New dog resource gaurding me. What to do?
I recently took in a 4-year-old intact female Chihuahua from a coworker. The dog originally belonged to her in-laws and was unfortunately abused for most of her life despite only being about 3 lbs. She is extremely anxious and became very attached to me almost immediately after coming into my home. I also have other pets, including my cat and another Chihuahua, and initially they all coexisted without issues. However, she has started resource guarding me very severely. It first began when I would sit on the couch, where she would go after my other pets if they came near me, but the behavior has continued to escalate. Now she will react even if they simply walk near me while I’m standing in the kitchen or moving around the house.
I have experience with reactive dogs and resource guarding behaviors before, but never to this extent. Another challenge is that traditional treat-based training has been difficult because she has apparently been fed mostly human food her entire life and refuses to eat dog treats or kibble. I am planning to have her spayed and get the dental care she needs before rehoming her, but I really need to get the behavior under control because she has also started becoming reactive toward people.