Dogs evolved into hunters and scavengers. Protecting food and precious resources from other animals is a natural act. However, this is not something we can bear.

Fortunately, we can prevent this in puppies, and if you have a dog that can protect resources, we can change it.

Dogs may take care of food/food bowls, as well as toys or objects, their owners, sleeping places, and other things or places. In fact, dogs can protect anything from hairpins to holes in the ground.

Early signs include eating faster when you are approaching or running away to "parade" with toys. As the problem worsens, more disturbing signs include sudden stiffness and stiffness, staring, roaring, sexing, and biting.

Successfully changing resource protection requires a multifaceted approach. One is to ensure safety through management and prevent behavior from recurring.

For example, if you need to retrieve an item owned by your dog, throw the snack away from the item and pick it up after your dog has left to get the snack.

The dog guards because they fear that they will lose their cherished resources. The worst thing you can do is to fight the dog and try to compete for resources. Confrontation will only increase defense and intensity.   

Second, change the dog's emotional response to humans approaching its resources. Reach your hand into your puppy or dog’s food bowl so they know that you can take their food at any time. This is common advice. Unfortunately, following this advice may produce a kind of resource conservation or a dog that makes existing problems worse.

Don't teach your dog how to worry about you, because you might eat their food. Do the opposite. Teach your dog that humans are close to their food, toys, space or any valuable resource is a good thing and will bring some good things to the dog.

Third, always work at a level acceptable to your dog. If your dog growls within 5 feet of a toy or food bowl, keep it above 5 feet. By removing toys from the living area and feeding them in a closed room, use management to prevent accidental triggering of behavior.

Finally, teach your dog to cooperate in matters. When dogs understand that the good things in life are obtained through cooperation with you rather than competition, they are less likely to be on guard.

Cooperation includes responding to clues, such as "give" or "deal", "bring" and "let down", "leave" or "remove", etc.

Resource protection can be disturbing and frightening, but behavior can be changed, and your dog can learn to share with you instead of protecting you. Behavior changes will need to be maintained throughout your dog's life to ensure that protective behaviors do not occur again.

Working with a qualified professional trainer, he will use active reinforcement methods to guide you and your dog through the steps you need to take.

Sandy Middleton is a dog handler and behavior consultant for Powell River. For more information, please visit bestfriendsdogtraining.ca.