Content Warning / Educational Disclaimer: This article post contains sensitive topics and reflects Open College UK Limited’s opinions for informational purposes only.

How to stop the issue developing!

As a dog owner, you would have come to have learnt that dogs are cheeky little rascals when it comes to possession of objects or possessiveness over objects. Understandably, a dog can’t think like a human, so when it grabs hold of something, it’s theirs, NOT yours, commonly called their find. So, when they find something, it’s their snatch, their reward and if you try to suddenly and abruptly grab it off them, that’s when you can get bitten.

For example, if you were walking your dog and see a chicken bone and they go for it and you grab it from them first. They will see that as a threat and bite you as an automatic reflex response. And again, that’s understandable, especially if you understand their canine mind, you will accept this response. That’s one thing you don’t do. But it would be something you would have to do because chicken bones dropped in the street carelessly can result in some type of harm or even veterinarian visits if they splinter and cause internal damage, so setting the scene, a certain level of control and possessiveness on the dog’s part is acceptable and you’ll never be able to change that.

Canine resource guarding is a well-known and common canine behaviour that often frustrates and stresses the hell out of dog owners as it is seen as nasty behaviour and occurs when a dog becomes possessive over an object that they value, which can be toys, food or even a particular space or location in your home. It could be directly under the dinner table where you place your feet. When you sit down to eat. For some reason, that space may become valuable and important to them and the dog takes ownership of that space, even though they’ve got a plush comfy bed elsewhere.

And as you may know, dogs may have five different spaces they move around in throughout the night. But in that particular space under the table might be borne out of the fact that, that’s where you drop crumbs or that’s where your hand comes down and offers them bits of food whilst you’re eating your dinner. You know the story, you have done it and so unknowingly without you realising it you have reinforced their need to be in that space and take ownership of that space over you. A dog can’t think when the next titbits come in or when the next bit of food that you might accidentally drop on the floor is coming, it just knows that, that’s where little treats magically and suddenly appear, so things like this can grow out of nothing because there is nowhere else where treats suddenly appear to them like under the dinner table and that becomes the space to receive these little gems and you caused it.

Many dogs will show some degree or mild signs of possessiveness and ownership over a toy, especially if it’s been taken off them either by another dog, a child or an adult unintentionally, of course and that provides the dog with a rush to get it back and repetition of that event will lead to possessiveness, which can involve the usual growling, snarling, snapping or lunging at someone. If someone attempts or approaches, especially with a hand, to take it off them, because that’s theirs, and it’s NOT yours.

Understanding and recognising the first stage or warning signs and help manage this important step for all dog owners especially if you have children around. Children are notorious for taking and picking things up that in effect don’t belong to them and may be perceived as being owned by the dog and again, dog owners don’t see or know why they or their child may have been hurt or bitten by their dog. Canine logic is completely different to human logic. There is almost method in the canine madness, for example, being bitten is acceptable in the canine world, but not acceptable in the adult world. And it’s the adult that doesn’t understand this.

It’s important to understand that dogs are naturally weird. Yes, naturally weird and naturally wired also to protect and guard against others taking their resources because that ensures their survival is stable, even biologically and instinctively. They act upon this because in the world, this exact ownership, possessiveness and behaviour help them secure and bury food or hide food. And that’s where digging in the garden comes from, they’re acting upon their evolutionary need to bury food, bury bones and they can’t tell the difference between having a toy, having a bone, burying a bone and just leaving a toy on the floor, it’s the same thing, its theirs.

They can’t see the difference between when or why they buried their bone or they left it out exposed or they played with their toy, or they left the toy or they hid the toy or they buried the toy. It’s all the same thing. It’s all ties in with the same ritual of survival because it’s a valuable asset, connected to shelter, security, food and survival. And this takes place mainly in domestic settings. A toy to a dog is still like a bone full of meat and fat. And it will do everything to fight for it, especially if you or a child or another dog, keeps taking it from them.

