# New Adopted Dog - Resource Guarding



## laurah5107 (Jul 23, 2008)

Yesterday I picked up my new dog from the animal shelter. She is a 1 yr old mix (looks like a shorthaired sheltie). I already have a 7 yr old Great Dane female and a 6 year old female Pitbull. Pitbull is alpha. 

In the shelter the dog seemed very submissive and sweet. But within 5 hours of coming home she began "resource guarding" about my husband and me. 

She is a velcro dog and won't let us out of her sight. Sleeps on our feet or just sits and stares adoringly with her head on your knee. But if either of the older dogs approaches for a pat the new dog growls and bristles.

If they are in the yard alone she is always in the other dogs faces licking their lips. 

Due to the size and fighting ability differences I am scared to "let them work it out". The Dane has just retreats to another room. The pit has snarled and snapped but hasn't actually contacted and the new dog threw herself on the floor in a submissive pose.

Now the older dogs have taken to bristling every time they come near the new dog even if she doesn't bristle at them. 

I know that the pit can truly tear a dog up (she had a few vicious fights with the Dane over position and the Dane ended up with dozens of staples closing her wounds).

Is this guarding of my husband and me something fairly common in shelter dogs? Is it something that might get better as she gets used to being in a loving home? Is there anything I can do besides supervise supervise?

Thanks for any help.
Laura (Spud the pibble, Shasta the Dane and Daisy the idiot).


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## Thracian (Dec 24, 2008)

> In the shelter the dog seemed very submissive and sweet. But within 5 hours of coming home she began "resource guarding" about my husband and me.


It's very common for the dog to change somewhat after coming home--they act one way in a shelter where they are scared and another way once they get home and start to feel comfortable.



> Is this guarding of my husband and me something fairly common in shelter dogs? Is it something that might get better as she gets used to being in a loving home? Is there anything I can do besides supervise supervise?


As far as I know, it's not common but not uncommon either. Do a forum search on resource guarding and you'll get lots of tips.



> I know that the pit can truly tear a dog up (she had a few vicious fights with the Dane over position and the Dane ended up with dozens of staples closing her wounds).


Yikes. How do they get along now? Honestly, I'd be very careful about having the new dog and the pit together since the pit has shown aggression like that.

Is Daisy the new dog? Why is she called the idiot?


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## TxRider (Apr 22, 2009)

Both mine have done it. They instantly lose access to the resource (usually me) and the other dog gains it as a result.

Seemed to put an end to it rather quickly.

My new little rescue Kaya started doing this to Hope, she sticks to me and loves to lay by me or with her head in my lap.

If she growled or lifted a lip, she was instantly pushed off the sofa unceremoniously and the other dog called up in my lap.

When it was strange dog out walking or at the dog park, I shoved her away and petted the other dog overtly.

She seems to have learned the point now.


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## laurah5107 (Jul 23, 2008)

I've just started the "nothing in life is free" method wherein she has to earn attention. I've also kept her leashed beside me most of the time so I can intervene if there is a tiff between the Pit and Daisy.

I call Daisy an idiot because she tends to argue the most with the pitbull. And the pitbull carries herself with an air of dominance, that "I'm in charge" sort of carriage. 

The Dane and the Pitbull have come to an agreement on who is alpha and there have been no arguments, not even growling, since then. For a long time the Dane lived in fear of the Pitbull but now they are buds and lie together on the couch or the poolside lounge chair.

What most concerns me is that Daisy will not submit even when pinned down by the neck by the pitbull. She continues to snarl and fight. Nor did she cease her attack on a visiting dog when that dog was pulled off. She merely changed targets and went after another visiting dog, which ran away. The pitbull intercepted Daisy as she was chasing the dog and it ended there.

I think Daisy could be a great little dog. She's smart, loves to please when doing training, is a big snuggler and kisser. A great fetch player and would be a great fly ball player if she could get along with the other dogs.


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## delee39 (Nov 30, 2009)

Do not let her get away with it. If she is sitting next to you on the couch and the other dogs come around and she growls...down off the couch she goes. If she jumps back up...down she goes again. 

I would start with a formal obedience class. ( not in home...at a facility). Taking the dog to a strange environment with strange dogs and strange people and showing her that you will control that new environment FOR HER ( she does not to do it) has a good physcological impact on a dog.

