Serious resource guarding and consequences (long)

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
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I’m currently on a 5 day sit, with another 7 day sit at the same place coming within a day of its ending. I bring my Sheltie (Chance) with me, and since I’m fairly close to the HO, we and the dogs met back in August. All went well and we were good to go (we thought).

Fast forward to yesterday. When I got here all was well, the two dogs roamed the yard together, chased balls one after the other. However, when dinnertime came, I fed Chance and Buddy, separated their bowls across the room, and Chance ate his. Buddy just watched but wasn’t interested in eating. I suspect it may be because Chance is fed raw and he is fed kibble. When Chance came over near his bowl a little later, Buddy attacked him. I was able to separate them and I put Buddy in his crate and Chance in my room and the food dish away. Later, I took Buddy out of his crate and once again offered him his food. No interest. Chance came by and sniffed it and Buddy attacked him again–chomped him around the neck, lifted and shook him, and again I had to intervene. Before you say anything, I know that’s not a safe thing to do and usually I let dogs work it out between them, Buddy, though, is a lab cross around 70 lbs and Chance weighs 22 lbs. Thankfully, no blood was drawn.

This morning the dogs were outside and Buddy wanted to play. As soon as he put a paw on Chance, Chance turned and growled and snapped. Buddy attacked again and I separated them again. I understand both reactions, but it’s not a safe situation.

For the rest of the time I’m here, I’m keeping them totally separated, Also, after a half hour, the Buddy’s food is removed. I’m concerned about the back-to-back sit, though. I’d like to cancel, but that doesn’t seem fair to the HO. I’ve been racking my brain trying to think who I can leave Chance with (kennels are not an option), and I have a couple of people I’ll contact, but in the meantime I’d like some feedback.

One thing I observed is that Buddy doesn’t have clear boundaries. He’s not well trained, thinks he can decide when to obey commands, pulls on the leash when walking, jumps on the door to come in. The HO thinks it’s “cute” and “cuddly” for his dog to jump up on him and laughed and apologized when he continued doing it to me (I discouraged that behavior quickly). I suspect he shares his meals, because Buddy wants my food when I’m eating. Frankly, I think a higher quality food is needed instead of what he’s fed. Resource guarding can turn into something pretty bad if not taken care of, and I’ve already noticed that Buddy seems to be resource guarding me, i.e. he gets tense when Chance comes near me. My question: should I alert the HO to the serious consequences that can ensue from this? So far as I know, Buddy has other dog friends and this has never happened before. Should I encourage him to get a higher quality food? How much should I tell him? I don’t want to gloss this over, but I don’t want to go into all the details either. I do intend to tell him not to let housesitters bring their dogs and why.

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I can’t answer most of your questions, but just a point about resource guarding: if a dog is guarding his food from other dogs he doesn’t know, I don’t see that as a lack of training. It’s perfectly normal dog behaviour. He doesn’t guard it from you, as you’ve been able to remove the food from him after half an hour (was that what the owners recommended?).

It’s very different for dogs to meet each others, play together etc., than actually live in the same house, let alone share the same space to eat. It’s a huge ask for any dog, and even more so if they are with people they do not know well! Yes, I know there are easy going dogs that will allow it, but I think they are in minority.

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Even though both dogs may have been fine with other dogs before now (like when the way they were fine when they first met), I wouldn’t have thought that either one of them was used to getting fed at the same time as another dog. You probably need to try to keep them apart from now on, as they’ve taken offence with one another so that may not change anytime soon.

Personally it is not your place to advise anyone about types of dog food unless you’re a qualified vet. You have no idea why the HO chooses the food he does, it could be financial circumstances or it could be because some higher quality dog food comes with its own problems, like a higher level of protein which some dogs systems can’t cope with. It’s not your place to advise unless you are qualified to do so, it’s not your dog.

But yes I would mention to the HO that it may be best that he doesn’t accept sitters with their own dogs.

You said “So far as I know, Buddy has other dog friends and this has never happened before.” but Buddy is your dog so you should know, so I presume maybe you got him when he was a little older so that’s how you don’t know, but I feel for you. It must have been horrible, but it’s really not the other dogs fault, when there’s another strange dog suddenly living in their space. It’s just one of those unfortunate things. I hope you find a solution.

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Is it possible for you to keep the next sit and just keep them separated? It’s not ideal, but you’d leave the HO hanging last minute otherwise.

