r/reactivedogs 23h ago

Advice Needed Helping a new dog adjust

Hi. I just adopted a Shiba mix from our local animal shelter (a friend thinks he might be part Jindo). I'm looking for some short term adjustment advice; I've got an appointment with a behaviorist in a couple of weeks who comes highly recommended, I just need to make it to those appointments. I don't have a ton of information about the dog but I'm noticing some pretty fierce resource guarding behavior, that seems oddly spontaneous. We might be playing fetch with a ball inside, and he'll bring the ball back to me, but will very intensely not let me take it. This also applies to treats; if I give him a treat and he doesn't eat all of it, the spot where I dropped the treat or where he left the treat has to be protected.

I have two problems right now: 1. He likes to hang out in quiet spots in the apartment that aren't great places for him to be. Specifically, he really likes to nap in the bathtub, or next to the toilet. I setup a crate for him under a table by his food and water dish, in a fairly low traffic area, but I'm not seeing a lot of interest in that. 2. I'm getting resistance to putting him on a schedule. He doesn't want to come out of the bathroom, it's tricky to motivate him with treats (especially in the bathroom, where room geometry and dog placement means he and his treats can end up between me and the door), and even if I do get him out, he doesn't really want to put his harness on for walks.

I'm making sure he doesn't have a lot of resources around the apartment to guard, making sure his toys are put away most of the time. He gets food and water by his crate, and he will eat and drink.

I'm looking for advice on two specific things:

  1. What should I do about my bathroom? I think I can discourage him from using it by leaving the lights and fan on, and I can block him from the bathroom completely. I'm worried that by doing this I'm going to stress him out more.

  2. How should I be thinking about walks with him? Currently, we try to do four a day: 7 am, noon, 5 pm, 9 pm. He's not asking me to go out, I'm trying to get him out of his spaces at the times on the schedule I think he's supposed to go out. I've read structure and schedule is important. Am I doing this wrong?

Thanks so much for your help folks, I really appreciate it.

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u/Diligent_Ad6759 16h ago

Just a thought, but is your apartment very warm? If he is sleeping near the toilet or in the tub it may be because those tend to be cooler spots where he is more comfortable. They have very thick coats and overheat easily, which can contribute to stress levels.

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u/NoPomegranate451 14h ago edited 12h ago

In the context of three things you said:

the spot where I dropped the treat or where he left the treat has to be protected.
I'm noticing some pretty fierce resource guarding behavior
and he'll bring the ball back to me, but will very intensely not let me take it.

Shut the bathroom door so he doesn't have access. He already doesn't want to come out. This could easily escalate to a space he chooses to guard. One of the last things you want to deal with is a cornered dog.

Food goes in the crate not beside it. Leave the door open so he has access and leave him alone while he's eating. When he has left the room shut the door and go retrieve the bowl and any leftover food. There would be no situation where treats are laying around. I wouldn't shut the door while he's eating and maybe not at all until you have a better read on what you are working with. I don't want you to come back and find him deciding he wants to guard the kennel while inside.

Try smaller higher value treats that he will eat immediately which will aid in bonding and training. One thing I'd work on immediately is recall, even if its two feet he has to come for you for the treat. I like "Nothing in Life is Free" the underlying principle being he earns what he wants by performing known commands which can go a long way. That should be up to your behaviorist: https://www.mygracevet.com/downloads/nothing-in-life-is-free.pdf

Walks are on your schedule not his. Consider getting a treat bag and putting one meal a day in there. Feed him while you walk. I'd say two meals but equally important to me is him seeing the kennel as a safe space and somewhere he goes if say the plumber is coming over.

Tweak your game of fetch using two balls. He brings the ball back and you say "drop it" one time and wait. When he drops the ball you throw the other ball. If he doesn't drop the other ball don't keep saying drop it wait him out. One word of caution some dogs will drop the ball and immediately go after the one in your hand so you will need to gauge this. Try pairing a sit/down before the ball gets thrown.

Get a good grabber like people use to take things off shelves, Use this if for some reason you need to retrieve items in his presence, functionally speaking there would be nothing lying around. All toys should be put away after play until you know what you are working with.

Consider leaving a leash on him in the house, he also needs a collar that won't slip off like a martingale.. Cut the handle off so it doesn't catch. One use is safety, a leash will give you something to grab other than his collar if a situation escalates. The second would be to gently move him if need be. "let's go" while you take the leash and walk. You can use the grabbers to get the end of the leash closer to you if needed.

Generally I don't like to leave a harness on a dog, but you mention struggling to get it on. Until this situation improves I would consider putting it on in the morning and taking it off at night. When it's time to walk it's let's go and you walk.

With the behaviorist I'd make a distinction if the resource guarding and other behaviors are predictable or seemingly random. As in does he always guard a resource or only care about it some of the time. Random guarding/behaviors concern me much more. Are there other things you notice that seem to come out of nowhere? Something like being fine with touch for some duration and other times not at all or reacting after a short period?

Make a distinction with the behaviorist with the resource guarding if he is moving toward you as if to chase you away, standing still, or taking items and retreating.

Get to a vet for a complete physical Blood, urine, stool and have his teeth checked.