Training Philosophy
Resource Guarding Towards People
Does your dog exhibit aggressive behavior around food? Does your dog growl or snap at you whenever you go to grab a toy from them? If your dog struggles with resource guarding, you are not alone! Resource guarding can be directed at both people and other pets in the home. Many people get confused about this behavior as it happens seemingly out of nowhere due to the wide variety of conditions that bring on this aggressive behavior. Our team uses a unique system involving our Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, our Indirect Assessment of Canine Behavior, and our pre-training team to assess and create a personalized treatment plan. Our unique process is one of a kind and specific to Beyond the Dog. Using our system, we’ve treated hundreds of dogs that show aggressive behavior around all different resources from bones to beds around the greater Houston area. Our Houston resource guarding dog training program is here to create harmony in your home by reducing or eliminating your dog’s aggression.
Resource Guarding Towards Other Dogs
Does your dog growl and lunge at other pets in the home whenever they have access to certain items? Maybe whenever your older dog has a bone they become stiff and territorial when your new puppy approaches? This may seem like normal behavior but often develops into a very dangerous living environment. If you have two dogs fighting in your Houston home over resources, our Houston in-home dog training program is for you. Led by Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Echterling-Savage, your dog’s behavior will be thoroughly analyzed through the Indirect Assessment of Canine Behavior and knowledge of our pre-training team. Through our unique process, we will create a personalized treatment plan for your dog. Our Houston in-home dog training programs are scientifically proven to reduce and eliminate dog aggression using a combination of positive reinforcement and classical conditioning including teaching specific obedience behaviors to help manage your dog’s behavior around resources.
Training Programs
This Houston dog training program is specifically designed to reduce and eliminate resource guarding. Common instances of guarding that we treat include:
Dogs can develop resource guarding for many reasons including genetics, breed, early environment, aversive training techniques, and the behavior of other pets in the home. Unfortunately, once a dog has shown signs of resource guarding, without proper intervention, the behavior is likely to worsen. Our trainers treat resource guarding with a combination of classical conditioning and positive reinforcement, including teaching specific obedience behaviors to help manage your dog’s behavior around resources all while using a functional approach. Research by Mehrkam et al. supports that function-based treatment using classical and operant conditioning was highly effective in treating resource guarding in dogs with results that last weeks after treatment has been performed. Dogs are taught to be less concerned about the resources and happily look forward to being approached by their loved ones. According to our resident CAAB Dr. Echterling-Savage, “Resource guarding in dogs is a problem behavior that has caused my clients some of the most stress, confusion, and concern. Luckily, with proper function-based training, it is treatable.”
The All-Inclusive Program for Resource Guarding in Dogs encompasses 20 training sessions across 5 intensive weeks with 2 follow-up sessions spanning a total of 22 training sessions over 8 weeks! After you submit your training contract and Indirect Assessment of Canine Behavior, our pre-training team, led by Dr. Echterling-Savage, uses the information provided to craft your personalized dog training program. Then, your trainer will put your training plan into action! Your trainer will work with your dog one-on-one for three (1) hour sessions during the week. The fourth session each week is dedicated to your training! This structure is designed to produce seamless learning and long-term behavior change. After the 5-week-long training, there are 2 follow-up sessions to support your progress. Please note that our indirect behavior assessments will confirm the severity of your dog’s behavior and if deemed severe you may incur a small additional fee.
If you are a pet parent with an insurance policy covering behavior modification, our dog resource guarding behavior modification is likely covered. Most companies with behavior policies such as Trupanion cover behavioral training when under the direction of a CAAB or a Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist.
Want expert advice on how to manage and reduce your dog’s resource guarding from the comfort of your home? In these 1-hour virtual consultations, our CAAB, Dr. Echterling-Savage, or one of our Houston behavior consultants under Dr. Echterling-Savage’s direct supervision will give you expert training advice on specific steps to take to modify your dog’s behavior. Depending on the severity of your dog’s guarding from the Indirect Assessment of Canine Behavior, we will recommend one or multiple sessions with Dr. Echterling-Savage or with one of our other behavior consultants. Pricing for 1-hour virtual consultations with Dr. Ectherling-Savage is $375. Pricing for a 1-hour virtual consultation with one of our Houston trainers is $150.
Reach Out
We’ll get back to you in two wags of a dog’s tail!
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