Resource Guarding: Food

Resource guarding is a common issue that a lot of dog owners face with their dogs, even from a very young age. Essentially, some dogs find it anxiety producing and scary when they perceive a resource, such as food or their bed, as being under threat of being taken away. It is a very natural and normal response to such a feeling. There is new evidence to suggest that events such as being fed from a communal bowl as young puppies can contribute and reinforce the idea that their resources may be taken away at any time and that defending their resource using aggression will enable them to keep that resource. However early on in a dogs life they learn the notion, that being more aggressive will get you more, they are able to learn that their resources won't be taken away. It does take time and consistency but teaching your dog, no matter how old, that they are able to eat, sleep, drink and get attention from us without worrying it will be taken away will save lots if stress down the line for both you and your dog. The approach for each type of resource is generally the same, it's all about showing your dog that your presence isn't a threat.

Even though I am not a dog behaviourist (yet!) I have decided to write a series of blog posts regarding resource guarding based on all the experience I have had as a dog owner and boarder, along with all the advice I have coaxed out of people and read in any article or book I can find on the topic. Resource guarding is an issue that can develop over time and it can be very difficult to know what the right thing to do is. The particular resource that this article will focus on is food.

Food.

Food is such a vital resource for all living things that it is sometimes a very difficult problem to deal with a food-guarding dog. It likely indicated that as a young puppy or while growing up they became fearful they would not get enough food, either because a more aggressive puppy took more than their fair share out of a communal bowl or that we have made a puppy feel uncomfortable while they were eating maybe by standing too close.

Dos:

- Rule out the possibility that your dog or puppy isn't getting enough food. Some of our dogs are more active during the day or night than we believe, for example having bursts of energy during the night where they might zoom around the living room or perhaps they are getting worked up watching or barking at passer bys during the day are all very normal and we may not be aware of it. Any activity whether physical or mental will burn calories. So a good place to start is by gradually increasing the amount of food they eat a day, around a teaspoon or tablespoon per week depending on the size of your dog. Ideally you would be weighing your dog daily or weekly to find out how much food each day is enough for your dog to maintain a healthy weight. Work with your vet on this if you feel it's useful as they will be able to easily weigh your dog and assess their health for any underlying factors that might be affecting your dogs weight. If you are confident your dog is maintaining a healthy weight you can skip this step. This process may seem laborious but the feeling of hunger is anxiety producing for anyone and if your dog is very hungry when it comes to meal times this will only exasterbate the problem of food guarding.

- If you feed your dog mostly or only kibble, it's worth mentioning that slow feeding bowls, from the experience I have, can potentially reinforce the idea that food is difficult to get ahold of and keep. Small pieces of kibble will be whizzing around the bowl constantly eluding your dog who is frantically trying to pick it up and scoff it. Feeding your dog a wet or raw food diet from a slow feeder can make eating a bit more engaging for our dogs as it's more of a puzzle and they can effectively lick the food out of the bowl without much trouble, just at a slower rate. Regardless, slow feeding bowls are best reserved for a dog who isn't starving!

- Once you are confident your dog is getting plenty of food each day I recommend feeding your dog at very regular intervals. If you usually feed your dog twice a day, perhaps increase this to four or five meals a day of smaller amounts. This will help to ensure when your dog is being fed before they have become too hungry to think straight. The smaller amount of time each day your dog spends hungry, the easier it will become to implement training to teach your dog that you or other dogs aren't a threat to their food. Trying to teach an anxious and hungry dog that you are harmless is much harder than teaching a happy and content dog.

- Once your dog is free of the stress of hunger, no matter how hungry, you can begin to help your dog unlearn the food guarding behaviour. By this point the behaviour may or may not have totally stopped, but it should have improved. The stress of hunger is no longer fueling this behaviour and if the behaviour does improve in any way that is a good sign that you are on the right track. Now it's time to start insinuating yourself into the scene of your dog eating, continue to feed them where you usually would and when they begin to eat find an area of the room where your dog is not reacting to you but they can see you. This is where you will start so make a note of it. As you are stood or sat in their view, make sure to reward your dog with calm praise and maybe throw them a little treat. Over time you can decrease the distance between you and your dog, very gradually. All the while giving them praise and occasionally treats (try to get them in the bowl but as long as it's close that's fine).

- Always remain calm and treat the activity of being in the room with them as very normal.

Donts:

- Never take anything out of your dogs mouth unless whatever is in there is very dangerous to them. It's also always worth teaching your dog a drop or leave command so you can take control of a situation where they do have something they shouldn't.

- Never rush your dog through the process of learning to feel safe while eating. Reward them for every improvement but give them time to adjust to that improvement.

- Leave treats like raw hides around for your dog to pick up, a dog who guards food can feel threatened by unpredictable actions. Making sudden movements or surprising them by entering the room can be triggers for them, so reduce this as much as possible. If they are to have a big treat, then supervise them or give them a place where you can guarantee they won't be disturbed, but when they finish make sure to put it away or clean up the crumbs.

Written by Chloe Forster

Published on 31st January 2023

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