And that’s a big contributor in the development of this possessiveness. And once you understand it, you won’t be so irritated or angered or upset by it. It’s essential that you understand it. There is a drive running in the background keeping this in place because it helps them survive. They don’t have a language structure like humans, they have drives and instincts that they operate from.

These behaviours and instincts don’t disappear, it just adapts over time. Through habit or repetition or previous experiences of feeling threatened especially by another dog that lives in the same house with you or even a child putting their hand near the food or toy, they become very possessive and engage in a practise called bowl guarding or food guarding and in anything that approaches whilst they’re eating, can involve freezing and then whale eye which is looking out of the eye from the sides, holding a still frozen position, growling and warning you to back off before the actual bite and this needs to be managed before it escalates into aggressive incidents that put people in A&E.

Recognising the signs!

How do we recognise the signs of resource guarding especially in an early pup?

You must pay attention, especially if you’ve got a puppy that’s doing it. By looking at the supple slight behaviours which are often overlooked and specifically indicates your dog’s discomfort or arousal when someone or something that’s approaching causes a reaction around their possessions. These common signs can include the usual growl, freeze, stare and then snarling these are the FIRST signs you must jump on straight away. They’re the preamble or the precursor for what comes next.

Snarling, growling, snapping or lunging, Stiff erect body and raised hackles all combined with that well known intense stare.

If approached too quickly and that includes your fault for not knowing.

The dog is warning you, it’s speaking a language. Their language is as rich and as profound as the human language, except it’s done through body language and movements. And if you can’t read that body language, then that’s on you for not learning or caring to learn, especially if something goes wrong. Resource guarding is real.

Once this has been activated in the dog, especially if it’s already in place to some level and you have not paid attention to this slow developing behaviour and any attempt to forcibly remove any type of object will increase the dog’s anxiety and reinforce and strengthen not only the guarding behaviour, but the gripping behaviour such as when you try to take a ball off a dog. When you want them to drop it whilst it’s still playing, it’s exhibiting ownership of that item.

And obviously in that scenario it’s combined with play. So, the threat is demoted, but half of the behaviour of ownership and possessiveness still shows itself without the comeback or the threat to you, because the dog knows that’s it’s a play scenario the same as two dogs play fighting. They’re fighting, they’re biting, they’re snarling and growling, but they know it’s play fighting because play fighting is part of their development and evolution.

Why does this canine guarding happen?

Within canine psychology and deep canine exploration. Studies have shown that there is a combination of genetics, early experiences and environmental factors from which resource guarding appears to stem from and as you may know, some breeds are notorious for it, whilst other breeds are more milder in their mannerisms and behaviour. But certain breeds can become instantly overprotective and possessive very quickly and develop that behaviour through reoccurring past experiences of the same.

To give you an example, a puppy that was underfed or was denied food or had to fight for its food, in a place or environment where it experienced and felt hunger (PAIN) can later on develop naturally, protectiveness and possessiveness over a food bowl, especially for when other dogs or puppies would come in to take that food. And it’s so simple once you can see it.

All dogs will have a readiness for food or bowl guarding. And will do it to some extent if someone approaches but previous experiences concretes that reaction. Once that is in place dogs that have had limited socialisation may become overly possessive or take too strong an ownership over toys, resting areas and food than they actually need to. And this can be particularly common with dogs that people have bought in to the home from rescue centres, adoption services or canine trusts. Without full history of the dog’s background or upbringing and in a sense, you really don’t know what you’re bringing into your house because you won’t see it until you see it.

