Resource guarding among dogs is an extremely common and normal behavior. Dogs are pre-programmed not to want to share valued resources with others. For pet dogs, resources may include food, toys, or even the owner's attention. In most households, resource guarding is limited to simple communication, but sometimes the behavior can escalate in frequency or intensity and injuries can occur. If you are ever concerned about aggressive behavior in your dog, related to resource guarding or not, it is best to contact your vet or other qualified professional for help before proceeding on your own.
Karen Pryor Clicker Training Library
Ignorance Is Bliss: Real-World Use of Modifiers with a Search & Rescue Dog
By Ken Ramirez on 08/20/2024A search-and-rescue start
101 Things to Do with a Box
By Karen Pryor on 08/12/2024101 Things to do with a Box: A Good Exercise for an Older, Suspicious, or Previously Trained Dog
This training game is derived from a dolphin research project in which I and others participated: "The creative porpoise: training for novel behavior," published in the Journal of Experimental Analysis of Behavior in 1969. It has become a favorite with dog trainers. It's especially good for "crossover" dogs with a long history of correction-based training, since it encourages mental and physical flexibility and gives the dog courage to try something on its own.
Fifteen Tips for Getting Started with the Clicker
By Karen Pryor on 07/08/2024Clicker training is a terrific, science-based way to communicate with your pet. It's easier to learn than standard command-based training. You can clicker train any kind of animal, of any age. Puppies love it. Old dogs learn new tricks. You can clicker-train cats, birds, and other pets as well. Here are some simple tips to get you started.
What Squirrel? 10 Techniques for Training with Distractions
By Casey Lomonaco on 06/03/2024Click to Be Fit: Fun Canine Fitness Training
By Bridget Thomas on 04/10/2024Want to try some fun and games?
What to Expect: Introducing a Puppy to Your Adult Dogs
By Laurie Luck on 03/22/2024Sibling rivalry
Getting a new puppy is exciting—at least for the humans in the family. Sometimes, however, the dog of the house doesn't think the pup is a welcome addition. Many people believe that the process of adding a puppy to the family will be harmonious and that the current dog(s) will also be excited. They are disappointed when that doesn't happen. Expectations are often unrealistic but, in most cases, what the human family members see instead of those expectations is entirely normal.
New Year's Resolutions, Clicker-Style!
By Aidan Bindoff on 12/21/2023When you make your New Year's resolutions this year, why not include your dog? Popular resolutions such as "get more exercise" can easily include the family pet, and many spiritual, personal growth, environmental, and philanthropical goals can include your best friend, too. Here are our top 7 ideas for including a favorite canine in your New Year's resolutions.
Holiday Manners 101
By Irith Bloom on 12/13/2023Holidays are fun, right?
The holidays are nearly here. Visitors, music, food… what could be better?
How to Put an End to Counter-Surfing
By Aidan Bindoff on 11/03/2023Many dog owners complain that their dogs steal food from kitchen counters or even the dinner table. A new term was even coined to describe this behavior: counter-surfing. If you're tired of losing your dinner to a sneaky pooch every time you turn your back, here's what you can do about it.
Help, We’re Being Invaded! How to Train Polite Greetings
By trainer@canines... on 10/04/2023Holiday fun?
The last quarter of the year is a rough one for dogs.
Harnessing the Power of Your Dog’s Nose: An Introduction to K9 Nose Work
By Laurie Luck on 08/02/2023A dog’s nose is an amazing thing to behold. Dogs have the ability to: wiggle each nostril independently, breathe in through the holes in the front of the nose and exhale through the side slits, and discern individual odors making up what we could call a “scent.” Humans have about 5 million cells devoted to smelling; dogs have up to 220 million. Not only that, but dogs have four times the brain power devoted to processing scents! We smell “vegetable soup,” but a dog smells each individual ingredient. Dogs’ noses are so powerful they can detect one tablespoon of sugar in the amount of water it would take to fill two Olympic-sized swimming pools!
What to Do When Your Dog Loses His Cue: Training Outdoors with Distractions
By Christina Waggoner on 04/07/2023Please come
“He only does what I ask when he wants to. It’s really hit or miss.”
Attachments
By Karen Pryor on 02/02/2023February means Valentine's Day, a happy time for me as a child. I lived with the principal of our school, Mrs. Sturley, who set up a card table in the parlor so I could spend hours pasting together the paper, lace, stand-up figures, and stick-on hearts and lovebirds to make twenty-one special valentines for my twenty-one classmates. Sometimes I signed mine; sometimes, daringly, I wrote "Guess who?"
Fear Not: Navigating the Holidays with an Adolescent Dog
By Laura Monaco Torelli on 12/07/2022Celebration?
Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday with Your Pet
By Sarah Owings on 12/07/2022
![](http://www.clickertraining.com/files/stealingfood.jpg)
Animal lovers find great joy including their animals in as many holiday celebrations as possible.
Stop Begging! (Have Some Table Scraps)
By Lori Chamberland on 11/08/2022Too many cooks in the kitchen
How to Teach Your Dog to Swim
By Mariela Castillo on 07/29/2022Splash?
Pet caregivers often wonder how to keep pets active without having to walk in 90-degree weather. Swimming, and other games in and with water, can be fun for both people and dogs, especially during hot summer days.
How to Clicker Train Your Dog to Stay in the Yard
By Steve Benjamin on 07/29/2022Draw the lines yourself
Would you like to train your dog to stay in your yard without resorting to electrical shock?
SUP PUP! Teach Your Dog to Ride a Stand-Up Paddleboard
By Terrie Hayward on 07/14/2022What’s “SUP?”
The Training Relationship: Engagement
By Hannah Branigan on 04/06/2022Editor’s note: In her new bestselling book Awesome Obedience: A Positive Training Plan for Compet
Making the Most of Mealtime
By Rebecca Lynch on 03/25/2022What is your dog’s favorite time of the day? For my dogs, it’s mealtime! If I had my dogs rank their favorite things on a scale of 1-10, I’m sure eating would be a 15.
My Dog Is Aging—Now What? More Training, Of Course!
By Lori Stevens on 02/03/2022A click for all ages
As your dog moves into her senior years you’ll probably notice some subtle changes—she groans a bit when changing positions, hesitates briefly when a
Start the New Year on the Right Paw—with Clicker Training
By Jane Fallander on 01/03/2022There's nothing like a new year to inspire a fresh start with goals and resolutions. Need to lose 30 pounds to make it easier to get around the agility course? This is the year for it. (True, the last five years have also been the year for it, but this year is different—really!)
How to Motivate Yourself to Train or Exercise Your Dog—Or Do Practically Anything Else!
By Aidan Bindoff on 01/03/2022Psst! Do you want to know the secret to getting things done?
Do you feel guilty about not walking your dog every day? Or not training as often as you should, or even not training when you really need to?