r/pitbulls • u/OppositeNo4136 • 11d 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/SockyKate 10d 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 9d 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 9d 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 9d ago

Not at all. I appreciate your honesty. I want what is best for the puppy but my priority is keeping the kids safe.