Training guide
Resource Guarding in Puppies: Prevention and Early Training
Why puppies guard food, toys and other things they value, the early signs, how to prevent it from the first day, and when to get professional help.
Short answer
Resource guarding is when a dog tries to keep people or other animals away from something they value, such as food, toys, chews or a resting place. It is natural, and usually driven by worry about losing the thing, not by dominance.[1][2][3] With a puppy, prevention means teaching that people near their things are good news: add something tasty rather than taking things away, swap instead of grabbing, and give your puppy space to eat.[1][2][3][4] If your puppy stiffens, growls, snaps or bites over something, don’t punish them. Keep everyone safe, and ask your veterinarian and a qualified behavior professional for help.[1][3][4][5]
This guide fits you if you want to prevent guarding in a new puppy, or your puppy is starting to show early signs.
Look elsewhere if your dog has bitten or tried to bite over food or objects, or guards things you can’t keep away from them. Don’t try to solve that alone: the ASPCA advises working with a certified applied animal behaviorist or a board-certified veterinary behaviorist.[3]
What resource guarding is
A dog may guard food, toys, chews, beds or other favorite spots, things they have found or stolen, and sometimes a particular person. They may guard from people, from other dogs, or both.[1][2][3][4]
Guarding is a natural behavior that has helped dogs survive, but not every dog shows it.[1][3] It is usually rooted in fear or anxiety about losing something, not dominance, naughtiness or spite.[1][2] It is more likely when a puppy has had to compete for food, for example with littermates, when things are repeatedly taken away, or when guarding has worked before.[1][2][3]
Recognize the signs
Guarding usually starts with small signals and can escalate if they are ignored.[1][2][4] Early signs include lip licking, showing the whites of the eyes, tension in the face or body, standing over the item or blocking it with their body, eating quickly and staring.[1][2][4] More obvious signs include a stiff or frozen posture, growling, lunging, snapping and biting.[1][3][4]
VCA explains that if a dog’s quieter signals are ignored, they may move on to lunging or biting, and when that makes people back off, the stronger behavior is reinforced.[4] Dogs Trust adds that dogs who eat very fast, or swallow things that aren’t food so they can’t lose them, are at risk of serious medical problems and should see a vet.[1]
Prevent it from the first day
Hand feed some meals
In the first days at home, the ASPCA suggests hand feeding several meals, one bite at a time, talking to your puppy pleasantly. Stop if your puppy seems uneasy.[3]
Sources differ on how hands-on to be at mealtimes. The ASPCA suggests stroking your puppy and holding the bowl in your lap at first,[3] while VCA’s puppy page focuses on giving your puppy space and tossing treats from a safe distance.[4] Both are gradual and reward-based. VCA warns never to take the bowl away while your puppy is eating, as this could result in bites.[4]
Learn your puppy’s body language too, so you can give them space when they need it.[1][7] The Puppy Feeding Schedule guide shows how mealtimes fit the daily routine, and Puppy Basic Obedience covers “leave it” and “drop it”.
What not to do
Don’t punish growling. A growl is a warning. The AKC explains that punishing it may stop the sound but not the feeling behind it, so you lose the warning while your dog is still stressed,[7] and Dogs Trust says telling a dog off can increase their anxiety and make things worse.[1]
Don’t take things away to “test” your puppy or to show who is in charge. It teaches your puppy that people near their things mean losing them.[1][2]
Don’t chase or corner your puppy to get something back. For some dogs, being chased is part of the fun.[1]
If your puppy is already guarding
Keep everyone safe first. Feed your puppy where they won’t be disturbed, give chews only somewhere quiet or in their crate, and put away the things they guard.[1][3][4]
If your puppy is guarding something right now, stay calm, don’t chase or corner them, and move away. If the item isn’t harmful, leave them with it until they have finished.[1] Never try to take stolen or scavenged food from them.[3] If you must get something back, Dogs Trust suggests tossing a handful of tasty treats away from you both and picking the item up once your puppy has moved off.[1]
For dogs who already guard, the ASPCA describes a gradual program of desensitization and counterconditioning, but says it is fairly complex, and advises stopping at once and getting professional help if you see stiffening, growling, staring, snapping or biting.[3]
When it is not working
- Your puppy freezes or eats faster when you walk past
Check Whether people near the bowl have meant losing food.[1][2]
Try Feed them somewhere quieter, and toss something tasty from a distance as you pass, without stopping.[1][4]
- Your puppy runs off with things
Check Whether being chased has become the game.[1]
Try Swap with treats tossed away from you, and keep tempting items out of reach.[1][3]
- Your puppy growls near their bed or the sofa
Check Whether they are guarding a favorite resting place.[1]
Try Give them a quiet spot of their own, and use baby gates or closed doors to manage access to the places they guard.[1]
Get help now if your puppy has snapped or bitten, guards things you can’t keep away from them, or lives with children. The ASPCA recommends a certified applied animal behaviorist, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist, or a trainer with proven experience treating aggression, and Dogs Trust and the AKC also advise professional help sooner rather than later.[1][3][5] See your veterinarian first, because pain and illness can be part of the cause.[1][5]
Sources
- Resource guarding in dogs: how to keep everyone safe (opens another site)
- Resource guarding in dogs (opens another site)
- Food Guarding (opens another site)
- Is your young dog aggressive around food? (Food Aggression in Puppies) (opens another site)
- Resource Guarding in Dogs: How to Deal With This Problematic Behavior (opens another site)
- Preventing Puppy Resource Guarding (opens another site)
- Why Dogs Growl: Meaning, Types, and How to Respond (opens another site)