How to Deal with Toy Aggression, Food Aggression, and Resource Guarding
Resource guarding is a natural response
Resource guarding is genetic. It’s important to survival of the species. Some level of resource guarding is natural. It is a natural instinct to be a little protective over something of high value. Obviously this can grow to a level that needs to be addressed, and which I will address here. However, it is good practice to not bother and not let your kids bother your dog when they are enjoying a nice chew or eating their food. You wouldn’t let your kids steal from others and you wouldn’t let others steal from your kids. And if they did, you inflict some sort of repercussion on the perpetrator. Just as you would advocate for your kids, you need to advocate for your dog. They are a living, breathing member of your family that deserves some respect, and those in your home should learn how to treat them. With that said, you don’t want your dog to be on edge every time they have a toy, or are eating, or chewing on something. They shouldn’t be quick to growl at or bite anyone who comes within their proximity. There may be times that the thing they have in their mouth is dangerous to them and you need to get them away from it. Here are some steps to helping your dog overcome their resource anxiety.
Advocate
One of the primary steps to help a resource guarding dog is to help them learn they don’t have to. The resource guarding probably developed because a dog or person got too involved with their resource and they felt the only thing that would protect them is what they did. Teach them they don’t have to do this and you will. If your dog or kid is getting ready to mess with a dog chewing on something or eating something, step in. Teach them you’ll take care of it. Chances are if you are reading this, your dog probably acts aggressive well before this point now, but this is a great way to prevent resource guarding and will always be an important part of the process.
Show them where resource guarding is acceptable (pretend)
As already stated, resource guarding is genetic. If it’s part of who they are, your dog needs to know where it’s acceptable. Dogs with this predisposition tend to benefit most from tug. So play tug! And let them win! If you win all of the time, it won’t be fulfilling! And make sure what they do is what earns the win. Fight them over the toy and when they tug or shake their head, let it go and act like they just beat you! Then try to get it back! And fail more often than not! If you win, act like you want the toy! Don’t just give it back like you never wanted it in the first place. This needs to be a fun, fulfilling interaction for them so it’s easy to let go of the instances where resource guarding is unacceptable. Learn more about play here:
https://www.thetrustedcompanion.com/thetrustedcompanionblog/play-why-its-important-and-how-to-do-it
There will need to be structures to ensure that they always know you are in charge, but that shouldn’t come at the expense of them winning, having fun, and feeling confident. One of those structures is “out”.
Teach “leave it” “drop” or out”
The next step in rehabbing this process is teaching your dog a reliable “out”. This best done through formal training, but this is a way you can try at home. You can use any term here. The word doesn’t matter, so long as you’re consistent in what you say. We want to create a positive association with letting go of something. You can condition the term by following it with the high value reward, but you’ll want to toss that reward on the floor away from you, so your dog begins to expect to have to move for the reward. You’ll say “out” and then toss the reward on the floor without the guarded resource present. This teaches the pup that the term means something good is coming and it is probably coming on the floor. After your dog has a good understanding of this concept, you can layer it into your counterconditioning protocol. Instead of tossing the treat into the food bowl, you’ll stay far enough away so your pup doesn’t feel threatened, and say “out” then tossing the treat somewhere on the ground a small distance away from the resource. It is best to set your dog up for success here and if the resource in question is too high a value for them to want to leave right away, you will most likely need to build the concept with lower value items, like maybe an empty food bowl or a lower value food. When you can say “out” and your dog looks up at you letting go of the food bowl expecting your reward, it is best to apply some previously conditioned marker training if your dog understands and values a marker like a word or a clicker. A marker is any word or sound you’ve conditioned them to believing precedes food. We use “break” and “yes”. Marking them looking up at you after you say “out” and then following the marker with tossing food on the ground begins to turn counterconditioning into operant conditioning or obedience.
Obedience and changing the relationship
The other pieces to this puzzle are obedience commands. We definitely will need a recall command like “come” or “here” and then a stationary command of some kind, I prefer “place”. You’ll want this to be well understood before using in this situation, because if you create stress while your dog doesn’t understand what you’re asking of them, you could develop a negative association with the resource, turning them off of it completely. These commands need to work every time you ask them, so they will need to be well proofed and practiced in normal situations before using them in resource guarding situations. You can use a leash with a prong collar or slip lead, or you can use an electronic collar if that’s a communication your dog understands well. Practice recalling your dog from a food bowl with only a tiny amount of food in it, and graduate to more and more food and then maybe low value toys to higher value toys. You want your dog getting used to leaving a resource to pay attention to you, and you want to be successful, increasing the difficulty as your dog is ready. Once well understood, we can put it all together by beginning with the “out” followed by reward on the ground, and then you will recall your dog to be stationary which is most easily accomplished with “place”, rewarding them again in the stationary position. Then, with the dog a safe distance away, you can retrieve the resource, pay your dog a reward again after they see you pick up the resource , or you can release your dog from their command to finish consuming their resource or to practice leaving it again. Yes, it seems like a lot of protocol. However, positive emotions come from positive experiences and clear communication. Setting yourself and your dog up for success and having lots of successful repetitions is what helps your dog reach those positive associations with you around their resource.
