Sharing Isn’t Easy: Resource Guarding in Rescue and Shelter Dogs (On Demand)
Recorded On: 06/04/2026
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This course is part of Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection, monthly webcasts about pet behavior - supporting pets in our community and animal shelters.
This webinar is for anyone working in or around animals in shelters.
Resource guarding is a common behaviour seen in dogs entering rescue and shelter environments, often arising from stress, uncertainty, and past experiences around scarce or valuable resources. This presentation explores the current research on resource guarding and how it applies to real-world rescue settings.
Participants will learn how to recognize and assess resource guarding safely, understand the factors that contribute to the behaviour, and interpret guarding signals in a shelter context. The session will also cover practical management strategies to reduce risk for both dogs and handlers, alongside evidence-based behaviour modification approaches that can help improve welfare and adoptability.
Designed for animal rescue workers and shelter staff, this presentation aims to provide the knowledge and practical tools needed to support dogs displaying resource guarding while maintaining safe and compassionate care practices
Speaker:
Tom Candy, Senior Clinical Animal Behaviourist Development Officer
The Animal Behaviour and Training Council in the United Kingdom
This webinar has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by the National Animal Care & Control Association.
Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, access the resources, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/BehaviorC...
keywords Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection, Tom Candy, resource guarding, canine behavior
Tom Candy, CCAB, CCBC, CSBS, CBATI-KA
Senior Training and Behaviour Advisor
Animal Behaviour and Training Council
A passion for animal welfare, canine behaviour, and the development of others has been cornerstones of Tom’s (He/Him) career, which spans over 15 years in Shelter and Rescue with 10 focusing on training and behaviour. This experience and a drive to support even more shelter and rescue animals and staff, led to Tom starting Simplifying Shelter Behaviour, an educational organisation and podcast dedicated to bringing up to date, positive based training and behaviour tips and tricks to shelter and rescue staff and volunteers.
Having started volunteering in rescue at the age of 15, Tom has been involved in a variety of aspects of rescue, including fundraising, home checking, transporting and general day-to-day operations, which pushed Tom to undertake a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree in bio-veterinary science and a Master of Science degree in Clinical Animal Behavior from the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom.
Tom then worked at the UKs largest dog welfare organisation, as a Training and Behaviour Advisor, eventually working across seven rehoming centres before being promoted to Senior Training and Behaviour Advisor, where he supported the Training and Behaviour teams across the southwest of the United Kingdom.
Tom is a Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist with the Animal Behaviour and Training Council in the United Kingdom, and a Certified Canine Behavior Consultant and Certified Shelter Behavior Specialist with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultant and a member of faculty and CBATI-KA with the Grisha Stewart Academy.
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