Okay, so the dog that is Resource Guarding. His name is Yogi. He is a roughly 4-5 year old Nuetered Male. We have no idea on breed. He genuinely looks like a Tan Pitty Mix. My parents adopted him about 2 years ago. They were told he was a farm dog, but he was definitely abused. I worked at a shelter and I realize how often that term gets thrown around, but when they first brought him home he would shake when he saw the broom. He is also not a confident dog in the slightest. He struggles walking by corners, gets uncomfortable around other dogs, and just how he walks around us shows stress. He also has a limp in his back right leg. He has been taken to the vet for it, but he did worse on the medication that he was given so they decided to not give him the medication.
Now, I feel the need to give backstory on a few things that has impacted our family grately. At the end of last May my parents were in a terrible car accident where they got rear-ended by a Semitruck. Both of my parents had to have back surgery. My mom's was fairly simple and she is doing so much better now, but my Dad almost died the first week after the accident. Thankfully he survived, but it did leave him paralyzed in an electric wheelchair. We had to add ramps inside and outside the house. For about 2 months Yogi stayed with my Husband's aunt and uncle who luckily had no pets. He came home for a few days when my mom came back home, but then went to boarding for a month while my mom went to go stay with my dad at rehab. Eventually my mom needed to go back to work where she came back home and brought Yogi and Cooper (their 8 year old intact male GSD who was staying with my cousin all this time) back home.
My husband and I moved in with them soon after this so I could take care of my Dad when he came home. My husband and I live in the basement with our 2 dogs (Leo who is a 7 year old beagle and Whiskey who is a 2 year old aussie mix. Both nuetered males) and a cat (Milo who is a 3 year old nuetered male). My parent's dogs live upstairs and my pets are always downstairs. The only time they interact is when they're outside. Yogi gets uncomfortable around other dogs, but the other dogs don't really bother him. Whiskey may sniff him every now and then but that's it.
So, before the accident Yogi had a history of resource guarding. My mom has a room upstairs where she has her couch/TV/Yogi's food and toys. He would guard his food bowl and even guard my mom when she was in her spot on the couch. My dad would walk in the room and Yogi would nip at him. Now, if my mom was in her spot and had food Yogi would escalate to growling and nipping harder. Even if Yogi did not have the food itself he would try to resource guard it. Even a salad. I tried to tell my parents that the best way to handle this is to not have food in that room or that whenever my dad enters the room he can give Yogi a treat. This will build his confidence and associate my Dad as something that gives good things and is not a threat to take away things. My parents tried that for a little bit but eventually got one of those high-pitched dog correctors. Anytime he would resource guard they would use that, which I was not a fan of. I easily avoid this issue by not going in my mom's room. Sometimes I may need to pass by but I can easily act happy and give him a treat and he's fine.
So, now, the big issue that we are facing. The kitchen is upstairs and of course every time we are in the kitchen Yogi is there. He is okay when I'm cooking, but when either my husband or I leave the kitchen with food he has nipped at our legs and ankles. He does it more to my husband than to me. Today Yogi bit my husband's ankle and tried to hold onto it. Luckily my husband was wearing boots so he didn't break skin.
I feel like this issue is escalating with him and I'm struggling to manage it. We can't use baby gates because my dad is in a wheelchair. The house isn't set up in a way where there is a good place to put a baby gate. We can't block off my mom's room because it leads to the front door. I have thought about throwing treats to Yogi when we walk by with the food to move him out of the way, but Cooper is usually there too and I don't want them fighting over the food (which will happen if they both go for it).
I would genuinely love to hire a trainer, but our family is struggling financially right now due to the loss of income from my Dad. They're currently working on him getting disability, but even when he does get that coming in it won't be nearly close to the amount he made before. We do have a lawsuit going with the semi-truck company, but it is really complicated and sketchy. There is a high chance my parent's don't get anything out of it.
I've worked with a lot of different dogs and I have counseled on a lot of different issues, but this is a hard one to manage. I am going to work with him and reward him for me leaving the kitchen with bowls/plates and then work that up to leaving with bowls/plates of good smelling food. He is a chunky dog so I really don't need to be giving him a lot of fatty treats.
Sorry this was so long. A lot of stuff has been happening that could 100% be adding to Yogi's stress levels. I am going to continue to work with him, but any advice or ideas would be appreciated as well. If you have questions or need clarifications I don't mind to answer that as well.
submitted by /u/Vieamort
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