You need to be the controller of the resources
Finally, you will continue to struggle if you can’t change your relationship with your pup. If they feel in charge and like the leader in your home, they will feel responsible for interpreting what is a threat and then responsible for handling that threat on their own. Obedience training is a huge component in developing this new relationship, but so are how resources are distributed at home. If your dog’s toys and chews are always out, they will always feel like they need to acquire and protect them. However, if you are the one who brings the resource into the environment as well as the one who removes it (using the protocol described above), then your pup will begin to learn that those resources aren’t theirs to guard anyway. Don’t let them be pushy for things like couch space and affection. There is certainly nothing wrong with your dog on the couch or you giving your dog affection, but if they feel like it’s up to them to control it or acquire it, you could be facilitating your problem. Don’t pet them if they demand it. Push them off the couch if they get possessive over it. Don’t let them control these resources either. It’s not a fast process, but we can certainly be successful!
Recommended Packages
ESSENTIAL $500:
Includes 3 30-60 minute private lessons at a park in Elkton, VA or Penn Laird, VA (appointments subject to weather)
Includes Herm-Sprenger prong collar and long training leash
Teaches how to improve your relationship with your dog through play
Teaches leash manners, “out”, and “place” or “come”
Teaches how to play and set parameters for inappropriate behavior
Can cater to specific issues
For dogs at least 5 months old
COMPLETE $850:
Includes everything in Essential package plus 3 additional 30-60 minute private lessons for a total of 6 lessons and electric collar (appointments subject to weather)
Includes remote electric collar
Teaches fundamentals of play and how to use play to develop your bond and communication with your dog
Teaches leash manners, “out”, “come”, “sit”, “place”, “down”, and “heel”
We will proof commands for distance and duration
Will cater to any specific issues with your dog
For dogs at least 4 months old
ROCKSTAR $1100:
Includes everything in the Complete package plus 2 additional 30-60 minute lessons in Elkton for a total of 8 lessons (appointments subject to weather).
2 additional private lessons can be used for teaching additional advanced commands to really bring out the rockstar in your dog! Advance commands can include your choice from extended distance sit and down, come to the heel position, send aways to place, stand, front, maintain eye contact, or feel free to ask about something else!
For dogs at least 4 months old
ANXIETY & AGGRESSION $1100:
Includes everything in the Complete package plus 2 additional lessons in Elkton for a total of 8 lessons (appointments subject to weather).
2 additional lessons will be used to work specifically around the sources of the anxiety and aggression where applicable.
Focus on building confidence and trust
For dogs at least 5 months old
*Military, First Responder, and Multiple Dog discounts can be applied!!
ESSENTIAL $800:
Includes 3 30-60 minute lessons conveniently in your home
Teaches how to improve your relationship with your dog through play
Teaches leash manners, “out”, and “place” or “come”
Teaches play and how to set parameters for inappropriate behavior
We will proof commands for distance and duration
Includes Herm-Sprenger prong collar and long training leash
Allows us to address specific issues in your environment
For dogs at least 5 months old
Includes everything within an hour of Massanutten, though further distances are able to be accommodated for a small surcharge.
COMPLETE $1550:
Includes everything in Essential package plus 3 additional 30-60 minute in-home lessons for a total of 6 lessons and electric collar
Includes remote electric collar
Teaches fundamentals of play and how to use play to develop the communication and bond with your dog
Teaches “out”, “place”, “come”, “down”, and “heel”
We will proof commands for distance and duration
Will cater to any specific issues with your dog
For dogs at least 4 months old
Includes everything within an hour of Massanutten, though further distances are able to be accommodated for a small surcharge.
ROCKSTAR $1800:
Includes everything in the Complete plus 2 additional 30-60 minute lessons for a total of 8 lessons
2 additional lessons can be used for advanced commands and specific issues anxiety or aggression. Advance commands can include your choice from extended distance sit and down, come to the heel position, send aways to place, stand, front, maintain eye contact, or feel free to ask about something else!
For dogs at least 4 months old
Includes everything within an hour of Massanutten, though further distances are able to be accommodated for a small surcharge.
ANXIETY & AGGRESSION $1800:
Includes everything in the Complete plus 2 additional lessons for a total of 8 lessons
Lessons will be used with an emphasis on building confidence and reliability around the source of the aggression or the anxiety where applicable.
For dogs at least 5 months old
Includes everything within an hour of Massanutten, though further distances are able to be accommodated for a small surcharge
*Military, First Responder, and Multiple Dog discounts can be applied!!
This package is designed for dogs with anxiety in certain situations, reactivity towards people or dogs, some mild to moderate aggression, and adult dogs who need more time developing confidence and practicing good habits around a diversity of distractions. The additional weeks will be used to further guide the genetic and emotional drives to appropriate and fulfilling places as well as develop a stronger and more profound relationship with your pup. Emotions and genetics matter a lot especially in anxiety and aggression. 5 weeks gives us more time to focus on those components of your problem issues. It is possible to teach your dog through stress and coercion, but if we can help build trust and motivation through play, they will be much more excited to learn and maintain what they learn. Motivation is far more important to learning than repetition.
