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If you’re seeing true resource guarding behavior between your dogs like growling, snapping, hovering over a bone or food bowl, it’s so important to stop right here and reach out to a qualified, positive dog trainer for one-on-one help. Resource guarding between dogs can escalate quickly, and a dog training professional can give you a safe, customized plan that fits your specific dogs and home. This article isn’t meant to fix resource guarding that’s already happening. Instead, it’s about preventing resource guarding it in the first place.
Understanding What Resource Guarding Is and Why It’s a Normal Dog Behavior
It’s completely normal for dogs to value things like food, sleeping spots, favorite toys, and even us as their people. That doesn’t mean resource guarding is “bad”, it means our dogs are communicating how important those things are to them. Growling, for example, is a really normal way for a dog to say, “Back off, I’m uncomfortable.” We never want to punish the growl. If we do, we might stop a dog from growling, but not the emotion behind it. And that’s when dogs go straight to snapping or biting, because they don’t feel like they have any other way to communicate.
That’s why prevention is so powerful. By teaching our dogs that resources are safe and plentiful, and that good things come when they stay relaxed, we can reduce the chances of any guarding behavior popping up in the first place.
Feeding Time: How to Prevent Food Bowl Guarding Between Dogs
Feeding routines are one of the biggest triggers for tension between dogs, especially when they’re young or new to the home. Meal prep can be especially exciting, and that’s often when problems start. So the first step is great management tools.
Start by feeding your dogs in separate, secure locations like their crates or rooms with a closed door or baby gate. The goal is stress-free eating with no pressure to rush. And the key is to get your dogs to their eating spots before you even begin preparing the food. That way, there’s no chance of crowding in the kitchen while you’re scooping meals.
Once they’ve finished eating, don’t bring them back together immediately. First, calmly remove the bowls, then invite both dogs to do something relaxing in another part of the house, or a little sniffy walk outside. This helps prevent bowl checking behavior and keeps everything positive.
Teaching Calm Behavior During Food Prep
Eventually, you may want your dogs to eat in the same general area, like the kitchen or dining space. But that does not happen overnight. Before you get to that point, it is important to help each dog practice being calm during food prep, one at a time.
I recommend doing this outside of regular mealtimes, even though you will use part of their meal or some treats. Start by having one dog in the kitchen with you while you go through the motions of preparing their food. They can be on a leash, tethered to a nearby piece of furniture (while supervised), or calmly hanging out on a mat. The other dog should be in a separate room with something to do, like a licky mat or a long lasting chew.
Go through your full routine: get the bowl out, grab the food, prepare the food, and calmly hand it off when your dog is relaxed and settled. No rushing, no crowding. You are teaching that calm behavior is what gets the good stuff. Repeat this over several short sessions across a few days. Practice with each dog individually.
Once each dog is showing they can stay calm during food prep on their own, you can practice the same thing again, this time in the area where you eventually want them to eat together. Keep space between them, and make sure both dogs still feel confident and relaxed in the setup.
What to Do When One Dog Finishes Eating First
One thing to plan for is that dogs eat at different speeds. If one dog finishes first, gently lead them away from the area and into a separate room to relax with you or do an activity. You can even teach a dessert routine where the dog who finishes first goes to a specific spot, like the back door or the living room, for a special treat. This helps avoid any temptation to hover near the other dog’s bowl.
Polite Attention: Preventing Guarding Over People
Many dogs value our attention just as much as food. It’s not uncommon for a dog to get pushy when they see their sibling getting belly rubs or treats. While it may seem sweet, we don’t want our dogs to feel like they have to compete for us.
Start by asking one dog to hang out on a mat or do a stay while you give attention to the other. Keep it short, just a couple seconds of gentle petting, then go back and reward the first dog for waiting. Over time, increase the duration and alternate who gets attention first. This helps them learn that good things happen even when they’re not the center of attention.
Treat Handouts: Sharing the Good Stuff Without the Pushiness
This is not about formal dog training. It is about those everyday moments when you grab a treat and want to share a little something with each dog. Maybe you reach for the dog treat jar and all the dogs come over, expecting something tasty. This can be a fun little moment, but it is also one of those times where things can get rushed or tense if we are not thoughtful about how we do it.
Start by giving the dogs a little bit of space. You can ask for sits, or just rely on four on the floor. Keep your energy low and relaxed. Hand the treat calmly to one dog, then the next, without any crowding or jumping. If they jump up, stop and swoop your hand up to your chest. Wait for the desired behavior again. Then, repeat the process. Over time, this becomes their default behavior, butt stays on the ground, the food is delivered. Butt pops up, the food goes away. No need to say anything like no, or off. Just reward the good, ignore the bad.
Preventing Toy Guarding: Playtime Without Pressure
Toys are another common resource where guarding can sneak in, especially when play gets a little too exciting. But just like with food or attention, a few small changes to how you set up toy time can go a long way in keeping things safe and positive. When your dogs are playing on their own, it helps to give them enough space to enjoy their toy without interruption. If one dog tends to hover or take toys from the other, that is a good time to step in and calmly redirect their focus elsewhere.
During shared play, you can make things feel more relaxed by offering multiple toys, more than the number of dogs, and tossing them in different directions. If one dog is faster or more toy driven, you can throw one toy closer and the other farther to give both dogs a fair chance. I also like using larger toys, which give dogs room to play together without feeling crowded. Bigger toys can naturally reduce guarding behaviors because they are harder to monopolize.
Keep an eye on body language as you play. Loose movements, role switching, and brief pauses usually mean everyone is still having a good time. If one dog starts guarding toys, stiffens up, or begins chasing the other away from items, it is a good moment to pause, redirect, or end the game before things escalate. Prevention during play is about creating an environment where everyone feels safe to join in without pressure.
Resting Spots, Crates, and Personal Space
Rest is just as valuable a resource as food or toys. Every dog should have a space that feels like their own, whether that is a crate, a favorite bed, or a quiet spot tucked in the corner. These resting areas give dogs a sense of security and help prevent tension from building around shared spaces.
Some dogs truly enjoy curling up together, and that can be perfectly fine if both dogs choose to snuggle and remain soft and relaxed. But if one dog is constantly being followed or nudged out of their spot, it is a good idea to step in and gently create a bit more space. Make sure each dog has access to their own resting area, and use those areas consistently so they know they have a safe place to unwind.
It is also important to be mindful of how your home is set up and how your dogs move through the space. Tight areas like hallways, doorways, or corners can create moments where a dog feels blocked or unable to move away. This can lead to tension, especially if another dog approaches during those moments. Even if there is no growling or obvious guarding, subtle signals like a stiff body, hard stare, or freezing in place can tell you a dog is feeling uncomfortable.
To help prevent this, try to give your dogs clear pathways around furniture and avoid placing high interest items or interactions in areas where they could feel stuck. Creating more open flow through your home can make a big difference in helping your dogs feel safe and reduce the chance of guarding behavior around movement and space.
Final Thoughts: Stay Proactive, Stay Observant
The beauty of prevention is that it’s gentle, it’s thoughtful, and it builds a stronger relationship between your dogs. You’re teaching them that there’s no need to rush, push, or guard. There’s enough love, food, and play to go around.
And as always, if you start seeing concerning signs like growling, stiffening, snapping, or tension around certain routines, don’t wait. Reach out to a qualified positive reinforcement trainer who can guide you through the next steps. Prevention is always easier than repairing trust after conflict.Are you looking for even more ways to stay up to date with Raising Your Pets Naturally? Sign up for the newsletter for more tips and promotions. Don’t forget to be social and Like, Follow and Subscribe.
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