Questions I would have to ask are: How much interaction does Harry have with the houseguest? Have you witness on multiple occasions the houseguest dog being aggressive/dominant towards Harry?
I personally think Harry feels like someone has invaded his home/space. This other dog seems aggressive/dominant towards Harry which can cause Harry to defend himself in all situations for FEAR of this other dog.
Guest and guest dog have been staying with us since last Wednesday, so little over a week. Dogs interact every day before and after work. Usually they play very well together. Sometimes, they start out playing nicely, but things get a little too rough, so we will separate them and let them calm down. Food aggression by guest dog towards Harry I have witnessed three times.
I recommend talking to your guest! Since there is no need to "correct" this other dog's behavior (since it's not your dog or your place to) the guest dog needs to be crated while eating or in another room. Harry needs to be treated like the dominant dog of the house and you can not let the other dog push Harry around.
Oh, definitely! BF and I will be speaking to him about this today. The dogs are separated during feeding, but I don't want to interrupt Harry's feeding schedule just because a new dog is in the house. He eats at 6am, 12pm, and 6pm. Yesterday evening our guest & dog were not home at 6pm, so I fed Harry, and then when they got to our house around 7pm, I took Harry to the backyard and worked on some training while the other dog ate his dinner. But, guest forgot to pick up the empty food bowl, and when we got back in and Harry sniffed at it, guest dog lunged and growled.
Also continue to practice putting your hands in his food, playing with his chew toys/kong, and correct any negative behavior and praise good behavior. All though it seems obvious as to why Harry is acting this way, you don't want to use excuses. Train your dog to maintain good manners in all situations.
Will do!! Just read a good article on this from one of Jewilee's links, and I will definitely be getting advice from our puppy class instructor.
Dogs can learn behavior from other dogs, most certainly! But I don't think this is learning behavior... I think this is fear.
His reaction certainly appeared to be fear, and he has never been afraid of me, or BF, or any person, so that's why it really freaked me out. When he ran into the other room, he jumped up on the couch, so I just sat there and petted him and talked soothingly. I was hoping to reassure him I would not take his food away. Even if I have to take something from him, say he chews a bully stick down too small, I do a trade for a yummy treat.