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How to Stop Resource Guarding: The Ultimate Guide

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How do you STOP possession aggression? This is the ultimate guide to resource guarding! 🥕 Get 50% OFF Nom Nom: https://trynom.com/zak

Watch this video for an in-depth understanding of resource guarding in dogs and effective ways to manage it.

Delving into the realms of ethology, we shed light on why some dogs guard resources while others don't.

Spotting the early signs of resource guarding is vital for effective management. From subtle avoidance to more intense reactions like growling, each step up on this behavioral ladder signifies a dog's increasing defensiveness. Understanding these signs can help you employ strategies to calm the situation before it escalates.

The video takes you through the science behind resource guarding and its connections to the primal fight-or-flight response.

We also debunk common misconceptions about resource guarding and explain why punishment is not a viable solution. It's about addressing the root cause – the fear and stress driving the dog's protective behavior.

Early intervention can make a significant difference, especially in puppies. We use my puppy, Inertia, as an example to demonstrate a slow and steady training process that shapes a puppy's developing brain and gradually lessens their need to guard resources.

With adult dogs, managing resource guarding can be a bit more challenging, but it's far from impossible. This video walks you through strategies of desensitization and counter-conditioning, aimed at gradually reshaping a dog's emotional reactions to certain triggers.

I'll also give advice for parents who are dealing with resource guarding around children.

This video offers advice on when to reach out to dog behaviorists, trainers, and vets for guidance, too.

In essence, resource guarding is a call for understanding, empathy, and patience. Through consistency and positive training methods, we can help our dogs feel secure, fostering a bond built on trust and mutual respect.

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How & Why EVERY DOG Should LOVE Wearing a Muzzle: https://youtu.be/M7skDA82lvw

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Thank you so much for watching this video! If you have any feedback, requests for future content, or just want to tell us about your dog… We’ll see you in the comments!! 🤗 – Zak and Bree (and Inertia… and Veronica! 🐾)

CHAPTERS
0:00 intro
0:13 feeding routine can help
0:22 high quality fresh food
0:50 trynom.com/zak to get 50% off!
0:58 resource guarding isn’t just a dog thing
1:30 understanding your dog’s behavior
1:45 signs of resource guarding
2:40 the science of resource guarding
3:46 this is the uncomfortable part
4:02 your overall goal
4:19 why punishment doesn’t work
5:22 preventing resource guarding
5:44 when my dog resource guarded
6:33 what I did
7:35 here’s your recipe!
8:20 if your dog is still guarding when you’re training
8:50 habitualized resource guarding
9:09 counterconditioning and desensitizing
9:40 what is setting off your dog’s guarding behavior?
9:58 developing a plan
12:40 this is important!
13:19 resource guarding & children
14:27 early warning signs
14:46 consulting a professional (recommendations in the description!)

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41 Comments on “How to Stop Resource Guarding: The Ultimate Guide”

  1. Seeing your videos inspired me to get my own dog, and after training him I decided to learn more and now I’m studying to be a dog trainer ❤

    3. @Zak George’s Dog Training Revolution do you have any suggestions for dog anxiety? My dog is really anxious and I’m not sure why, and if/how I can help her

    5. ​@🦋EmmaGrace🌺 find another dog trainer to ask for advice instead of the guy who can’t even do the things he claims he’s helping you learn. Dude almost got bitten by dogs he’s raised himself. Versus I can walk up and pull a steak raw out of a over 90 percent wolf hybrids mouth. One that I also haven’t seen regularly in over 8 years now.

      Dog daddy american standard k9. Or go talk with 1st508th airborne. All are likely to give you much better advice then this guy.

      Also how old is your dog. Puppy or adult?

    1. What about Chop and Inertia didn’t mean business? A snap means business, I think. What would it take for the dog to “mean business” in your opinion? I would really like to know what you mean that the dog “means business”. I think both Cop and Inertia (not to mention that little Corgi) meant business and Zak showed you exactly how to handle that. What more do you need?

