Stopping a Weiner Dog From Resource Guarding Bones & Chew Toys

For this Santa Monica dog training session we worked with Homey, a 9 year-old Dachshund who charges the door and has a resource guarding problem with bones.

Homey was far ahead of the curve when it came to rules and structure due to one of his guardian setting some rules for herself when the guardians moved in together. The overwhelming majority of my clients struggle to come up with even a single rule when I ask them what kind of structure is in place.

I went over ways to reward Homey for displaying desired actions and behaviors. This type of positive dog training works so well because these are things the humans can do over and over again, all day long. Each time the guardians pet with a purpose or reward things they like with attention and affection, it will be a micro dog behavior training session without even thinking about it.

To stop Homey from nipping people, we chatted about that dog behavior problem while I observed and tested the dog. After getting more info from the humans and Dachshund, Im thinking this is actually a mild case of Resource Guarding.

Stopping a dog from resource guarding is actually pretty easy with the right approach. The key is to avoid taking things from the dog and instilling a strong drop command while simultaneously using this technique to stop any dog with a resource guarding problem.

The more that the guardians use this trick to stop resource guarding and recognize when Homey is displaying signs of being possessive, the quicker they can stop this dog behavior problem for good.

Helping a dog stop resource guarding is one of the more rewarding things I do as an LA dog behavior expert. Its a serious dog behavior problem that confounds many dog guardians as its not related to training. Its all about teaching the dog no one is going to take your stuff. In fact, when done properly, the dog thinks “when a human approaches me when I have an item, they aren’t going to steal from me, they are going to make my situation better.”

To help the guardians remember all the dog behavior help and tips I shared in this at home dog training session, we shot a roadmap to success video that you can check out below.