January 27, 2026, 4:18 pm | Read time: 13 minutes
My toy, my basket, my food: dogs also have things that are important to them and that they are therefore extremely reluctant to share. Anyone who nevertheless tries to grab their favorite item may be severely reprimanded. Even the owners are sometimes growled at, barked at, or even get to feel their dog’s teeth when they try to take something away. Is this still normal resource defense, or is there more to it when the dog vehemently defends its possessions? PETBOOK clarifies some of the most important questions.
From Dachshunds to German Shepherds, nearly every dog has a favorite toy, a preferred spot to lie down, or a special treat. It’s understandable that they don’t want to share “treasures” with their owners or other animals. Humans are also reluctant to give away delicious chocolate. And anyone who has ever asked to borrow a car from a friend will have received plenty of horrified looks and rejections. Friendship ends with some things.
Many Owners Play Down This Problematic Behavior as “Self-Confident” or “Assertive”
But while humans merely shake their heads in horror, dogs can react more clearly when they are determined not to give up or give away something: growling, barking, or even snapping can be the result if you want to take something that is important to the animal. However, while a small dog may be able to take the beloved object after a short struggle, it can be much more difficult to remove the toy from a 35-kilo male dog’s mouth or push him off the sofa.
If the animal even fights back by snapping at the supposed rival, it is clear that something is fundamentally wrong. Nevertheless, vehement resource defense is not a rare problem in dogs. This behavior can often be observed on dog runs where several animals meet. Perhaps your own dog won’t simply let you take something away from them and growls when you come near. What is often trivialized by dog owners as “self-confident” or “assertive” (“my dog is just dominant”) is actually a serious problem for which there can be numerous causes.1
Resource Defense Has Many Forms
However, just as there is no single trigger, there is no one-size-fits-all solution that can quickly put an end to such behavior. If in doubt, owners should therefore contact a dog school to find out the cause of their dog’s behavior. Then the resource allocation problem can be tackled in a targeted manner.
Dog owners are often unable to understand what is so important to their dogs that they never want to share it. A tattered soft toy, a branch found in the woods, garbage, or the broken handle of a garden tool are sometimes defended just as fiercely as the basket or the full bowl of food, which is also understandable for owners. Incidentally, “it” human can also be so important to a dog that they are clearly and even aggressively defended. Hugs from other people, mere conversation, or contact with other animals are immediately stopped.2
Possible Resources Can Be
- toys such as a ball, rope, soft toy
- a place to sleep or sit
- food/treats
- water bowl
- the owner
- garbage, branches, or other found objects
All these things and many more can therefore be defended intensively. How vehemently the animal acts depends on various factors. Depending on the intensity of the perceived threat, previous experiences, and socialization, a dog defends its valuable possessions sometimes less, sometimes more strongly, i.e., more defensively or offensively.
These Are Signs of Resource Defense
- the dog places itself or a paw over the resource
- the object is carried away
- the food is quickly devoured
- the dog growls, barks, snaps, or even bites
For many dogs, the defense strategy changes depending on the situation and the behavior of the other person. Some dogs simply use body language to show that they don’t like the situation; others become active, intervene, or get loud. The breed of the dog, its age, stress, or health problems can also play a role in which strategy the dog chooses. Some animals simply carry their property out of the danger zone, while others bare their teeth, growl, bark, or even bite.
You can tell whether a dog wants to defend its possessions from its body language alone. Ears perked up, a raised tail, ruffled hair on the back, and a gaze fixed on the “opponent” can be signs of this. Before the dog defends its resource, it can also often show gestures of appeasement when the owner or other animals approach. It looks away, avoids the gaze of the other person, or yawns. If these gestures are unsuccessful, the dog may switch to more offensive methods to defend its property.
Caution: Training mistakes can also be a reason for the dog to fiercely defend its resource. After all, if it has learned in the past that his behavior has been successful, there is no reason for it to refrain from it in the future.
