Dog suddenly changed attitude and need advice

[burbylellen]

So I have a Staffy that I adopted when he was just about 8-9 months old and he is now almost 3.5 years old. We found out pretty quickly he had some fence reactivity with the neighbors dogs but pretty much solved that by putting up a privacy fence. Well here we are 2.5 years later and all of the sudden about 2 months ago he has started resource guarding. He has always been fed with the other two dogs in the household with no issues whatsoever until recently and last night it turned into a full on dog fight after one of our other dogs happened to lean too far into his eating space. (They are all fine!)I just don’t understand how after 2.5 years of him getting along and being fed in the same area at the same time with two other dogs that all of the sudden resource guarding has occurred and I’m honestly at a loss as what to do. (And yes he is neutered has been since the second week we adopted him)

 

[oceanskk]

@burbylellen Sudden change in behavior ALWAYS = a vet check. This could be a pain or GI issue or something else. I had a good friend whose dog never ever counter surfed then one day just started doing it. She took him to the vet. EIGHT HERNIAS. Yep. That guy needed surgery. Once it was done, no more counter surfing.

 

[burbylellen]

@oceanskk I never even thought of that because he doesn’t act in pain but it could definitely be under the surface I will most likely do this just to make sure everything is ok. Thanks for the idea!

 

[casterberry]

@burbylellen I had to Boston Terriers who started to fight when they were around two years old. One day they were eating next to each other, and a piece of kibble popped out from one dish and landed under the other dog. When dog who lost kibble went to get it, the other one certainly didn’t like it and fight ensued. They ended up fighting about 2x/year and we spent the next five years training with behaviorists, etc and ended up having to rehome one of them. Horrible experience but the dog we rehomed, ended up in a great, loving home/family and everything worked out well.

It doesn’t take much for a switch to flip.

 

[burbylellen]

@casterberry That’s what I’m afraid of but we will definitely try every option before we even think about rehoming him so maybe a private training class is something worth looking into

 

[nhope]

@burbylellen I’m confused, 2 months ago he started resource guarding, but yesterday there was unexpectedly a fight while eating food next to two other dogs?? Not really adding up to me. Seems like your dog was showing signs of wanting space and you weren’t ready to hear him.
I recommend practicing some neutrality. Group chew sessions are great for this, each dog in their own spot with their own chew in the same room. Monitor and supervise closely. Each dog should wear a collar and leash or tab (let them drag the leash around) just in case of the need to correct/prevent unnecessary conflicts. Be on the lookout for any building issues. Space out their bowls (even better feed them separately) when you feed for now.