Hi Everyone, looking for some advice. I currently have a 6 year old boxer mix named Jemma who is a resource guarder with other dogs. I learned this the hard way when I first adopted her and took her to a few dog parks, as well as a boarding facility that allowed the dogs to play off leash in a yard. Basically, if a dog attempts to approach her when she has a tennis ball, she will growl, bare teeth and in most cases attack the other dog. One of these altercations ended with her at the emergency vet having to get stitches for a gash across her face.
These incidents happened years ago and I have since just been avoiding dog parks and now hire sitters to stay in my home when I go out of town. However I have had my friends dog stay at my place before and Jemma does seem to enjoy the company of her dog and is super playful. Of course these times I also have always removed toys and fed them separately to avoid any potential problems.
Current issue: I am a huge dog lover and would LOVE to adopt another dog. I am concerned, however that this may be a recipe for disaster. My question is, if I were to adopt a dog into my home who Jemma accepted as part of the "pack" or family, would she still be likely to exhibit the same resource guarding behavior? I don't want to live in an environment where I have to not have any toys or kongs out, or have to separate them in order to let them play with toys etc.
Has anyone successfully had 2 dogs coexist when one previously exhibited resource guarding behavior? Would a dog be less likely to resource guard with a dog she considers a friend as opposed to a random dog at a dog park?
I realize there are training methods to use as well but I'm just curious what everyone's thoughts are as to how this situation might play out for me. Thank you!
These incidents happened years ago and I have since just been avoiding dog parks and now hire sitters to stay in my home when I go out of town. However I have had my friends dog stay at my place before and Jemma does seem to enjoy the company of her dog and is super playful. Of course these times I also have always removed toys and fed them separately to avoid any potential problems.
Current issue: I am a huge dog lover and would LOVE to adopt another dog. I am concerned, however that this may be a recipe for disaster. My question is, if I were to adopt a dog into my home who Jemma accepted as part of the "pack" or family, would she still be likely to exhibit the same resource guarding behavior? I don't want to live in an environment where I have to not have any toys or kongs out, or have to separate them in order to let them play with toys etc.
Has anyone successfully had 2 dogs coexist when one previously exhibited resource guarding behavior? Would a dog be less likely to resource guard with a dog she considers a friend as opposed to a random dog at a dog park?
I realize there are training methods to use as well but I'm just curious what everyone's thoughts are as to how this situation might play out for me. Thank you!