Defense Is Natural Behavior
In nature, resource defense ensures the animal’s survival by protecting food, territory, offspring, mates, or other resources from rivals. Therefore, the characteristic of defending resources in the house or when interacting with people is initially a normal behavior anchored in the dog’s nature. Its ancestors already defended themselves in this way. After all, the animal does not know that such behavior is not absolutely necessary at home.
Especially not if it has already had other experiences in the past—for example, because toys were scarce or the owners gave it the feeling that it had to share a soft toy, food, or a place to lie down by taking away the dog’s resource. The feeling of having to defend the resource can then become particularly pronounced. The dog’s only concern at that moment is to preserve its possession and drive away the danger.3
Resource Defense Should Not Be Understood as Disrespect Towards the Owners
Attention: This behavior has nothing to do with disrespect for the owner. Even the often assumed “dominance” of the dog within a pack or family is not present when the animal defends its property. Dogs also show resource defense among themselves, not only towards humans. “Every dog in a group can claim prey for itself, regardless of its position,” says a blog entry by dog expert Martin Rütter. 4
Among dogs, however, one thing is clear: the conspecific shows that it is determined to keep its prey. So the other animal backs off. Humans, on the other hand, still try to take the ball, bowl, or tattered pillow from their dog, even though the four-legged friend clearly resists, at least from their point of view. In contrast to their conspecifics, however, humans often ignore these signals.
They usually only give up, if at all, when the dog noticeably growls or even snaps. The problem: once the animal has realized that it can get away with it, it will show this behaviour again at the next opportunity. However, at the latest, when the dog becomes aggressive or even snaps, something should be done about the defense of resources.
“Cracking Down” Makes It Worse
To find out when and how your dog defends its resources, you should observe your pet closely: In which situations does it react violently and undesirably? How does it signal its displeasure? A dog’s body language shows early on what mood it is in. Learn to read these signals so that you can defuse unpleasant situations in good time and avoid misunderstandings. And question your own behavior. Mistakes in training often lead to the dog developing undesirable habits.
Repeatedly pulling away the dog’s bowl while it’s eating, just to see its reaction, can eventually frustrate even the most docile animal. So does this have to happen? This does not teach your dog who is “the boss in the house”, but merely that it has to defend its food when its owners approach—and that it cannot trust them. If your dog obediently brings you a ball several times and you throw it back until you lose interest, how do you react? Do you suddenly take the ball out of your dog’s mouth in the middle of the game, pocket it, and leave?
Owners Should Also Question Their Own Behavior
For humans, this is understandable behavior—after all, they no longer like it. But the dog sees it differently: it is good and brings the ball, but is still punished for it because the owner simply takes the toy away from it. So next time, the animal will think twice about whether giving up the toy is really a good idea. Taking the ball away could then become more difficult. After all, it doesn’t want to be punished again for its obedient behavior.
The dog should therefore learn that it must also give up things that are important to it in response to a signal from its owner. However, it should be taught in a way that is understandable and comprehensible from the dog’s point of view. Strictly “cracking down” on and ignoring the dog’s normal behavior is not the right way to achieve success. Unfortunately, we still occasionally hear the advice that dogs can only learn “who is in charge of the pack” by being tough and uncompromising, but these training methods are outdated and justifiably frowned upon. They contradict the nature of the dog and the way it learns.
They also disturb the trust between the owner and the animal. The dog reacts, if at all, out of fear, not because it has understood what is being asked of it. Instead, the dog should learn that surrendering is more rewarding than defending the beloved object.
De-Escalation and Calmness Are Important
If you want to wean your dog off excessive resource defense, you should avoid one thing above all: Power struggles. “Don’t fight” is the advice of numerous dog trainers on internet forums and blogs. Tugging and holding out until the dog allows the toy to be taken away usually achieves nothing—except that the dog’s resource defense becomes even stronger the next time. This is because the animal may perceive the situation as it truly is: a power struggle and unacceptable behavior from the opponent.
