An Easy Way to Stop Resource Guarding in Dogs

For this Omaha puppy training session, we worked with 1 year-old Mini Aussie Wesley, sharing tips to stop his resource guarding of his guardian.

Resource guarding in dogs is a fairly common dog and puppy behavior problem. Dogs or puppies who guard resources are doing it because they are insecure and feel their thing may be taken away. That is why one of the worst things you can do is challenge a dog who is resource guarding or take the thing away. This only reinforces the resource guarding problem.

But in this case, the dog was guarding the wife from the husband. That certainly makes things challenging. The humans had already learned that calling the dog away from the area before the husband came to sit on the couch, etc is a good way to prevent resource guarding in dogs. While this is a good maintenance plan to prevent the resource guarding from getting worse, it doesnt stop the dog from feeling a need to guard the wife from the husband.

I handed my phone to Claire so I could show her an easy way to stop resource guarding in dogs and puppies. If your dog guards you, your wife or items in your home, you should check out the free positive puppy training video below.

By creating a scenario where the dog thinks the person’s presence means they are not a threat to take their stuff, and it also coincides with the arrival of a tasty treat, the dog learns it doesn’t need to guard the person as there is no threat. Anyone can do this, even if they arent a professional Mini Australian Shepherd pup trainer.

Now this secret to stopping resource guarding in dogs takes practice and good awareness. If the dog is upset or reactive, it means we didnt read their body language correctly and pushed past where the dog feels comfortable. This exercise to stop resource guarding only works if you go in slow steps so the dog is calm and relaxed the entire time.

While this is an easy way to stop a dog from resource guarding, dont be fooled into thinking its no big deal. Dogs who are guarding resources can bite, so you need to go slowly and pay close attention to the dog so you dont keep on moving forward when its giving signals its uncomfortable.

Since Wesley also guards the other guardian in bed, I recommended that Wesley start sleeping in the kennel instead of the bed. I have had multiple clients who were bitten by their dog because the rolled over or moved in a way that triggered resource guarding in the dog. But since the human was asleep, they didnt see any of the dog’s signals and warnings which resulted in some nasty bites.

If the guardians look at each resource guarding incident as an opportunity to practice, it can relieve some of the tension while also helping the dog learn it doesnt need to guard resources. It takes time and practice but is very doable. I have used this method to stop dogs from resource guarding for years.

To help Wesley’s guardians remember all the other pups behavior tips I showed them in this in home Omaha puppy training session, we recorded a roadmap to success video that you can watch below.