Anxiety in a dog along with stress related issues. Experiences now combined with past experiences can lead a dog to feel some level of insecurity about their environment and lack of trust in those around and these types of dogs may guard their possessions as an offset or coping mechanism for the other insecurities they feel. Even a well-cared for and well-fed dog can engage in possessiveness and guarding of food if they feel or sense an approach is taking place to their valued items and in my opinion, humans are exactly the same. But obviously we go about it a different way, but if you think about it, at the end of the day, humans shoot others. People use weapons or even take lives. And when you put that into context, dogs are the same as us, we all possess and guard our inanimate objects and perhaps that’s worth thinking about before. We get upset and criticise our dog’s behaviour. Just look at our human behaviour, the human race behaviours is in many ways at times disgusting, so how dare we judge or criticise our dogs for doing things that are natural to them? Because of our ignorance we don’t understand why they do what they do and it can never be the dog’s fault, it’s always the dog owner or the dog handler who is responsible. You can’t argue with this once you understand it.

How can we reduce resource guarding?

I would say the number one thing is careful observation before patience and consistency in what you do and how you do it. So here are a few helpful tips that may be effective!

Instantly, it goes without saying, without any hesitation. Completely avoid all forms of confrontation, do not even think about taking an object away from a dog abruptly, because this will instantly increase fear and aggression and that aggression and fear and bite or snap will be proportional to its previous experiences. The two go hand in hand, every experience the dog experiences reinforces the need for the next one, which hasn’t happened yet.

With a bit of patience. You can sit down with your dog and instead of slowly putting your hand out to take the item away, which will produce as I’ve outlined said response, present the dog with a pleasing treat, a flavoursome treat and show the dog it’s there, make sure this treat is a high valued treat and as you offer it, gently reach out your hand to take the other item away and let them see it being taken. And if they growl, withdraw both hands including the treat and then repeat it. When the dog is settled, back down a bit and then just offer the treat. And the moment they let go of the other item and take the treat, that’s when you praise them and fuss them. This would be called to some extent positive reinforcement as you are rewarding your dog for voluntarily giving up the object or the toy.

Another one is gradual slow desensitisation where you slowly approach your dog while they are holding or possessing the object and offering gentle praise and slowly reaching in touching the dog and then touching their toy and touching both at the same time. And over time a desensitisation will take place so that the dog is no longer feeling a threat with your hands near its face or its teeth or its mouth or its objects or food. And touch the object and let it go and carry on stroking the dog and then gently taking it away. And the moment you see he doesn’t react, give him the treat and then praise him, excessively rewarding the dog for accepting that.

Start with a toy only first and don’t go near their food until you know you can. Always start with the toy first not food.

Alternatively!

You could drop all that and do what a professional canine psychologist or dog trainer might do. And that is to teach the dog to drop and leave it upon command. I won’t go into teaching and dropping commands in this article. But if you were to teach a dog to drop and leave items as part of the training and replacing the item that is being dropped or left with a treat of food then you’re training the dog upon command to leave, move away or drop the item that they possess. Some say this is the best place to start.

But I think the other is. But they all work, they all have their place, a combination of all of the things works and will have a positive outcome.

If you have several dogs in the household, it’s essential that you have feeding times in separate areas or different rooms. One outside, one inside, one in the garage, one in the shed, one in the kitchen, one in the hall. And I’ve always believed that a dog should enjoy their food in a relaxed way.

Eating food for a dog is so important. If you really care for your dog, you’ll do this. Keep your feeding dog separate till they’re completely finished. Worst thing you can do is have a dog golloping its food down because it feels fear, anxiety and stress because it’s aware another dog might take it and that’s not fair to the dog. You try eating your food in a state of anxiety, stress, worry and nervousness and try eating it really fast to see what it feels like. That’s just my view.

You should never punish a dog with human levels of punishment. Shouting, aggression or hurting, such as physical punishing, grabbing, pulling, scolding, shouting, screaming will only worsen the guarding behaviour and destroy the trust between dog and owner.

When to get professional help?

If all else fails and your dog training attempts don’t work and your home and occupants are at serious risk of biting or aggression from the dog. You must consult a dog trainer or a qualified behaviourist.

Dogs feel safe when they FEEL safe. So, make them feel safe. Not threatened, not scared and not possessive so build trust and gentleness and become an expert briber and bribe your dog with food. Gently and slowly reinforce the positivity into the negative and you will get results.

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