Sit Stay Succeed Dog Training

10/19/2026

Let's talk resource guarding.

First, what actually is resource guarding? Simply put, it is a behavior dogs use to maintain control of something they consider valuable. They do this by using body language and behavior meant to deter other animals (humans included) from taking whatever that resource is - food, water, a toy, a kleenex, a shoe, etc.

The "old school" method of addressing resource guarding insisted that your dog allow you to take his bowl, put your hand in his food, and remove anything from his mouth, at any time. While this sounds like a good idea in theory, it can actually create MORE problems down the road.

For some dogs, they are fine being bothered while eating. They may have a softer temperament or are just easy going dogs in general. They may also not be very food motivated, which would mean they don't value food as a resource. If it isn't a valued resource, it isn't something they feel needs to be guarded.

For other dogs, however, you are potentially creating a significant resource guarding situation. Any dog has the potential to resource guard. Any breed and any age. The extent to which a dog will guard is purely dependent on that particular dog, it's genetics, it's history of resource guarding and outcomes of behavior, and the circumstances surrounding the current situation.

A problem with this old school technique is... you don't know which dog yours will turn out to be - the dog that doesn't care or the dog that may eventually bite.

So why is this method less than ideal?

Taking away or otherwise getting into your dog's face to pick up the kibble (with or without the bowl) actually teaches the dog that a person approaching their food may mean losing access to it, having it disturbed, or that they may experience something unpleasant (such as being reprimanded for simply expressing themselves in response to your actions - most commonly seen with growling). This will in turn create stronger guarding behaviors, which, if ignored by the owner, could potentially result in a bite.

What does resource guarding look like?

Some behaviors you may see are: the dog stops eating when you approach, or, eats more quickly, hovers over the food or tries to cover it, stiffens the body, positions themselves between you and the food, whale eye/looking at you out of the corner of their eye, picking up the resource and moving it (such as with a sock, running to hide under the bed), a hard fixed stare, lip lifting/showing teeth, growling, snapping, lunging toward you, and biting.

If you try to correct your dog, for any of these behaviors, especially for growling, your dog may learn that his efforts to make you go away no longer work. At this point, some people may say that their dog "bit out of the blue". However in reality the more subtle signs were ignored or corrected which then led straight to a bite.

So, how do we prevent resource guarding?

First, stop putting your hands in your dog's food. Stop taking the bowl away. Stop taking the bone or chew away. Stop grabbing the toy if your dog isn't playing with you. Stop reprimanding for growling (or, any body language meant to keep you away). Stop testing their tolerance. Stop teasing them.

You see, the goal is to help your dog feel safe when eating, chewing, playing, or even resting.
We want your dog to learn that people approaching predicts *good things*, not that something the dog values will be taken away. We don't want your dog to feel like it is necessary to protect those resources that are important to him.

So how do we help your dog feel safe? We create positive associations with approaching or passing by your dog when he is engaged in any activity, be it eating a meal, chewing on a bone, or stealing a napkin. We will get to the napkin in a moment.

With scenarios involving eating or enjoying a chew or bone, whenever you walk by your dog, toss a super high value treat to them, such as a piece of chicken or hamburger. Just keep on walking, don't make a fuss. In time this will teach your dog that good things happen when you approach, which in turn lessens their need to guard. You can also just let them enjoy their food in peace.

Now back to that napkin. Start trading your dog for anything you take from him - a toy, a bone, his food *if necessary*, or anything he shouldn't have, like that napkin. Don't make a big deal about it. Remain calm and offer a very high value treat - again, chicken works great (but your dog will let you know what he feels is high value). Toss a few treats and then take the item when your dog has released it and is focused on the yummy chicken.

You will also want to teach a reliable "drop it" cue. This will come in handy if your dog does happen to grab something they aren't supposed to have. Rather than chasing them, you can simply ask them to drop it. Don't forget to offer a reward! Drop it as a skill needs to be practiced and proofed first, far before you would ever need to use it in "real life".

Finally, manage the environment when necessary. Avoid leaving tempting items around that are accessible by your dog. Pick up the bone if a second dog comes to visit. Keep children away from the dog while he is eating. Use gates to prevent access that might result in potential confrontations, for any reason (people, children, dogs).

If your dog is already resource guarding, contact a positive reinforcement trainer or behavior specialist to have a customized plan put together for your specific situation. They will also guide you on desensitization and counter conditioning. Resource guarding can be complex so look for someone who specializes in treating it. We can address mild forms of resource guarding but will refer out (or vet someone you have found, if you wish) for moderate or severe forms.

Proactive prevention is far easier to address than trying to undo learned guarding behaviors.

Just remember, prevention prevention, prevention!