  6. Great video, I love the psychological approach and addressing the dog’s fear. Showing the dog it can trust people is fundamental. Intimidating the dog through punishment when it’s already scared isn’t a solution. Positive reinforcement is even how competent zoo keepers train undomesticated animals the behaviors necessary for medical examinations like coming when called and holding certain positions during palpating or injections and blood tests.

  8. I will start working on this with my dog as she gets defensive around her high value chews. And she recently showed the behavior around a water dish at the dog park, so I would like her to be more desensitized before this escalates any further. Thank you for all your wonderful videos!! So helpful as a first time dog owner!

    1. That’s called resource guarding and it doesn’t necessarily mean you have an aggressive dog. Very few dogs are truly aggressive, they are usually reactive. It’s an entirely different problem. Please 🙏 seek other sources of information for training your dog. This man is a scam.

  9. Great video which gets the main ideas across really well 🙂 . Some constructive criticism: you could probably put more emphasis on the fact that this kind of training may take a looong time for some dogs. My rescue had very severe resource guarding issues when I got him. It took about 6 months of training before I could safely take away his food bowl filled with dry kibble without any complaints. It took another 2 months to get to the same stage with wet kibble (next step is canned food).
    I initially consulted 2 trainers about this and read your guide to a well-behaved dog and got pretty much the same advice from all. However, training “plateaued” very quickly which was pretty demotivating. In the end I bought a book specifically about resource guarding (“Mine!: A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs” – would definitely recommend 🙂 ) which has helped a lot 🙂 . The book makes it very clear at the beginning that this may take a long way which helped me set realistic expectations and stay motivated throughout times of low progress.

  10. I don’t always agree with you but you are a very good trainer. I appreciate you mentioning this isn’t a genetic issue I see too many people blaming genetics for problem behavior

  11. This information is very helpful. My last rescue was literally trained by his previous owner to resource guard. I went online to find out how to deal with this but didn’t find a great deal but what I found did help. We got through it all but I couldn’t risk taking him to picnics or anything with kids and food since we still had problems with treats. My hope is that I can prevent this from happening with another rescue.

  13. This was very helpful. I have 2 Corgis here in New Orleans one that is 2 years old and the other is 8 months. The 8 month old resource guards treats and gets aggressive with the 2year old if she thinks he is going to get her treats. I feel like dog to dog resource guarding is so difficult to deal with. This video gives me some ideas to start practicing.

  14. I’m so glad you made this video!! I’ve had my dog for 7 years and he’s been an only pet. We’ve never had a problem with resource guarding until recently. I moved into my brother’s house temporarily and he’s got a dog too. Our dogs are best friends, but now that they live together my dog has started hiding treats instead of eating them straight away. If he hides a treat and someone, not just my brothers dog, goes near it, he freaks out. He’ll growl and snap at someone who goes near the spot he’s hidden the treat. It’s been a struggle and I can’t wait to see this video and figure out a better way to handle this!

  16. Zak I’ve been a long time subscriber and I wholly attribute my two well behaved dogs to your youtube videos. I have two questions/suggestions for you
    1) I would love more videos on dog playing. What is too rough and how to train a multiple dog household
    2) there’s been a lot of online trends of people wanting to feed their dogs different diets. What are your thoughts on feeding mainly kibble for dogs?

    Keep up the great work!

  17. Another great video. Thanks for breaking it down clearly that management and steady training can tackle such issues. Now did you think about the academy yet ? Remember I am first in line 😄.

  18. I did this with my puppy and it worked beautifully. If I meet other dog owners whilst walking my dog, and we get into conversation, I always recommend your YouTube posts.

  19. I’m so grateful for you as a dog trainer to have another professional who does not resort to using aversive tools. YOU are an inspiration to me for sticking to your true beliefs amidst all the contradicting views in the dog Training world.

  20. Awesome video! You are my ‘go to guy’ when I need training advice. Always find perfect answers and techniques for my clients from watching your videos. THANK YOU!

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