Is it my fault my dog resource guards?

Resource guarding is a natural behaviour for your dog, and an important survival strategy as a scavenger in the wild, but at home there are some things we can do to reassure our dogs and let them know they don’t need to become defensive. The more a dog repeats a behaviour, the more likely they are to keep doing it, so we recommend getting in there early and trying to manage the situation. It is important that you never punish or tell your dog off for resource guarding as this will add more stress to the situation and may cause their behaviour to worsen. Prevention is better than cure, so even if your dog isn’t showing any obvious signs of resource guarding, it’s a good idea to carry out this training to reduce the chances of them developing problems around food or toys in the future. If you find these methods are not working for your dog it’s a good idea to speak to your vet who can recommend a qualified behaviourist to help with your situation. Make sure all family members and everyone who visits know never to approach or interrupt your dog if they are eating or have a chew.

The main reason for guarding is fear of losing valuable items. Taking things away from your dog as punishment or telling them off for guarding is likely to increase their anxiety about losing things. They may become even more worried and feel the need to protect those valuable things even more. The best way to prevent dogs from resource guarding is to teach them from the start that there is no need to worry about losing anything they find valuable. This is a very important lesson and means they can always relax and enjoy the things they love without having to worry. If you need to take something from your dog, swap it for something else that your dog considers to be equally or even more valuable. Offer your dog the better item before trying to take what they have away.