It can be distressing if your dog is guarding, particularly if they’re growling or showing any aggression. But guarding is a natural doggy behaviour, and you can manage it with a bit of care and understanding.

Many dogs naturally feel protective of items, resources and even people they value – particularly if they’re worried about losing them. We often make this worse by always taking things off our dogs, especially puppies who like to put everything in their mouths!

Why do dogs guard?

Guarding is often driven by deep emotions, so it’s not always easy to correct it. But understanding these emotions is key to helping your dog.

Guarding is not rooted in dominance, or any desire to take over the house. It’s about how strongly your dog values the item or resource they want to guard.

What does guarding look like?

Many dogs are happy for their owners or people they trust to take something from them. But others find this hard, and they use body language to let you know they want to keep it. This starts with subtle stiffening, eye contact and stillness. Then escalates to growling, snapping or even biting.

Get a vet check

If guarding is a new behaviour for your dog, we recommend a vet check. Pain like joint discomfort, tooth pain or an ear infection can cause quite significant behaviour change, so it’s good to rule these out.

Understanding guarding

Some breeds are more prone to guarding or have a stronger desire to keep hold of items. These are also the breeds more likely to pick up anything and everything when they’re puppies. Gun dog breeds (like Cocker Spaniels), Hounds (like Beagles) and Terriers (like Jack Russells) can all show signs of guarding.

Put yourself in their shoes. When your puppy proudly presents you with their treasure – a sock, a pebble or your mobile – you instantly take it away. Then they’re left feeling bereft. This happens multiple times a day. Maybe they stop showing you their prized items and run away under the table. Then you corner them to get the item, which gives them more negative feelings towards the situation.

As they get older and more confident, your puppy might try and communicate they’re uncomfortable with you taking their stuff. These signs are subtle – until they growl or snap. This is often the first time owners think there’s a problem, but it could have been building for a long time.

How to manage guarding

All is not lost. Once you know your dog is likely to value a particular item, you can manage them until you can change how they feel. This may mean placing them in a crate or behind a barrier when they’re eating, for example. So, you’re preventing anyone approaching and helping the dog feel more secure.

The first rule is to stop taking things off your dog. This feels counter intuitive because the dog has got their own way. But this is how to improve their behaviour in the long run.

If you have small children, you may need barriers or stairgates to keep your dog separate when they have something they’re likely to guard.

Letting them keep the item will help your dog feel more comfortable, as they start to realise no one will take it. You can then start to build a positive connection.

When your dog has an item they’ll guard, you can gently throw small pieces of tasty food towards them as you approach – then walk away. Make sure you turn away before your dog looks uncomfortable.

You may want to work on teaching a “drop” or “leave it” behaviour too, just in case your dog picks up something dangerous. You can get started with “leave it” and read our step-by-step guide for more on this training.

Get some support

We recommend working with a qualified professional to help your dog with guarding. It can be a challenging behaviour to change. And if you have young children in the house, it’s particularly important to keep everyone safe. Find a qualified behaviourist or trainer at ABTC's website.

Next: Train your dog with short video lessons by Woodgreen's experts.