The Resource Guarder: Trading a Scarcity Mindset for Abundance
By iKE ALLEN, Happy Healthy Dog Co-Founder
It’s a tense moment for any dog owner: you walk toward your pup while they’re enjoying a bone, and they let out a low growl. Or maybe they hover over their bowl, stiffening up as you pass by. This is what we call Resource Guarding.
To us, it feels like a lack of gratitude or even aggression. But from the dog’s perspective, it’s pure logic: “I have something valuable, and I’m afraid you’re going to take it away.” They are acting from a place of Scarcity.
The Dog Education: The “Trade Up” Method
The biggest mistake we make with a guarder is trying to take the item by force. This only proves to the dog that they were right to be afraid!
Instead, we teach the “Trade Up.” You don’t just take the bone; you offer them something even better—like a piece of roast chicken. By doing this, you teach the dog that your approach doesn’t mean loss; it means gain. You shift their brain from “I have to protect this” to “I can’t wait to see what the human brings me next.”
The ReThink Pivot: Human Resource Guarding
We might not growl over a bowl of kibble, but humans “resource guard” all the time. We guard our time, our ideas, or even our profit margins.
I remember a conversation with a former business partner back in the early 2000’s about our online affiliate program. I suggested we pay a 50% commission to keep our partners motivated and excited to promote our products.
He “stiffened up” immediately—he thought that was way too much and that they should just be happy to mail for us for less. He was so focused on guarding that percentage that he couldn’t see the bigger picture.
I finally had to ask him, “Do you know what 100% of nothing is?” When we’re afraid that giving an inch means losing something vital, we’re living in a Scarcity Mindset. We get so busy protecting our “bowl” that we miss out on the massive growth that comes from collaboration and generosity.
Using the ReThink Method allows us to realize the most important “Good job!” is the one that comes from inside. When you stop guarding your “stuff” and start validating your own internal worth, you realize that giving doesn’t mean you are “less than.” You become a “self-rewarding” pup who knows that there is always more roast chicken on the way.
The [ReThink] Tool: The Scarcity Reset
The next time you feel that “growl” starting in your chest—whether you’re being defensive about a project or protective of your schedule—try this:
- Identify the “Bone”: What are you afraid of losing in this moment? (Is it your time? Your status? Your need to be right?)
- The Human Trade Up: What is the high-value “roast chicken” you get if you let go of the bone? (If you give up the need to be right, do you gain a better relationship? If you share your time, do you gain a sense of community?)
- Abundance Affirmation: Remind yourself: “My value doesn’t come from holding onto this. My value comes from who I am.”
The Bottom Line
Resource guarding is a survival instinct, but it’s a lonely way to live. Whether you’re working with a dog or working on yourself, the goal is the same: building enough trust to know that letting go is the only way to get something better.
Drop the bone. The roast chicken is waiting.
