Resource Guarding in Dogs: 2025 Vet Guide by Dr Duncan Houston 🐶🛡️

Hello, I’m Dr Duncan Houston, BVSc. Resource guarding—when a dog tries to protect valued items like food, toys, spots, or even people—can be normal but dangerous. In 2025, the safest approach focuses on understanding your dog’s emotions and using reward‑based training.

🔍 What Is Resource Guarding?

It’s your dog using avoidance, stiff posture, lip‑licking, growling, snapping, or even biting to keep control of a prized possession. It’s rooted in fear, anxiety, or insecurity—not dominance.

🎯 Why Do Dogs Guard Resources?

• Survival instinct—valuables help them feel secure.
• Learned behavior—if guarding worked, they’ll repeat it.
• Underlying anxiety or medical issues—especially when it starts suddenly.

⚠️ Common Signals to Watch For

Always take subtle cues seriously before they escalate:

• Stiff body, pinned back ears, lip licking, avoiding eye contact
• Freezing in place, subtly moving between you and the item
• Overt warnings: growls, snarls, snaps, or bites

🩺 Veterinary Role & Health Checks

Your vet will thoroughly examine your dog to rule out medical causes—especially if guarding appears suddenly. In some cases, anti‑anxiety medications may support behavior changes.

🛠️ Management & Behavior Modification

Changing your dog’s motivations and emotions is the key—force and punishment only worsen the issue.

Environment & Management

• Use baby gates, crates, or exercise pens to separate during meals or toy time.
• Reduce clutter so you can better control situations.
• Track incidents: resource, context, signals—learning to identify problem patterns.
• Ensure daily exercise and enrichment to reduce stress.

Training Strategies

• "Drop it" or "Trade": teach your dog to exchange items for something even better.
• Relaxation & "Place" cue: encourage calm behavior in or away from guarded spots.
• Basket muzzle training: safely teach voluntary muzzle wearing to prevent bites when needed.

All family members must follow the same plan—consistency is essential. In severe, unmanageable cases, euthanasia may be considered as a last resort for everyone's safety.

🙅‍♀️ What NOT to Do

• No force or punishment: these escalate fear and aggression.
• No snatching items: this triggers defensive biting.

🍼 Preventing Guarding in Puppies

• Give plenty of toys, practice sharing games.
• Start teaching "drop it", "trade", and "leave it" early with treats and praise.
• Create a safe, comfortable retreat like a crate where your puppy can eat undisturbed.

📌 Take‑Home Tips

• Guarding is not dominance—it’s about control and fear.
• Watch for early warning signals and act before escalation.
• Use management, positive training, and veterinary support when needed.
• Puppy socialization and early training reduce future risk.

📲 Need Help Now?

If you're dealing with resource guarding, use the Ask A Vet app for instant expert advice. We can guide you on safe tools, timelines, and in‑home strategies. 🐕‍🦺💚