Play is the highest form of social interaction with your pup and the highest form of reinforcement when the dog understands how to play. We will attempt to develop it as the primary positive reinforcer, but also as the means to communicate boundaries and develop a trusting relationship to help guide your pup through their issues. It is impossible to fully suppress behaviors reinforced by your dog’s individual genetics. If they are genetically inclined to bite or chase, we cannot keep them from biting or chasing forever. It will always eventually pop up in the places we don’t want, because it’s who they are, and suppressing who they are creates anxiety. However, if we use our time to develop outlets for those behaviors by biting tugs or chasing balls through play, then we have a significant chance to be successful at telling them they can’t bite people or chase cars, etc for the long term. We will also use our time to create more embedded patterns and habits of the more acceptable behaviors and states of mind so that they translate to your home more readily.
Your dog lives with a trainer at their house for 5 weeks!
Can include electronic collar from E-Collar Technologies and Herm-Sprenger prong collar for off leash and on leash reliability
Can include commands of “out”, “come”, “sit”, “place”, “heel”," “down”, leash manners and door manners
Will develop the fundamentals and rules of fetch and tug within the time allowance
Can proof commands for high distraction, long distances, and long duration holding commands until released
Commands will be proofed off leash where applicable
Can spend additional time proofing for higher distractions
Can spend additional time working around sources of anxiety with a focus on increasing confidence
Can spend additional time working on specific issues like resource guarding
Can spend additional time getting multiple dogs accustomed to working with each other
Slower and easier introduction to the commands
Can cater training to any specific issues with your dog
Updates every single day
2-4 hour in-home turnover (within 2 hours of Massanutten) to make sure you know how to maintain the training and develop your new relationship with your dog!
Lifetime refresher lessons at the park in Massanutten should you need any help transitioning the dog home or even if you let things slip a little
50% discount on a consultation for help getting started before Board and Train start date.
For dogs at least 4 months old
Rushed scheduling is available for a 30% surcharge.
*Military, First Responder, and Multiple Dog discounts can be applied!!
*All Board and Train purchases must be paid and full and have returned signed contracts before scheduling.
This package is best for dogs with more advanced anxiety or aggression issues, but is still a fantastic solution for most dogs! Where no training option is magic and there will be work to do with you and your environment no matter how long they train, this option allows for fuller immersion in training structures, fuller development of play, emotional associations, and communication, and the more normalization of good behavioral and emotional habits make that transition home much easier. You cannot rehabilitate aggression or anxiety issues by just focusing on behavior. This package gives more time to focus on the emotional and genetic contributors to the issues your having to set you up for long-term success and your dog up for success and self-confidence.
You couldn’t rush a relationship with your dog and neither can your trainer. The more time we have to develop our mutual trust and communication, the better learning environment we can create for your pup and the more durable the training will become. You can teach commands through stress and you can bribe with food, but neither of these options develop the mutual trust, respect, and communication that time and play can develop. Play satisfies your dog on a genetic level and gives them purpose in life. How awesome would it be for you to be the provider of that fulfillment? You can certainly use coercion to make yourself relevant to your dog when they are distracted, anxious, or aggressive, but mostly this masks the behavioral in the short term when the genetic and emotional underpinnings aren’t addressed. A large reason why behavioral issues develop is because your dog doesn’t have outlets for the things that make them who they are (chasing, biting, herding, barking, etc.) and don’t know how now to have that fulfilling relationship with you. Your dog is an incredibly social animal. If you aren’t providing the genetic or social fulfillment to your dog, they will look for it elsewhere and live a less confident life. This training option is designed to more fully develop the concepts of play so your dog can find that fulfillment they need, set up a very motivational and successful learning environment ant relationship, and then use that play and that relationship to create the boundaries and communication we need to help them navigate their issues and find long-term success.
Your dog lives with a trainer at their house for 8 weeks!
Immersion into normal life with new and better habits
Will develop the fundamentals and rules of fetch and tug within the time allowance
Healthy dog and human socialization
Fuller integration of commands with normal life
Can include electronic collar from E-Collar Technologies and Herm-Sprenger prong collar for off leash and on leash reliability!
Can include commands of “out”, “come”, “sit”, “place”, “heel”," “down”, leash manners and door manners, proofing for high distraction, long distances, and long duration holding commands until released
Commands will be proofed off leash where applicable
Can address and build confidence regarding any anxiety or aggressive behavior
Can solidify good habits regarding specific issues
Can integrate dogs from the same home together in training as well as normal life
Can spend time developing tracking or detection
Updates every single day
2-4 hour in-home turnover (within 2 hours of Massanutten) to make sure you know how to maintain the training and develop your new relationship with your dog!
Lifetime refresher lessons at the park in Massanutten should you need any help transitioning the dog home or even if you let things slip a little
50% discount on a consultation for help getting started before Board and Train start date.
For dogs at least 4 months old
Rushed scheduling is available for a 30% surcharge.
*Military, First Responder, and Multiple Dog discounts can be applied!!
*All Board and Train purchases must be paid and full and have returned signed contracts before scheduling.