10/16/2026

For anyone needing a rabies shot, here is a low-cost opportunity for you.

🐾 RABIES VACCINE CLINIC

Corban Veterinary Services is hosting a Rabies Clinic next Friday, October 23rd!

💉 Rabies vaccine- $10/pet (normally $19!)
🐾 Dogs and cats ONLY

📅 Friday, October 23rd
⏰ 4:30–6:30 PM

Corban Veterinary Services
315 LeGrande Avenue
Charlotte Court House, VA 23923

Important Details:

All pets must be properly restrained (leash, pet carrier, or dog box)
We are ONLY offering Rabies vaccines. No other services will be provided.
We will be administering 1-year and 3-year rabies vaccines. Pets with no prior vaccination history will receive a 1-year vaccine. Pets who are eligible for a 3-year vaccine must have proof of previous rabies vaccination.

Please come prepared for this event! You will be expected to help restrain your pets, as most of our services will be provided curbside.

Please have the following information available: your name/address, pets name, age, s*x, proof of previous vaccination if applicable.

Contact our office with any questions!

We’re excited to see everyone! ❤️🐾

10/12/2026

As Mya will be 13 in December (which is old for a german shepherd) and has some symptoms that do affect her daily life, it was an appropriate time to discuss quality of life with the vet. This can be a difficult conversation, or even just for the owner to think about. The attached scale, originally created by Alice Villalobos, can help put things into better perspective. Zero is poor quality of life and ten is ideal quality of life.

For Mya, we are considering the following factors:

° tumor on her front leg (was supposedly bone cancer, but it has not progressed; managed with pain medication)

° neurological issues that affect her hind end (walking, standing upright; help em up harness available though not currently needed, use of booties on walks to prevent damage to her rear feet)

° urinary and f***l incontinence (proin for urinary, nothing can be done for f***l; keeping those areas clean).

Most of her conditions are well managed, and she still plays with toys, loves her sniffy games, and will happily go on a walk (even though they have to be very short due to her diminished strength and neuro issues in her rear legs). She drinks as normal, eats when she is able to push through her anxiety (it started 2 years ago as a grief response to losing her "brother" Kaiser, so, this is not new), and is able to navigate stairs, get up into bed, and for now is able to stand on slippery floors.

Mya, despite all of her medical conditions (also including EPI which has been a lifelong illness; managed with enzymes, probiotics, and intrinsic b12), actually has a pretty good quality of life. No, she can no longer go on 10 mile trail rides with me and my horse, but heck, I can't even do that myself anymore. No, she isn't playing long games of fetch, going to festivals, or swimming. But, she still has things that she loves to do, and can do, as mentioned above. These answers could change at any time though, so it's good to consult the chart as needed.

You see, when dogs are puppies, end of life is generally the last thing you think about. However, it can become important to consider at younger ages if an injury or medical diagnosis has poor prognosis. Aside from that, we usually don't start thinking about quality of life until our dogs are seniors, and, even then usually not until they start to have age-related symptoms and difficulty eating, drinking, walking, or eliminating, or, if they have a serious medical condition. If you have a senior, it might be useful to take a few moments to run through this chart for you pup.

These are not easy decisions to make, but we have to remember to advocate for our dogs, and if they have a poor quality of life that cannot be managed, the kindest thing to do is to prevent them from suffering.

10/11/2026

While not a dog training post, it is still dog-adjacent. Both items are brand new, unopened.

For sale:

$74.98 Purina Pro Plan 30/20 Sport Salmon and Rice - higher protein and higher calories for active dogs. Excellent food, but I am changing Mya's diet to try to get some weight back onto her. 33lb bag.

$69.99 Vetnique Glandex Advanced powder supplement - fiber supplement for a**l gland health. 8.5oz duck and bacon flavor. You mix the powder in with your dog's food. As I am changing her diet, Mya won't need this supplement any longer.

10/10/2026

We know we are jinxing ourselves but with rain in the forecast during the time of our walk we are going ahead and canceling for today. Of course now that we canceled the walk it will probably be dry out... but if we kept the walk it would pour on us! Always difficult to make that call. We do hope to see you next month, when hopefully the weather will be better!

10/09/2026

You may have heard someone say that their dog bit someone "out of the blue". However, dog bites do not actually happen this way. In most cases there will be body language that conveys your dog's discomfort way before a bite ever occurs. It can range from calming signals (see below) to warnings that a bite may be imminent.

Calming signals are behaviors dogs use to communicate, diffuse tension, or cope with situations they find uncomfortable. These can include lip licking, yawning when not tired, turning their head away, avoiding eye contact, or suddenly sniffing the ground (displacement behaviors). Other signs, such as a stiff body, a tucked tail, a hard stare, or a freeze, may indicate increasing stress or a more serious level of discomfort [see our note on the "aggression ladder" below]. It's important to look at the dog's whole body and the circumstances surrounding the behavior rather than interpreting any one signal on its own.

