The Truth About Resource Guarding Dogs who guard things they have—or things they want to have—are displaying what we call resource guarding. For most dogs, resource guarding is either part of who they are — often influenced by genetics — or it simply isn’t something they do. In dogs who do guard, we typically can reduce but not erase the underlying anxiety or instinct to protect resources, unless it's addressed very early in life. What we can do is teach these dogs the skills they need to...

Want to prevent reactivity before it starts? Here’s one of the most overlooked skills—learning to watch without staring. Here’s how to tell the difference: 🔹 Watching = relaxed, checking in, less than 3 seconds of direct eye contact, able to disengage 🔹 Staring = stiff, tense, frozen in position, locked-in eye contact, unable to look around, sniff, or connect with you So, why does this become a problem? Because we often miss the early warning signs. 🚩 We confuse "socialization" with letting...

What's the Real Trigger? Have you ever been told that your anxiety is the reason your dog is reactive? Let me be clear: that’s not true. Reactivity stems from a combination of learning history and genetics—not your emotions. That said, our dogs do pick up on patterns and cues in ways we often don’t notice. After losing both Maxi and Enzo last winter, I noticed something surprising. I had always assumed I fed the dogs breakfast simply because it was morning. But in reality, it was Maxi and...