase the intensity of exposure (ie. your distance from the resource) at levels your dog can tolerate. Start with low value items and become an expert in reading your dog’s body language; you don’t want to see anything more in signaling than stiffening of body, which is a sign that you are too close and you should practice from a greater distance.
Resource Guarding Between Dogs
Whilst managing resource guarding between dogs can follow a similar framework to that outlined above (for human-directed aggression), it’s likely more difficult as we need to prepare and manage two dogs with multiple variables within the training plan.
Management is the most pressing and important factor, particularly in the early stages!
Dogs that have shown food aggression towards other dogs should always be kept completely separate when it’s feeding time and be supervised together at other times.
If the dog is showing possessive aggression to another dog over toys, then toys should always be secured in a safe place when not in use, and playing with toys should be done separately.
For dogs who guard space, completely blocking access to these spots is recommended using baby gates, internal fences and back ties.
For dog to dog aggression, it is best to contact a behaviorist or progressive trainer who understands how to use classical conditioning and can best manage your home environment for success.