However, sometimes what looks like an instant reaction (biting "out of the blue") is the result of earlier communication that went unnoticed, was misunderstood, or was repeatedly ignored. In other cases, a dog may have learned that their earlier attempts to communicate discomfort don't work, or that expressing warning behaviors, such as growling, results in punishment. This can lead to a dog skipping some of those more subtle signals and moving to a more serious reaction more quickly.

This is one reason why it's so important to recognize and respect our dogs' communication. A growl isn't a dog being bad; it's valuable information that the dog is uncomfortable. Punishing the warning doesn't necessarily change how the dog feels about the situation, and it may suppress a warning we need to recognize. Instead, we should take a step back, give the dog space, and look at what caused the discomfort.

Below are some (not all) examples of dog body language that everyone should be familiar with. You may also view prior posts that we have made about the aggression ladder that can give you a slightly different perspective on how body language can progress from calm seeking or appeasement behaviors to defensive or offensive aggression.

The better we become at understanding what our dogs are communicating, the better we can advocate for them, respect their boundaries, and help prevent situations from escalating.

Take the next few days and try to identify different types of body language that your dog may be exhibiting. What did you see? What were the circumstances surrounding the behavior? What did it mean? It can also help to go on YouTube and search for examples of "calming signals" and general dog body language. Sometimes it helps seeing these behaviors in "real time" rather than via a description or a still photo. Just remember that context matters, and no single behavior tells the whole story.

Please share your observations and any questions you may have in the comments below.

10/06/2026

We hear this a LOT:"But when can I stop giving treats?" It is understandable to want to move away from having to reward every little effort. But guess what, life gets easier once your dog becomes proficient in a behavior, but the rewards should never fully stop.

Now as a quick note: when we are discussing changing a dog's emotional response, you will still want to use treats, and high value ones at that, throughout the training process. But this is because you are trying to change how your dog feels about something, usually something scary, and we pair food with the trigger, along with some other important steps, to ensure your dog starts to have good feelings. Good feelings means less reactivity! But, we digress.

So back to rewarding effort, we know that behavior that is rewarded is behavior that we will continue to see. This applies to all animals and humans alike. You do a thing, you get paid for that thing, you now are more willing to do the thing again in the future. Simple as that!

We humans get paid for our work with money. But wait! We can also get paid by trading services, being invited to dinner and a drink for a job well done, or with a handshake or a hug and simply seeing the gratitude on the person's face for whom you just did the work. You may even be reinforced by being asked to do a second job! There are many ways we can be rewarded for doing good work.

But what if your pay suddenly drops to zero? Yikes. It will be difficult to find the motivation to continue to do your job at the level you were at. So... back to those rewards... your job becomes a lot more appealing when you receive reinforcement that you feel matches the effort you are putting in.

Guess what? The same goes for our dogs! We have options for rewards.

While treats are the most common reinforcer, your dog may respond just as well to other rewards: physical affection such as scritches or pats, tugging or playing fetch with a ball, access to life rewards (such as going through a door to go on a walk or getting to sniff that super good smell at the neighbor's mailbox), and some even respond well to verbal praise.

You can even mix up these types of reinforcement. As long as your dog feels they are reinforcing, you can reward with treats one moment and then throw a party and play tug the next.

Saying that, however, if your dog *only* prefers treats, then you will want to stick with just treats. Remember, the learner (in this case, your dog) is who chooses what is reinforcing for doing the thing, whatever it may be.

Another note: once your dog is generalizing the behavior and becoming proficient, you should also vary the times when you reward (intermittent reward schedule). So now you can vary the reinforcement type as well as when your dog receives reinforcement.

In summary, the key to remember here is this: your dog chooses what is reinforcing and in what scenario, so if it is only treats, then yes, you should continue to use treats. Its easy! If your dog responds well to other types of reinforcement, you can integrate or even change to them completely (we see this a lot with sport dogs and tugging). There is nothing wrong with continuing to use treats if they work to get you the desired behavior. If we stop reinforcement completely however, the behavior may go extinct and now you are back to square one, with no behavior at all in response to your cue.

What is one behavior are you working on teaching right now? What reward are you using? Do you feel you are getting good results? Let's chat!

10/04/2026

Who has the best costume? For our upcoming socialization walk, bring your pup dressed in his or her favorite Halloween outfit! Mya and Kaiser here were happy to pose for a photo for me for a few treats, to get into the holiday mood. Make sure your own dog is comfortable wearing a costume, too (lots of treats and positive reinforcement help along with proper desensitization). We don't want any pups to be unhappy while on the walk, so please don't force it if your pup just isn't comfortable. There are no winners or losers - this is just for fun. And now, on to the walk details!