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Just to clarify, Buddy is the HO’s dog, 2 y.o. Chance is my dog, 8 years old. Chance has gotten fed around other dogs, as I often dog sit in my home and at others’ homes. I won’t tell the HO about the food he’s feeding, thanks for your feedback.

Just a comment about resource guarding. Whether it’s “normal” or “natural”, it is an issue and can become an even bigger one if not attended to. Do a search on resource guarding and you’ll see what I mean. It can increase to not just food but places, things, etc., and can become a problem with resource guarding people (as seems to be happening with Buddy). It’s usually fear based, and punishment is never the solution, but it is definitely a problem that can get out of hand.

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I’m sorry this happened, it’s aggravating. I had a similar situation years ago, except it was in my house (watching a friend’s dog, dogs already knew each other/got along, first day fine, then issues over food which turned into fighting outside of feeding time). Pack sorting is challenging, especially when one of the dogs is on their territory.

I do think judging how the HO’s treat/train their dog or what they feed him isn’t the point. You’re there to follow their routine, and Buddy IS higher in the pack in this instance. Not sure what the answer is, but it’s worth talking to the HOs about it. At the very least they should know what’s going on, even if you are both ok with going forward with the 2nd sit.

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That would be my last option–actually, cancelling the sit would be my last option, and keeping them separated would be my next to last. I’ll see how the rest of this sit goes. In the meantime, I’m going to see if either my son or my neighbor can come by and take care of Chance for the next sit. I can leave his meals ready made so all they have to do is thaw and feed. Since he has a dog door and a fenced yard, he should be fine.

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Yes you’re right about resource guarding and how it can become a much bigger issue, but the most obvious reason for it on this occasion is because there’s another unfamiliar dog in and around his own feeding area, where he has been used to having this space to himself at feeding time up until now. That’s something that you wouldn’t have thought of getting the dogs used to when you’s both had met previously. I really hope you find a solution, I feel for you.

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Just an update. I’ve made arrangements with my son and my neighbor to take care of Chance while I’m gone next week. I’ve notified the HO about the situation and let him know that I’ll still be here but Chance won’t. In the meantime, all is quiet here, as I’m keeping the dogs separated and spending individual time with them. I take one for a walk, then the other, then play ball outside and then the other, give one freedom to roam the house while I’m working, then the other. Since Chance is comfortable being alone, I actually spend more time with Buddy, the HO’s dog. That’s not a bad thing, I think, as there’s less chance of anxiety that way.

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Very glad to hear that you’ve worked things out so both dogs get good care and won’t have to stress needlessly about sharing space. And glad that you’ve not had to let the HO down on the next sit.

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If I were you, the only thing I would probably mention is how their dog reacted to yours and that they probably shouldn’t consider sitters traveling with their own dogs in the future. That is very important information for them to know.

The recommendations about the food and the training may be well meaning, but perhaps not your place to say anything. When it comes to poorly trained dogs–of which I have watched many over the almost 10 years of doing this–if the owners truly cared about having them properly trained, they would have done so. So you saying anything probably wouldn’t make a difference, especially since the ‘problem’ situation involved a scenario --sharing space with another dog–that isn’t typical for their pet.

I think this is a good example of why many HO’s won’t consider sitters with their own animals. While in most cases, it is probably fine, you ultimately can’t predict what will happen, and I understand HOs who are firm on that. I am glad you found a way to deal with it while you are still there and that you found other arrangements for your dog while you do the second sit.

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I think happydeb gave you great advice when she mentioned not telling them what to feed their dog, but to also mention that it would be best to have future sitters without dogs and to be honest and explain what transpired during your sit. That way it will help you talk to them about not being comfortable with your subsequent sit at their home.
Best of luck to you and I’m so sorry that your pup went through that. I hope that he isn’t traumatized from that experience. I know sometimes they can be.

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Dogs are funny creatures, much like humans. The dog may be resource guarding not only his food and space, but you. You become something it has to be responsible for. Sometimes if a new handler does not represent dominance in an understandable way, the animal takes things into its own hands. This can be driven by breed traits, gender, age and personality.

For that reason, we don’t allow sitters to bring their own pets, require our dog to stay on leash at all times and no dog parks or loose play even with dogs she regularly plays with. It is better to err on the side of caution than to risk the unexpected.

Animals can’t tell us how they are feeling and I think we get used to “reading” our pets and forget a stranger doesn’t have that advantage.

The best pet can surprise us by behaving totally out of character, rather like humans!

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