This content demonstrates proactive and reactive methods for preventing and managing resource guarding in dogs, emphasizing building trust and safety through positive reinforcement.
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Have you ever had an issue with your dog
guarding something? Let me see if I can
call him away from it. Wallace,
reaching in and taking it is not
advisable here. Just because really
natural behavior kicks in, it has served
dogs and wolves well over the eons to be
protective of their food. We want to be
proactive about showing our dog how to
behave in the presence of something that
they really value like this. Today I'm
going to show you how to prevent your
dog from ever wanting to guard anything
ever again. One thing that could be
beneficial here is using like real
chicken. I'm going to grab some of this
chicken breast. So, you can see I'm
tossing some treats in the area. He's
into them, but he's also very into that
bone. Like that one. I'm pretty sure he
saw it and I'm pretty sure he decided
not to go for it. In general, the idea
is that we're trading up. We're giving
our dog something that they value more
than the thing they're chewing. Now,
that may or may not be the case right
now. In his case, it's at least as good.
He'll stop to take the treat, but not
every time. And what I'm really watching
for here isn't whether chicken beats the
bone. I'm watching whether Wallace
believes that disengaging is safe. Can
he look away from the bone? Can he move
his body without tension? Can he choose
to actually leave it and still feel okay
about it? When a dog feels safe, they
don't feel the need to guard. Sometimes
though, you got to get something away
from your dog right now. You're not
exactly training anymore. You're
responding to an emergency. So, go and
get something your dog cannot resist and
toss those incredible, irresistible
morsels in a very enticing fashion. Go
get it away from the item that your dog
is guarding. That's how you take a bone
away from a dog like Wallace. Now, wait.
I'm not going to put it up. Okay. Giving
him that bone right back is really
important because it shows him that
leaving something doesn't automatically
mean losing it. Good. Okay, I'm gonna
give it back pretty quickly to him
there. Let him know that that's his to
enjoy. It's not going anywhere. The
other thing you can do in this case is
work on calling your dog away from it.
Wallace here. Yes. I got just a subtle
glance. I'm not trying to rush him or
flood him or overwhelm him. Not reaching
in for the bone at all here. Yes. Come.
Good man. Good. And I'm going to toss
some chicken there. You can see how
coming to you is incompatible with
resourceuarding this. Now, I guess they
could pick it up and bring it to you,
but typically I don't think that's what
he'll do. Good. Let go. He did bring the
bone with him.
>> Okay, [laughter] >> Wallace.
>> Wallace.
>> If your dog can't look away, they can't
disengage, or they feel the need to
freeze or hover, that's really critical
feedback to pay attention to. What you
should not do is push or rush your dog.
Trust does not come from proving a
point. Wallace, here. Yes, good man.
Sit. It comes from staying under
threshold. So, you see, I'm not trying
to teach Wallace that I control all of
his stuff. Stay. I'm changing the
picture so disengaging actually makes
sense to him.
>> Okay. But at this point, you know, he's
done really well. And so rather than
doing this over and over again, I'm just
going to let him enjoy the bone. You'll
notice, too, the other dogs are here
being good dogs. Lie down. Good. They're
not pursuing the bone. You can imagine
how tempting that might be for them.
This is something I've worked on with
them, leaving other dogs alone when
they're eating or, you know, chewing on
something like this. Probably should
tell them they're doing a good job, huh?
Whenever we're working with our dogs
like this, having the right reinforcers
really does make a big difference.
You've seen me use lots of Bark Box and
Super Chewer toys with Wallace. And when
you sign up right now, you're going to
get a free extra toy in every single box
for an entire year. That is a good deal.
If you want training treats only, we
love Pupford treats. They're awesome.
They break up easily. They're very high
value. And you just can't go wrong with
them. All the links below. Click thumbs
up. Make sure you're subscribed. This is
Wallace. He's a Malininoa German
Shepherd [music] mix and he is in
training with me. I'm Zach George. This
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