This month we will be meeting at Occoneechee State Park on Saturday October 10th at our normal 830am start time. Please arrive a little early, especially if you will be new to joining our group. This walk is especially good at helping build confidence in nervous or anxious dogs and encourages neutrality in overly social dogs. No dogs will meet one another. This is not a play group. The walk is between 1.5 - 2 miles, depending on how the dogs are doing. Wear appropriate footwear - the trail can get muddy if it has recently rained.

Adult dogs must have proof of rabies and puppies must have had their first rabies plus core vaccinations.

6 foot leashes only, no flexi-leads. One dog per handler for safety.

$15/team. There will also be a $7 entrance fee paid directly to the park at the front gate.

**Please rsvp** so we know who to wait for. If you are unsure if your dog or puppy would be a good fit, please send us a message with a little information about him or her. This is not an appropriate program for aggressive dogs.

We hope to see you and your pup on Saturday! Costumes are not required (you can just dress up your pup if you'd like - you do not need one yourself).

Contact us at [email protected]

10/01/2026

Happy National Black Dog Day. Share your black dogs in the comments and add a note about what makes yours so special ❤️ Read more below to learn about this day!

⚠️ This day exists to bring awareness to the fact that black dogs in shelters are frequently passed over for lighter or "more interesting" coat colors (and are therefore associated with higher euthanasia numbers in crowded shelters). Black cats are also affected by this phenomenon.

➡️ National Black Dog Day was founded in 2011 by animal advocate Colleen Paige to "encourage people to look past coat color when adopting a pet". Black dogs have an undeniable, quiet elegance to them and when you gaze into their eyes they glint like stars against a midnight sky. How could you not fall in love with such mystery, poise, and soulfulness? Black dogs are just as dedicated to their person, their family, as any other color dog. So, stop by their run at the rescue to say hi, look a little closer at their information online, take the chance to meet them at an adoption event. Your life may change in that moment, forever, for the better.

Of course, we would also love to see your black pets that are from breeders, too! But we wanted to share why this day exists, as it serves a great purpose that will ultimately, hopefully, lead to increased adoption rates of these beautiful animals.

Mya, in the photo I took below, was 4 months old when I met her at the Outer Banks SPCA Outer Banks SPCA. I fell in love immediately and she bonded to me just as quickly. She is my shadow puppy and lives for nobody else but me. She did absolutely love Kaiser and Dakota when they were alive (Kaiser especially), as well, but all she really wants is to be with me, no matter where we go or what we do. I love that she was always willing to partake in my silly photography ventures. I mean she is just rocking that flower crown, right!? She is a senior now, almost 13 years old, so life has slowed down. But that is ok. She is content to climb up into bed and nap the day away with me, play with her outdoor squishy kong ball for a few throws, "kill" her elephant stuffy before tossing it at me, or go on a short walk to exercise those aging muscles. 13 is old for a german shepherd, so I spend each day thankful for the time I have with her.

What is it about your black dog that warms your heart? Let us know!

09/28/2026

We all know dogs have their own unique personalities. Some are little angels, some are professional troublemakers, and some seem to wake up every morning choosing chaos (maligators, we are looking at you! 😂).

So, if your dog had to come with a warning label, what would it say?

🚨 "Will steal your food when you're not looking."

🚨 "May spontaneously bark at absolutely nothing."

🚨 "Professional sock thief. No remorse."

🚨 "Requires payment in cheese for all services rendered."

Or does your dog have a warning label all their own?

Share your dog's warning label in the comments! And if you know someone whose dog deserves to be featured here, tag them too (we love meeting new dog lovers and their pups!)! 🙌

We would also love to see a photo of your pup that best captures their personality. Share below! 📷

For us, we would like to share our heart dog, Dakota. The attached photo epitomizes her personality - Dakota was devoted, patient, gentle, loving, and, as you can see in the photo, the most radient, happiest girl ever! So what would a warning label be for such a perfect pup?

🚨 "Unapologetically demanded full attention any time I was on the phone".

How dare I ignore her! So, how did she do this? Dakota would sit directly in front of me, still as a statue, staring at me deep into my soul, willing me to give in... and if I had the gall to continue to ignore her, she would pick one foot up and wave at me, ever so seriously. Yes, wave. But of course I always had to pause my conversation and laugh at her adorable self, which usually led to lovies and scritches, and that totally reinforced her reaction. So, wave away, my sweet girl!

We look forward to seeing your pups and their warning labels!