Beyond the Food Bowl:
The Resource Guarding Roadmap
AÂ 6-week live online group course for dogs guarding items, humans, space, and anything else.
Wednesdays
8/26/26 - 9/30/26
7- 9 PM CDT
You didn't expect it to be this complicated.
You already know the "standard" resource guarding advice: trade-up games, hand feeding, don't punish the growl. You've probably already tried it all.
And maybe it helped a little. Or didn't help at all. Or helped with the food bowl and then your dog started guarding the couch. Or you. Or the dishrag they stole. Or a spot on the bed that used to be totally fine, until it wasn't.
If your dog's guarding goes beyond the food bowl, you need a plan built around your dog's actual case, not a generic checklist.
That's what this course is.
This isn't a first step. It's for when the first steps didn't work.
By the time people find us, they've usually already tried something: a group class, a private trainer, a stack of YouTube videos, their own careful research. They've done real work. And their dog is still guarding space, people, or a combination of things.
If that's you, your dog is not a hard case because you did something wrong. They're a hard case because resource guarding that involves space or people is genuinely more complex than food bowl guarding. It has more moving parts, more triggers, and requires more nuance. You and your dog deserve a plan built for that complexity. And that's exactly what you'll get in this course.
What this looks like in real life
Human Guarding
The situation:Â Wesley was a Blue Heeler who wouldn't let the husband get close to the wife. Wesley would bite the husband if he tried to hug or kiss his wife, and they had to put him in his crate or in the backyard to even sit next to each other on the sofa and watch TV.
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What we did: We worked on building a relationship based on trust and affection between Wesley and the husband, and we taught Wesley how to give the husband "permission" to approach the wife as well as how to ask him to move farther away from his wife.
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Where they are now: When Wesley realized that his family was trustworthy and listened to his needs and preferences, he didn't feel the need to keep them separated anymore. Now they all cuddle together, and Wesley even sleeps in the family bed with them!
Space Guarding + Multi-Dog Household
The situation: Primm and Pippa generally got along, but when Pippa tried to enter a space where Primm had real or perceived resources, Primm would attack her.
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What we did: We collaborated with Primm's vet to identify and treat underlying GI issues that contributed to Primm's general anxiety and low stress resilience. We also taught Primm how to choose flight instead of fight, taught both dogs how to move to a safe space to get away from each other and complete their stress response cycle, and we created management strategies to prevent conflict while the dogs were learning their new skills.
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Where they are now: Primm and Pippa became BFFs and lived together peacefully for the rest of their lives.
Food + Difficult-To-Manage Object Guarding
The situation: Clover would guard food and favorite objects from humans, including her own family. One of the objects that Clover valued the most was pecans, which was a problem because they had a pecan tree in their backyard! The family was afraid to go in the backyard because Clover would bite them if they got too close to one of her pecans, which were all over the yard, hidden in the grass. It was a literal landmine.
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What we did: We taught Clover how to voluntarily trade objects with humans and worked our way up to trading even the highest value objects - even pecans! We also taught Clover how to complete her stress response cycle instead of getting herself worked up into a frenzy.
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Where they are now: There are no more landmines in Clover's house or yard. The family can all move around freely, and Clover is happy to share her stuff with everyone.
What this course is:
Beyond the Food Bowl: The Resource Guarding Roadmap is a 6-week live online group course designed for complex guarding cases: space guarding, guarding humans or other dogs, or a combination of triggers that hasn't responded to generic advice.
You'll join a small group of pet parents in the same boat, learn how to work through resource guarding together, and - if you're in a working spot - get a personalized behavior modification plan built around your dog's specific case, developed and guided by world-renowned behavior consultant Emily Strong.
What you get in a working spot:
- 6 weeks of live group sessions to get you real-time answers and lovingly hold you accountable
- A personalized behavior modification plan built for your dog, not a generic template that ignores what's actually happening in your life and household
- Expert troubleshooting and step-by-step guidance as your plan progresses to remove your mental load while getting results
- A community of other pet parents who get it and are doing the work alongside you
- 1-year access to class recordings so nothing gets lost if life gets in the way
What you'll learn
We'll build your dog's plan around what's actually happening in your home, but here's the path we'll walk together over the next six weeks:
Week 1
Decode your dog's behavior
Your dog's behavior isn't as unpredictable as it feels. You'll learn what's really driving it and how to read their body language so you can catch trouble before it starts and get to know your dog better in the process.
Week 2
Fix why the old advice didn't work
Here's why the things you've already tried probably didn't last: they never addressed your dog's stress. This week changes that. You'll learn to recognize your dog's stress cycle and how to help them recover from it, so you're finally treating the actual problem, not just the symptom.
Week 3
Rebuild what guarding broke
Guarding doesn't just come from a breach of trust. It can cause one, too. This week is about rebuilding that trust and setting up your home so it's working with you instead of against you, so your dog can actually succeed at what comes next.
Week 4
Teach a way out
Most dogs who guard don't have a way to express their feelings that doesn't involve their teeth. You'll teach your dog how to remove themselves from a situation before it escalates while ruling out other factors that might be quietly working against you.Â
Week 5
Make it work in the real world
Your dog can nail a skill in a quiet living room and still fall apart when you're hosting your family's Thanksgiving dinner. That's not failure; it means your dog is only partway through the learning journey. This week is about helping the progress you've made hold up in the real, unpredictable moments it actually needs to.
Week 6
Protect your progress
This week is about protecting your progress for the long run: spotting burnout before it derails you, navigating the normal ups and downs life brings, and knowing what to do once the course ends.
Why this works when cookie-cutter advice hasn't
Built around your specific case, not a template
Addresses your dog as a whole individual
Guided by world-renowned behavior expert
Made for normal pet parents
You don't have to live like this
If you're managing your home around your dog's guarding - deciding who can walk through which room, keeping guests away from certain spots, watching your dog's body language before you even sit down on your own couch - you're probably exhausted.Â
You don't have to keep living like that. Your dog's behavior is solvable, with the right plan, built just for them.Â
No more walking on eggshells in your own home. No more watching your dog like a hawk around guests. No more dreading that you can no longer keep your dog in your home. That's what the next 6 weeks are for.Â
Ready to get started?Â
Two Ways to Learn
Whether you're hands on or would just like to observe, we have a plan for you!
Working Spot - 7 Spots Left
- A personalized behavior modification plan built for your dog, not a generic template that ignores what's actually happening in your life and household
- Expert troubleshooting and step-by-step guidance as your plan progresses to remove your mental load while getting results
Auditor Spot
- Observe the 6 weeks unfold without a one-on-one behavior modification plan for your own dog
- A lower-cost way to absorb the material, follow along with real cases, and learn at your own pace.
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Have questions about whether your dog's case is a fit?Â
Book a quick call and we'll help you figure out the right next step.
FAQ's
When are classes?
Do working spots need to attend all classes live?
Are recordings available?
What's the difference between a working spot and an audit spot?
Will this work for my dog's specific case?
Is this a replacement for one-on-one behavior consulting?
Do you use force-free methods?
My dog has already bitten someone. Can I still join?
Does this work for cats, birds, or other pets, too?
How many people are in the group?
What do I need to participate?
What if I need to cancel or reschedule?
I'm a professional - does this count toward CEUs?
NICE TO MEET YOU!
We Are Pet Harmony
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More than a training company - we are a science-based community committed to empathetic and ethical support for pets and the people who love them.
Our certified trainers and behavior consultants exist to make behavior support feel simple, not overwhelming, so you and your pets can live in harmony.
