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Solving Resource Guarding Problems

Resource guarding is one of the more common forms of dog aggression. It occurs when a dog threatens those around him to protect items that he is unwilling to share. Conflicts often surface over toys, food, and people.

Any dog can end up with a resource guarding problem. It typically begins in puppy-hood if the puppy is not properly socialized. Dogs that are allowed to eat alone without interference, to play tug of war and win to keep their toys, and that do not have regular and friendly interaction with other dogs are at risk. They are at risk because they haven’t learned how to interact appropriately.

Typical resources include food, toys, and people. Dogs may also grow attached to areas - such as a favorite resting spot - or even random items. Anything that a dog values and feels he can lose is a potential resource to guard. A dog that is indifferent to his dog food is unlikely to protect it. But add steak to the bowl and he might bite your hand off for coming too close.

Resource guarding is reinforced when people and other dogs back off as a result of the growling behavior. It is also reinforced when people leave the dog alone to eat, regardless of whether he has had to growl in order to cause people to leave. The old pieces of advice to leave the dog alone because he’s eating or to keep the kids away from the dog’s toys are good ways to avoid the conflict (and to manage it once the dog has become a guarder), but they are not the best way to raise a dog.

So how can this behavior be cured? Well, the best approach is to start early and prevent it from becoming an issue. When you bring your puppy into your home, make a point of hand feeding him his kibble at the beginning (in addition to kibble that’s mixed in to his Kong toy). Interact with him around his food bowl when he is eating. Pet his head, neck, back, and rear. Move your hand in by the food bowl and drop treats in. The important point is that he should become accustomed to (and maybe even enjoy) attention while he’s eating.

When a puppy has a toy, train him to drop it in exchange for a treat. Trade him toys, giving him another toy he likes in exchange for him giving you the one he has. Don’t tease him with toys - instead make it fun for him to hand over his favorite items. Make giving up resources a way for him to get treats and attention. If you have a dog that has already begun to resource guard, the most important thing to do is to remove the resource that he is guarding. When he is away, gather up the food, toys, or other items that get him going. Operate on the out of sight, out of mind principle.

Rank his toys from least liked to favorite. Give him the least liked toy to play with. Let him have that one for a week. At the end of the week, offer him a trade - the least liked toy for another toy that he likes more. Continue to offer him better toys, expecting him to trade what he has for a better opportunity. Once you move into the territory of the valued toys, spend time trading him treats for toys. Make it a positive association every time he gives up a toy. If you discover toys that he is unwilling to give up, then gather those up when he is away and put them away for good.

Curing food issues is trickier, but achievable. If he has typically had food available all the time, change that. Establish mealtimes so that he will eat only when you present him with food. Measure out the amount of food he should have and keep it in a ziplock bag. From there you can try a variety of approaches, including feeding him by hand, putting a few kibbles a time in his bowl (so that he looks at you wanting you to take the bowl and put more food in), and requiring him to follow an obedience cue prior to getting a food reward.

Brush up on your leadership skills and make sure that he isn’t getting treats and food for free. The key is to make him do something that you want in order to get the food he wants. By pairing the resources he has guarded with a) positive associations for giving them up and b) obedience actions before rewards, you will show your dog that it is fun to give up the resources because he gets something better back and that he has to give up the resources because you are in charge.

Fight for Food

The book has no illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher’’s website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Publisher: Philadelphia, J. B. Lippincott; Subjects: Food; Food adulteration and inspection;
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