Resource guarding is an instinctual response to a perceived threat to a valuable item. Resource guarding refers to a behavioral response or pattern of behaviors. While some of these behaviors can be unnoticed, other aggressive behaviors are problematic when directed at humans or other animals in the home. While experiencing aggressive resource guarding is a jarring experience, we have tools to prevent and stop resource guarding.
Positive reinforcement training can effectively resolve resource guarding by addressing the underlying root causes of the behavior using the latest research in learning and behavioral science.
If you are new to positive reinforcement training, many of our classes will provide exercises and training tools that can help you work with your resource guarder. Our adult foundations classes or the puppy foundations classes are great places to start working on these skills with expert support from our certified dog training professionals. Group classes provide structured spaces to learn skills and see how they can be applied to different situations.
In addition to a structured class to introduce or refine positive reinforcement training techniques; we recommend these resources:
- Mine! A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs by Jean Donaldson
- Podcast: Michael Shikashio “Resource Guarding, Aggression, and Reactivity”
- “Will Peeing on Your Dog Fix His Resource Guarding Problem?” by Michael Shikashio
- Resource Guarding: Treatment and Prevention by Patricia McConnell PhD, CAAB
- Read more about resource guarding in this post.
Finally, If you are concerned about your dog and want individualized support from certified training professionals, we can do that.
A behavioral expert will provide an at-home evaluation to see the resource guarding in context and then develop a unique training program to address your concerns. Following a consult, our certified trainers will provide you with a toolkit of the most effective science-based methods to humanely address the guarding behaviors.
