How to Help a Dog Stop Resource Guarding From Cats

For this Omaha dog training session we helped Gus, a 2 year old Akbash/ Great Pyrenees mix who has been resource guarding from cats.

Dog Tries Resource Guarding From Cats

Gus tends to get upset when his feline roommates get too close to the humans when they are eating. His guardians reached out to us since they recognized some of the signs of dog resource guarding.

Gus greeted me at the door with some nice, warm energy. He didn’t show much respect for personal space or boundaries with people or their belongings. He showed a lot of curiosity about my bag, but he behaved very well overall.

I sat down with the guardian to chat about Gus’s behavior to start things off. I could see right away that Gus thought he had more social status than he really did. This was because there were no rules or structure.

His guardian also did several things that contributed to this perception. Each time he got close to her, she started to instinctively pet him. If by chance she didn’t, Gus would nudge, lean on or rub himself against her until she did.

I made a number of suggestions that should help flip the leader-follower dynamic. Enforcing rules consistently helps a dog see us acting like a leader. Petting and rewarding the dog for good actions will help teach Gus that listening to people is good.

Upping his exercise will also help him feel better in general while also removing some of the nuisance issues.

How to Identify Dog Resource Guarding

Dogs often guard their resources to protect what they value, such as food and toys. They do this especially when they see threats, like other animals or cats. This behavior can arise from several factors.

First, it’s a natural instinct; dogs are wired to safeguard essential resources for survival. Fear or anxiety can also lead to guarding when a dog feels threatened. Also, dogs that are not confident may guard their things more aggressively. Changes in their routine can make this behavior worse.

Some dogs may guard to establish dominance over others. Past experiences, such as punishment for guarding or having their resources taken away, can reinforce this behavior as well.

Resource guarding can be clear, like growling or biting. It can also be subtle, showing as tense muscles, staring, or eating fast. To help manage resource guarding, consider strategies like purposeful petting, rewarding positive behavior, increasing exercise, and enforcing consistent rules.

When we talked about Gus and resource guarding, I began to think it might be a different issue, like dog food guarding behavior. The guardian mentioned several things that made me question whether this was actually a case of resource guarding. Check out the video below where I explain what I think was actually going on.

Based on what I said in the video, I believe Gus disagrees with the cats being on the table when food is there. Part of this stems from the fact that Akbash dogs were bred to be herding dogs.

Other important factors include the lack of rules and structure, the ability to demand attention, and the cat’s behavior. While I’m not a cat person, allowing any animal to be on top of a food table during dinner isn’t the best idea.

How to Help a Dog Stop Resource Guarding

Food is important for all animals. If one animal’s food is on the table and another’s is on the floor, it can create hard feelings. At the very least, it can lead to competition for the best spot.

In this case, I believe Gus was confused. He thought it was his job to protect the food. The humans were eating, and they didn’t seem to handle the problem themselves.

If the guardians start petting with a purpose, they can reward good behavior with passive training. They should increase his exercise and enforce rules consistently. For example, no cats should be in the kitchen when humans or the dog is eating. This should help stop Gus’ food guarding behavior.

To help the guardians remember all the dog behavior tips from our training session, we made a video they can refer back to. You can check out the roadmap to success video below.