How to train a dog with resource guarding in mind? First, you must know what it is. Resource guarding in dog is what the title implies, it is when dogs guard their valuable belongings, like food or room, by exhibiting aggressive behaviour. But there are other levels of resource guarding dog behaviour, ranging from relatively harmless to very serious aggression. The following tips are aimed at helping dog owners learn how to correctly deal with the behaviour.
The most common sign of how to train a dog with resource guarding behavior is its constant barking or whining. To distract it, you can give the dog a toy or treat. If it’s hungry, you can also put it in its dog training bowl. You can also use a clicker or a command like “come” for this kind of behaviour. Your dog will probably growl or whine at you as soon as you enter its dog training area.
Make sure not to reward the dog immediately. Dogs have a tendency to remember whatever they’ve been rewarded for. They also learn faster if they are reinforced every time they perform a good deed or behave well. Try to find out what motivates your dog the most and always play with it in exchange for its good behaviour. For example, if you used the previously mentioned command to tell it to sit and then gave it an extra special treat, try to give it that treat the next time it behaves well.
Say “sit” when approaching the dog, and then move closer to it until it stands still. With each step forward, say “stay” or “come” in a firm voice and then quickly give it a treat. When the dog obeys, move closer to it, do the same thing the next time and reward him with a bigger treat.
Resource guarding can be overcome by teaching the dog to ignore the other dog. This is done by gradually moving closer to the dog using the command of “stay” until it reaches about one foot away from it. At that point, move back a little and repeat the process. The dog should eventually growl at you, but not in anger. Let it know that you mean business and you don’t appreciate its whining. If it continues to behave in that manner, start throwing the kibble in its bowl.
Eventually, your dog will learn that it cannot keep its food and water for itself but has to guard them from the intruder or any other animal. It will learn to keep its food and water bowl on the counter or table top instead of anywhere else where it might cause the dog harm. You will reward this behavior by giving it a high-value treat for doing this and rewarding it profusely each time it does it.
As you work with your dog to modify its behavior, remember to keep a close eye on its progress. It may start out keeping the food bowl and water bowl, but soon it will grow to be a guard dog and keep everything inside except for the food it needs to survive. When this happens, you should reward your dog by praising it and giving it a treat for standing up to you. Praise it in such a way that the dog knows it is getting lots of positive attention when it guards your presence. If the dog is still exhibiting undesirable behavior, remove it from the training environment and try again another day.
Resource guarding dogs can be controlled by using negative reinforcement and positive reinforcement training methods. You will want to avoid harsh punishment, yelling or hitting the dog, and should stick to more gentle techniques such as rewards and praise. The key to successfully training dogs with this problem is to understand the source of their behavioral problems, then eliminate that behavior. Once they stop guarding their food bowl and other areas of their home, you can let them roam free and enjoy life with you.
