While I do send many of my Resource Guarding cases to a Veterinarian, there are some situations where a trip to a Veterinary Behaviourist is in order.

A Veterinary Behaviourist is a Veterinarian who is board certified in behaviour. Most Veterinarians have a basic understanding of behaviour but do not specialise in it, so they rely on a specialist just like a human doctor would rely on a Psychiatrist for a patient with mental health concerns. 

A Veterinary Behaviourist will assess your dog's health AND behaviour, give a solid management and training plan, potentially prescribe medication to assist in the process, and be available for follow up. 

If your dog: 

• has any medical conditions AND are showing signs of resource guarding, 
• has general anxiety or compounding behaviour concerns AND are showing signs of resource guarding, a trip to the Veterinary Behaviourist is in order  

A trip to the Veterinary Behaviourist is in order as many medical conditions and underlying anxiety can cause and/or exacerbate resource guarding behaviours. 

OR:

• If your dog has a bite history of a level 4 or higher with people OR dogs, related to resource guarding incidents
• If there are children in the home or the parents are expecting, and the resource guarding is directed towards humans
• If your dog is unpredictable with their resource guarding, meaning you cannot pin down the resources or triggers that prompt an incident, or the resources and/or triggers change and increase in numbers

A trip to the Veterinary Behaviourist is in order as they are the most qualified to determine your dog's prognosis and the next steps.

It is strongly recommended that you work directly with a qualified trainer, Certified Applied Animal Behaviourist, or a Veterinary Behaviourist.