The animal is therefore unsettled and frustrated because its signals are not understood. Yet the dog’s behavior is completely normal from its point of view. Therefore, owners should refrain from scolding, shouting, or even punishing their dog in such situations. The dog does not understand why it is being yelled at when you are already cheekily taking away its favorite toy. Such a situation may even escalate, and the dog may snap at your hand.5
Experts Give This Advice
Experts therefore advise you to de-escalate the situation first, take a few steps back, and wait until your dog visibly relaxes. If your dog brings something that it should not have, do not scold it either, but remain calm at first. Otherwise, the dog may not bring anything back in the future, but will hide and defend the newly discovered “prey” from you. Important: Remaining calm and taking a step back for the time being does not mean that your dog has “won” and will “dominate” you in the future.
Rather, it means that you are relaxing the situation, taking out the excitement, and ensuring that your dog does not reinforce its unwanted behavior. It is therefore important to understand the animal’s body language. If you are unsure or don’t know how to react, be sure to ask experienced dog trainers for advice.
Tip: A short cell phone video of the dog’s reaction and your behavior can already give dog trainers a first impression. But beware: especially if the dog defends its owner vehemently or aggressively, professional help from a dog training school should be sought as soon as possible. Otherwise, the risk of harming bystanders is too great!6
Bartering and Correct Timing
Your dog should be happy to share with you, even if it has to give up its favorite toy. It is therefore best to offer your dog a swap. Do you want it to give up the grubby and chewed-up stuffed bunny so that it can finally be washed? Replace the stuffed toy with another great toy the moment you take it. Replace the ball that you have been throwing for minutes with a treat or another ball that the dog can play with independently.
Only approach the eating animal and disturb it if you can give it something even tastier to nibble on in return. Important: Let it continue eating undisturbed afterwards so that it understands that nothing is being taken away from it, but something is being “given to it”. This experience also strengthens the dog’s trust in its owners, as they are not behaving unfairly from the dog’s point of view by simply taking something great away from it. This teaches the animal that although it has to give up its treasure for a short time, this behavior will be rewarded.
How Dogs Show They Feel Threatened
Why Many Dogs Allegedly Bite Suddenly
Pay Attention to the Right Communication
The exchange is most effective when the replacement item is of equal or greater value to the dog compared to the item it’s reluctant to surrender. Confirm the surrender of the object with a signal such as “off”, “give”, or the word you want your dog to listen to in this situation. And: Once the exercise has worked, don’t forget to praise your dog briefly. As with all exercises, it’s important to get the timing right—so owners need to practise too.
If you can only take the object from your dog after a long period of tugging back and forth and still praise him lavishly, you are sending the wrong signals. If praise is given too late despite the desired behavior, the dog will no longer be able to associate praise and behavior, and the reinforcing effect will fizzle out. It is also important to remain persistent. If you practice today and let the undesirable behavior slide tomorrow, you will not achieve any learning success either. However, with perseverance and persistence on the part of the human, the dog will quickly understand what is expected of it. 7
Do Not Put Yourself in Danger
Your dog should readily part with items it has picked up but isn’t meant to keep. By the way: If your dog reacts aggressively towards other animals when defending its resource, do not intervene, but first create a distance between you and the other animal until your dog has calmed down. In such cases, also practice bartering.
Conclusion: Dogs that defend what is important to them are not uncommon. In fact, it is a normal behavior anchored in the dog’s nature. Dogs putting their paw or head on their toy or trying to get back the bowl that humans have moved “for fun” while they are eating is therefore not inappropriate behavior.
It becomes critical when the dog aggressively or loudly approaches conspecifics or people or even snaps at them. Even a clear growl or bark is a sign that the defense of resources should be stopped before it becomes a problem. A snapping, biting dog is by no means “just assertive” or “stubborn,” but can severely impair coexistence or even pose a danger to people and other animals. Owners should therefore act early and, ideally, seek professional help before they inadvertently reinforce their dog’s behavior.