Not all guarding issues are fixable. I wish people would quit preaching that.
Wrigley had serious food aggression that only got worse as he aged. For 6 years I worked and worked and worked with that dog on a daily basis. I worked with behaviorists and trainers and even consulted trainers as far away as New York. Yet in the end, the result was the same.
Wrigley was and still remains my favorite dog of all time. But I could not and can not change genetics and his FA was a temperament issue, not just a simple behavioral one. As Cole got older and began to get mobile, I made the hardest decision of my life....and that was to euthanize Wrigley. Why? Because in my heart I KNEW that if Wrigley and Cole found some stale potato chip on the floor and went for it at the same time, that my 100 lb dog would go after my son. And NO animal on this planet is worth the safety and well-being of a child. Period.
Fran, I wish you the best in your decision. But this iis one in which you are going to have to make for yourself. Although tips and adivce from others is all good and well, no one else lives in your house besides you, your husband, and your children and no one will ever truly know Boris' actions besides those in your own home. And should one of your children get bitten by a resource guarding dog, then no one on here is going to take the blame for it due to encouraging you to keep the dog around. I truly wish you well and just know that you must do what you have to for the safety of your children. I know you love Boris, but not all dogs can be "fixed." And to learn that the hard way is/will be devestating.
Wrigley had serious food aggression that only got worse as he aged. For 6 years I worked and worked and worked with that dog on a daily basis. I worked with behaviorists and trainers and even consulted trainers as far away as New York. Yet in the end, the result was the same.
Wrigley was and still remains my favorite dog of all time. But I could not and can not change genetics and his FA was a temperament issue, not just a simple behavioral one. As Cole got older and began to get mobile, I made the hardest decision of my life....and that was to euthanize Wrigley. Why? Because in my heart I KNEW that if Wrigley and Cole found some stale potato chip on the floor and went for it at the same time, that my 100 lb dog would go after my son. And NO animal on this planet is worth the safety and well-being of a child. Period.
Fran, I wish you the best in your decision. But this iis one in which you are going to have to make for yourself. Although tips and adivce from others is all good and well, no one else lives in your house besides you, your husband, and your children and no one will ever truly know Boris' actions besides those in your own home. And should one of your children get bitten by a resource guarding dog, then no one on here is going to take the blame for it due to encouraging you to keep the dog around. I truly wish you well and just know that you must do what you have to for the safety of your children. I know you love Boris, but not all dogs can be "fixed." And to learn that the hard way is/will be devestating.