Have you ever seen your dog be protective of certain things? It could be their favourite food, toys, or even a beloved human. It is fascinating how dogs can exhibit possessiveness, just like us humans, isn’t it? While it is only natural for our dogs to want to protect certain resources that are crucial for their survival, if left unchecked, this protectiveness can quickly turn into aggression.
Resource Guarding or Possessive Aggression is when our dogs act protective of a particular resource in their possession, especially in the presence of another human or animal. You may first start seeing the symptoms when your dog picks up something they like and runs and hides away with it. However, if she continues to feel threatened, she  may end up lunging or snapping. Thankfully, there are ways to manage and reduce this behaviour in our dogs.

This guide is created to help you understand resource guarding and where it comes from, identify early signs in our dogs, and work on preventative and management measures. Our goal while tackling resource guarding in dogs is two-fold. First, we want to ensure the safety of ourselves and our dogs by preventing any dangerous incidents. Secondly, we want to nurture our dog’s trust and make them feel comfortable sharing things with us.