Course Details
Many dogs who “guard” their person from other dogs in the household aren’t being truly protective—they’re likely anxious, conflicted, or relying on their owner as a safety buffer when they feel threatened by the other dog or simply value their person enough to fight over them! In this presentation, we’ll break down what intra-housemate owner directed guarding can look like, why it happens, and how to support dogs who tense up, growl, or push other dogs away when they approach their favorite human.
We’ll explore the emotional underpinnings of this behavior, including the common role of fear, anxiety, social discomfort and insecure attachments.
This session will give you practical, humane strategies to help dogs fit into the household better and reduce tension and conflict between housemates. Whether you’re a trainer, behavior professional, or a dog owner navigating this challenge, you’ll leave with a clearer understanding of the behavior and actionable steps to begin making change.
About the Instructor:
Karen Deeds (she/her) is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC). She is the co-owner of Canine Connection which relocated to Memphis TN in 2023 with her husband, Bob Deeds, a retired Federal K9 Handler on Texas Task Force I. Karen has experience working in the assistance dog industry, with animal control, shelters, rescue and humane societies, as well as the working and sport dog industry. What she has learned through that work has been applied to clients in the pet dog world as well. She specializes in reactivity and is currently teaching a variety of online behavior classes through FDSA. She has also presented at APDT, IAABC, multiple shelter and rescue conference, as well as the Aggression Symposium in Seoul South Korea. She has done live webinars for Modern Dog Trainer and Animal Training Academy.
Her work with high-drive working and sport dogs has helped develop more comprehensive behavior modification protocols that are dramatically impacting the success of her students. By adapting techniques and protocols from these disciplines she has been able to apply the information to benefit her work with all her clients, from highly competitive sport dogs, working dogs, and most commonly, the pet dog.
