My resuce dog is a resource guarder. Is it too late?

Question

My four year old rescue sheltie is a very serious resource guarder. He has bitten my self and all of my family members. No rescue is willing to take him on, and I am told this is very serious, and may be too late to correct. He had a very, very rough start. Is it too late to correct this?

Answer 1

You were told it may be too late....now get a professional to get to your house to evaluate him and give you a real answer after an evaluation. Don't let people tell you it's serious and it's not worth it if they're not 'recognized behaviourist'.  Each situation is different. If you know exactly how to handle the situation you can solve it very fast. Good luck.  

ADD: There are different kinds of philosophies on how to handle aggressiveness. Last behaviourist I spoke with thought he would solve my problem by feeding my dog treats and anti-depressant. It wouldn't hurt for you to get a second opinion as I did.

Answer 2

When I see questions like yours with serious dog problems that have already bitten several people, I stop and think...even if these so-called behaviorists, and to me these are nothing more then TOP trainers that understand dogs at a very fundamental level, even if one saw him and worked with him, and made him do what he wanted him to do...how many people in the average household have the time, experience, patience and split second timing required to deal with a dog like that?

Not that many, I assure you. Looks like you may have a hard decision to make, good luck!!

Answer 3

I never say it's too late until a reputable behaviorist has evaluated the dog and worked with it.  I have a behaviorist who took in a small dog that the owners said was very aggressive, a little work and the right home (the behaviorist adopted her) and she's doing great.

It also sounds like you are trying to take things away from him knowing he's a resource guarder?  How is it that everyone got bit?  That just reinforces his guarding.

Work with a good behaviorist above all else..now.

Answer 4

He might be good at automotive salvage security. Another words a junk yard dog. I've seen some real snappers at the junk yards before.

Answer 5

Yes it is very serious and only an experienced behaviourist can help you with this.  He or she will need to see the behaviour first hand. If he has bitten several people it may indeed be too late and you might have to make a tough decision.  Please be careful and don't try some of the stuff that people will tell you do without professional advice.

Add - then I think all you can do is take that advice otherwise it sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.  I am sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear.

Answer 6

Yes it probably is too late to correct the resource guarding displayed by your dog.  The behavior is not impossible to manage however.  Many dogs that have issues with food possession and guarding can be fed in a crate or kennel where nobody is going to come into contact with the dog while it is eating.  If your dog's issue is with toys or bones, put those things away and only bring them out during supervised playtime or training time to use as a reward for good behavior.

I guess you have to ask yourself if you think you can manage the dog's behavior and if you are willing to accept the risk involved with having such a dog in your home.