Adolescent basset woes. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?

Hello basset friends. I am in an adolescent puppy funk and it only seems to be getting worse. I think I just need to talk to others who can give me hope that with consistency and continued support, things will get better. I apologize for the long post and format/potential typos, I am posting from the app.

We adopted Hank from a basset hound rescue in April, when he was 6 months old. He is now 9 months old and for the most part a pretty good dog. About 2 1/2 weeks ago, however, on two separate occasions he bit my husband and then myself as a product of resource guarding. We have two children so this was definitely very concerning for us.

We contacted the rescue immediately for advice, who put us in touch with a trainer that has lots of experience with bassets. The trainer is absolutely incredible, we had one session last week as an initial evaluation and learned some things straight away to put into effect. It has been exactly one week of trying new techniques and so far, I have not been able to make it through a full day without breaking down and crying multiple times because I feel so hopeless and anxious about the situation getting better.

Looking back, I think the sudden surge in the aggression (or defensiveness?) had to do with a lot of things. For one, I had stopped the daily morning walks for a bit because we live in Arizona and it was getting so dang hot, so he was not getting as much energy exerted. Two, we hardly set any boundaries with him since we have had him, so I think he is just getting a bit TOO comfortable thinking he can get away with anything. And three, he’s just a typical stubborn basset who likes his things.

Before the training, he was allowed on furniture and able to roam the house freely. After starting training, he is blocked from furniture (only allowed on bean bags that we allow him to use as a dog beds since he destroys any real dog bed) and he has been confined to one common area of the house unless I have him tethered to me. I do at least 30 minutes of training a day while he is leashed (not all at once, usually in 10+ min intervals) where we go over “leave it”, “off”, and “out” mostly. Sometimes he does great, yet other times he doesn’t do so well, especially with the leave it command. Then I am back to the swapping game (trading a high value treat for the high value object). I feel like a broken record all day long, just continuously telling him to leave things and hoping, begging that he listens. It’s been SO exhausting, and I feel so hopeless because I know he doesn’t see me as an authority figure right now. I am starting to doubt myself and wonder if I really have it in me to be the leader in our home.

I know it has only been a week, and I am talking to our trainer on a regular basis so we are tweaking things as needed. But I just feel so depressed and stressed about it all. I feel like I am failing him, and that I will never be the leader he needs because I doubt everything I do with him. It is to the point where I am afraid to try bathing him or clean his ears because I’m worried he will be aggressive and it would start new problems.

We love him so much, and I keep hoping that if we continue the work, he will eventually become the basset we always dreamed of. My heart breaks into a million pieces thinking about the “what ifs” in the event that we just completely fail him. So I am here, looking for some hope from someone or some reassurance that it CAN get better. I truly deeply hope so.

I attached a pic of Hank the Tank on his favorite bean bag. He truly is a good dog, deep down. I refuse to give up.

Also, some random background info: He has a puppy brother named Kuma, a shepherd mix who is about two months younger. We start every morning with a 20 minute walk (unfortunately all I am able to do right now, as we live in Arizona and the earliest I can safely walk is 5AM for a bit before my husband leaves for work). They get to play outside around 8AM before it gets too hot and then they rest for most of the day. I try my hardest to mentally stimulate each of them throughout the day separately with snuffle mats, training sessions, puzzle trays, lick mats, etc. The amount of money we have spent on dog stuff, my goodness.

If there are any follow up questions anyone has, feel free to ask.