How do I stop my dog from toy guarding?

If your dog shows guarding behaviours, leave them well alone when they are enjoying food or playing with toys by themselves. 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. Always swap the dog's item for something else, 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. You could drop several treats on the ground near your dog, so they have to leave the item to go and eat them. Then you can calmly pick up the item while they’re enjoying themselves. You can teach your dog to drop and swap during fun training sessions. When your dog is playing with a toy, get something they like even better, offer this to your dog a little distance away from what they already have, your dog should be enticed to drop what they have and come to get the new item. Once your dog has the hang of this, you can add a cue word ‘drop’, over time, your dog should associate the word ‘drop’ with letting go of their toy, and you can ask them to ‘drop’ what they have in exchange for a tasty treat.

A big part of stopping a dog from resource guarding is to help them learn that when humans approach when they have the object or place, that we are not going to take it. I think the dog’s resource guarding problem was greatly influenced, if not directly caused, by the guardian pulling and taking things away from the dog. In cases like this, literally the worst thing you can do is take the item away forcefully, but thats exactly what many people do when their dog guards things. A better way to stop dogs from guarding things is to first develop a strong drop cue and help the dog see the arrival of the person as a good thing and not a threat to loose something. I showed them a simple drop it exercise that I added into a simple game of fetch. By holding out a treat when Loumi returned with the toy, then marking and treating her after she dropped it, his guardians can develop a great drop it cue while they play / exercise thier dog. I strongly recommeneded they stop taking things away from him forcefully and instead teach him to drop things like this so his guardians can trade the item for something safe and appropriate for him to chew. When you have a dog with resource guarding, its important you recognize the dog is acting more instinctively when they act out. Since this happened many times for Loumi, his guardians will need to practice the drop it cue with low value item toys and completely stop forcfully taking things away from Loumi.

To start, you will need some treats. The trick is to teach your dog that a person approaching is a positive thing. You can also use the same technique to prevent your dog guarding their toys or chews. When your dog is settled with their chew or toy, place a few treats down on the floor near to where they are lying and give them the opportunity to leave the resource to take them. Move away as they do so, then approach them again and put down another treat nearby. Repeat this a few times and once your dog is comfortable, put down a few treats and then pick up the toy/chew. By using positive methods your dog will continue to associate you being near their resources with positive things happening, like treats. If your dog is already showing some resource guarding behaviour, it is important to try and stop it from becoming any worse. 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. If you do have to remove something from them, make sure it’s an exchange rather than just taking something away. Another helpful tip is to teach your dog the “leave it” cue. This will allow you to ask your dog to leave whatever they are guarding in a safe and positive way.