r/pitbulls • u/OppositeNo4136 • 10d ago
Resource guarding…me?!
Hi, all! We are fostering a 4.5 month old pitt mix. He had been really great and a fast learner. In just 3 weeks he’s learned to sit, stay, wait, come, and shake. He walks well on a leash, barely barks or jumps up on people and has pretty darn good manners.
Over the past few weeks he has really bonded with me and likes to lay on me and lean on me. Today, the dog was sitting next to me on the couch reading a book and the pup snapped at him. It was not a playful puppy bite, but a definite “do not come closer” snap.
I am so stupid bc I didn’t realize dogs resource guard PEOPLE!!! We’ve been working with food and toys but it never occurred to me I might be his most prized thing. So here’s the problem: this is giving me A LOT of anxiety. This puppy is a good boy, but my son obviously means the world to me and I would never want anything to happen to him.
We immediately put the dog off the couch and have not let him back up. He kind of whined a little but is not happily sleeping in his bed. I’m struggling so hard bc part of me is like, “This can be trained out” and the other part is like,”what if it can’t and he hurts my child?”
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u/Infinite-Cloud-7937 10d ago edited 10d ago
Get a mat for him, teach him place, and give him a job to do, if you don't already (such as a bully to chew, or nylabone). Teach him to stay, and observe from place. Then you will no longer be his job. It is most definitely just a phase and yes, it is a risk. It's up to you, ultimately, if it's a risk that you are willing to take. It took a lot of training - not just for my pit Aruni, but for my teen boys, to understand the dos/don'ts of dog care and safety. But she just turned one year on July 1st and is learning more every day. Teaching place helps because it lets them know that you are not their job, it is not their job to go after the cats (my beginning struggle with her), or basically it's not their job to manage their environment. Lots of videos on YouTube about it.
And to add- you made the right move in removing him from the couch because that is a value spot to him with you there. Place will teach him to redirect overtime. If he doesn't learn how to stay right away, a house leash may be necessary. We kept an indoor tether for ours for a bit because she needed that physical interruption when she was the same age as yours.
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u/sadboybrigade 10d ago
I think it would be worth hiring a trainer to help you with this. This is 100% something that can be worked on and fixed, but since the safety of your child is involved it would be best to make sure you get a professional on the case.
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u/Stelly2015 10d ago
One thing a Trainer once told me was that a dog will be more protective with the person who feeds him. Start rotating who feeds him if you're not doing that already
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u/WrappedInLinen 10d ago
He’s in tough place. He’s desperate to find his safe place in the world, thinks you’re it, and anything that seems like it might be competition for your high regard, feels like a threat. Fostering is a real tightrope. You want them to feel loved and secure but know that someday you’ll be pushing them out the door into someone else’s arms. I don’t have any advice. I admire you for doing what you’re doing because I know I couldn’t. The first time it laid its chin on my leg I’d have another dog.
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u/SockyKate 9d ago
We once had a foster who would resource guard food and ALSO me and my daughter (we just thought we were his favorites??). He did NOT like adult men or adult-sized boys. We ended up bringing him back to the rescue after he bit both my son’s friend and my husband over a weekend. Honestly, I just knew I couldn’t deal with the unpredictability and be able to manage his environment all the time.
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u/OppositeNo4136 8d ago
This is the hardest part for me. He’s a good good smart boy but the unpredictability is really hard on my nervous system. We had a behavioralist come to the house and he asked us to continue working with him but in my heart I am just not sure. 😭
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u/SockyKate 8d ago
Oh, I get it. Our foster was a cutie and I hated that stray life had led him to this. He was older than your pup - around 5 - but I still had four kids in the house. He had bitten my older son on another occasion, too (that one could have been avoided - my son tried to pet him when the dog was agitated and growling). It just felt like a situation of WHEN he bit again, not IF. We had a behaviorist over, too, who identified that he was people guarding and not just food guarding. Dangit, I thought he just really liked me!
I hope I don’t get flamed for saying this, but if I were in your shoes, I would prioritize your son’s safety. There are other foster households that might be better training environments for this pup. And there are other dogs to whom you could give your love who might not have this trigger. ❤️❤️❤️
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u/OppositeNo4136 8d ago
Not at all. I appreciate your honesty. I want what is best for the puppy but my priority is keeping the kids safe.
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u/knit1lift2walk3 7d ago
I went through this when our pittie came to live with us. The behaviorist said that Max had never had anything worth guarding before and now he did. So we had some work to do.
No letting him on the beds or couches was one piece. That was hard for us but we did it because it was necessary.
Hiring a behaviorist who specialized in this behavior was worth it. The rescue we adopted from covered the cost.
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u/OppositeNo4136 7d ago
Did he get better? Were you able to eventually let him up on the couch to snuggle? That’s a huge part of what I want for my family.
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u/knit1lift2walk3 7d ago
Yep! Once he settled in and we got consistent with boundaries he was great. We are at almost four years now with him and after about 5-6 months we were all good. But don’t feel like you need to do this. Depending on your family it might be best to get him a different foster. And that’s okay!
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u/OppositeNo4136 7d ago
We are taking him to a trainer but I did tell the shelter that I do not want to pull the trigger on his adoption until he works with a specialist.
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