She is insecure. Unsure of her role, place, identity in her new environment. It is up to you to define those things for her.


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

laurah5107 said:


> *Yesterday* I picked up my new dog from the animal shelter. She is a 1 yr old mix (looks like a shorthaired sheltie). I already have a 7 yr old Great Dane female and a 6 year old female Pitbull. Pitbull is alpha.
> 
> In the shelter the dog seemed very submissive and sweet. But within 5 hours of coming home she began "resource guarding" about my husband and me.
> 
> She is a velcro dog and won't let us out of her sight. Sleeps on our feet or just sits and stares adoringly with her head on your knee. But if either of the older dogs approaches for a pat the new dog growls and bristles.


She's been there less than 24 hours. She's stressed and unsure so I'm not surprised there are some issues. How was she introduced to your previous dogs?



> If they are in the yard alone she is always in the other dogs faces licking their lips.
> 
> Due to the size and fighting ability differences I am scared to "let them work it out". The Dane has just retreats to another room. The pit has snarled and snapped but hasn't actually contacted and the new dog threw herself on the floor in a submissive pose


.

She is throwing submissive behaviours (the lip licking etc)...why the hell are you letting it get to this point of the pit snapping when they are all so new to each other? Her RG like behaviour could very well be FEAR and that she is doing it near you hoping YOU will keep the others away.



> I know that the pit can truly tear a dog up (she had a few vicious fights with the Dane over position and the Dane ended up with dozens of staples closing her wounds).


The amount of damage incurred by the dane shows your pit female is capable of a lot...and there is a heck of a lot of size difference between the dane and the new dog. There should be no "working it out", only full on supervision until ALL the dogs have had a chance to get to know each other on good terms. This may not occur for weeks, if at all.
Personally I'm surprised a shelter would give you a dog when you have a dog with history of DA (regardless of breed). 



> Is this guarding of my husband and me something fairly common in shelter dogs? Is it something that might get better as she gets used to being in a loving home? Is there anything I can do besides supervise supervise?


RG is common in dogs period..some more so than others. Since RG is based in insecurity it is certainly more likely to come in a rescue dog but that's not a hard and fast rule. Separation anxiety is definitely pretty much a given with most rescue dogs, and understandably so...this is where the velcro dog stuff often comes from.

It's important to give your new dog a chance to settle in, the honeymoon period can last up to six weeks, it takes time for all of you to settle in to a new routine. Institute NILIF for ALL the dogs, Supervise a LOT, do not let the dogs alone together, give the new one lots of time crated so the older guys still have their "zones" until they are used to having her around. Make sure if YOU are petting new one that the others get special treats from hubby and vice versa so that the other dogs mean good things to each other. If she is truly guarding you, get up and walk away. But please do not let them "work it out" this is recipe for disaster.



laurah5107 said:


> I call Daisy an idiot because she tends to argue the most with the pitbull. And the pitbull carries herself with an air of dominance, that "I'm in charge" sort of carriage.The Dane and the Pitbull have come to an agreement on who is alpha and there have been no arguments, not even growling, since then. For a long time the Dane lived in fear of the Pitbull but now they are buds and lie together on the couch or the poolside lounge chair.


I won't get into the alpha discussion, but I will say that dog hierarchies are usually pretty loose and change whenever a new dog comes into the picture. It is a loose and fluid sort of thing. So keep an eye on the other two as well, the stressors can change how they act towards each other as well. Daisy may be "arguing" with the pitbull out of fear, not out of attempts at dominance.



> What most concerns me is that Daisy will not submit even when pinned down by the neck by the pitbull. She continues to snarl and fight. Nor did she cease her attack on a visiting dog when that dog was pulled off. She merely changed targets and went after another visiting dog, which ran away. The pitbull intercepted Daisy as she was chasing the dog and it ended there.


You earlier said she submitted so now I'm a bit confused. Either way, the pit should not be allowed to pin this dog, she is obviously convinced she is fighting for her life and this can become a self fulfilling prophecy for her. And again, it is not a good idea to add yet another "visiting" dog to the mix when the new dog has only been in your home a day...this is way too much overload for her and for the others. You need to set all the dogs up to succeed, this is not the way to do it!


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