Illinois' Top Dog Training Academy

Resource Guarding

Food is a vital resource to your dog’s survival so it makes sense that some dogs develop a guarding behavior to protect their food. Your dog can display this behavior when dogs, people, or both approach their food. Not only can dogs guard food, but they can also guard toys, bones, and areas. Unfortunately just getting rid of some of these items won’t fix the problem.

This behavior occurs because dog’s need food to survive and this traces all the way back thousands of years ago before dog’s evolved from wolves. They had to hunt for their food and protect it because if not, then another animal would take it and they would eventually starve. Their survival depended on it, however now that we provide a consistent food source for the dog, this behavior is not so common in your average dog. We most often see this behavior with strays that are left outside to fend for themselves and they need to use this instinct to survive. Any dog can display resource guarding even if it was a puppy that was in a loving home for years.

So how can we stop this behavior? Resource guarding can be very dangerous for dogs and owners; even small dogs can cause a lot of damage. Seeking out a professional trainer is always going to be the best solution for this behavior since the consequences of not training can be severe. Dealing with resource guarding properly takes education and experience that most owners don’t have. Reach out to us at Seek if your dog is displaying resource guarding behavior. 

The sooner you address this behavior the better, since dogs learn through repetition. If your dog displays the guarding behavior and we move away which is our natural response, then the dog thinks that the behavior worked. Over time this will become the default response around feeding time and the behavior will usually get more severe meaning they will display the behavior at greater distances and risk biting. The behavior can also spread to other things like toys and areas. If the guarding behavior worked to get you to stay away from the food, then they learn it will get you to stay away from anything that is theirs or they don’t want you near.

If your dog begins to develop this behavior with food or you just want to prevent it to be safe, begin to hand feed your dog through training sessions. Having them work for their food is a great way to improve their relationship with you and improve communication skills. This doesn’t have to be super advanced training, it can be basics such as “sit” or “down” as long as they have to do a task before they get a portion of food. If you give your dog their meal in handfuls or pieces then there is nothing to guard. More importantly, it teaches your dog that resources come from us and there is no need to guard it.

If your dog is showing signs of resource guarding and you are unsure where to start, reach out to one of our professional trainers today. Give us a call at 913-214-2659 to begin a training plan to help extinguish this dangerous and stressful behavior so you can have a happier dog!

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