Why does my dog act out when shared between two homes? Is it stress?

Question

I shared my dog with my ex partner, we would share him around on weekly basis. I noticed a change of behaviour in my dog every time he’d come back to me, became more aggressive to other dogs, had become possessive and stopped listening to me. It would take him good 2-3 days to adjust into my home. Can sharing be confusing and stressful for the dog? And have I made the right decision to keep my dog with me consistently for few weeks to train him without staying over at my ex partner’s place? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | neutered | 2 years and 1 month old | 17 lbs

Dr. Strydom, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Yes, sharing a dog between 2 households can be stressful/confusing to a dog. Many dogs handle it just fine but it sounds like this is not a good situation for Otis. It is best for you and your ex to talk between yourselves and make one home the primary home and the other person just visit or take the dog for day trips. I know that is not ideal and you both love him but you need to do what is best for him. Training is not likely something that will fix this issue as his environment will still be changing back and forth and your ex is not likely to do the exact same behaviors/commands as you and it will just be more confusing.

Why does my dog act out when shared between two homes? Is it stress?

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