Multiple dogs, multiple beds: what a study of 3,589 dogs says about resource guarding
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
One bed per dog, or one large shared bed? A large Canadian survey provides hard numbers on resource guarding between dogs sharing a household, sleeping sites included. Our multi-dog bedding and set-up guidance is gathered in the dog bedding and habitat section.
A survey of nearly 3,600 dogs
Jacqueline Jacobs, Jason Coe, David Pearl, Tina Widowski and Lee Niel published, in 2018 in Preventive Veterinary Medicine, a cross-sectional survey of owners recruited through social media. Of 3,068 people contacted, 2,207 completed the full survey, describing 3,589 dogs. Resource guarding is defined as a set of behaviours — growling, blocking, teeth-snapping, biting — aimed at protecting food, toys or a sleeping site from another dog.
Dogs living in a multi-dog household showed more guarding aggression, avoidance and rapid food ingestion than dogs living without another dog. Higher impulsivity and fear increased the likelihood of guarding aggression, and neutered males were over-represented among dogs that aggressively guarded resources. Teaching a dog to reliably "drop" an item on cue was associated with a reduced risk of guarding-related bites.
What this study does not show
This is a self-reported owner survey, not systematic video observation: it may under- or over-estimate certain behaviours depending on how attuned each owner is to spotting them. It establishes a statistical association between living in a multi-dog household and guarding, not proof that sharing one specific bed is the direct cause — other features of multi-dog living likely play a role too.
What it changes at home
- Provide an individual bed for each dog rather than one shared bed, especially when a new dog joins the household — see our comparison of the plastic bed versus cushion bed.
- Train a reliable "drop" cue early on, including around bedding and toys, given the association this study found between that training and a reduced risk of biting.
- An individual crate can help clearly separate each dog's resources, on the same educational principle covered in our article on the crate as an educational tool.
- Consult a behaviourist after repeated growling around a bed, before a guarding habit becomes established.
Frequently asked questions
Does a shared bed necessarily cause guarding?
The study shows a statistical association with multi-dog living as a whole, not proof that a shared bed specifically is the direct cause.
Are neutered males inherently more aggressive?
The study finds a statistical over-representation of neutered males in guarding aggression, without establishing a single causal mechanism.
How can the risk be reduced in a multi-dog household?
Individual beds, drop-cue training and vigilance around early signs (growling, blocking) are the levers identified by this study. Find all our guides on the dog hub.
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Dogs universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.