Trading for something else is not stopping resource guarding

We received this comment on our YouTube video on resource guarding yesterday… 🙄

Have you ever been told the “swap” method to stop resource guarding with your dog?

Unfortunately that advice is being given all the time, and all it does it lead to a dog that continues to guard, and typically ends up guarding worse.

The problem is that you might get the dog to drop whatever it has in the moment, but what happens if you need the thing you swapped for? The dog will guard that, and the cycle only continues.

Also, think about the fact that the dog is guarding and you’re technically presenting a REWARD while they’re displaying this behavior. You’re reinforcing a terrible state of mind—most likely unknowingly.

The way to STOP resource guarding is by correcting the behavior with an intolerable consequence. Whether that’s a leash pop, squirt bottle, remote collar, or bonker—a true correction is whatever the dog perceives as a correction.

Many people say “well I tell my dog no and put it in the crate, but the behavior happens again the next day.” That’s because kenneling your dog isn’t a correction (and we highly advise you DONT use the kennel as a correction, as it should be a positive experience for the dog) YOU might view the crate as a correction, but if it’s not changing the dogs behavior, chances are the dog doesn’t care.

We stop resource guarding ALL the time. It’s actually very simple to accomplish and takes us typically no more than a few seconds. Resource guarding is a very dangerous behavior and often leads dogs to being put down or rehomed.

It’s never a good outcome either way. That’s why we work so hard to ensure dog owners can extinguish this behavior on their own.

We have dozens of free YouTube videos on this as well as an entire course on resource guarding on our online academy.

Academy.solidk9training.com