What a strange and wondrous creature! A real one-of-a-kind which are the best kind there is.

You don't say how long he's been part of the family so it's a bit hard to tell where his attitude towards your SO is coming from. Fortunately, that's not essential.

One thing that may raise your SO's self-esteem is to know that dogs generally do not form hierarchies involving humans. Humans are recognized as being non-dog.

However, Akah, having been a shelter dog may well be a bit insecure and even jealous. This is understandable and workable.

Your SO must take on the role of the bearer of a good things. He must take over, solo, for a while, doing the things with Akah that Akah loves best.

The SO might take Akah for an extra walk or a walk to a new and fascinating place without you. He can become the sole dispenser of Akah favorite treats. He can bring gifts to Akah in the form of toys.

When you are both home and Akah is present, do not play too much with him or give him treats unless the SO is present. Akah must learn to associate the SO with all of his favorite things.

This is a type of conditioning or shaping by association. It works well for creatures likely to accept graft in any form. Dogs are suckers for this.

All that said, I wouldn't be overly concerned about the bed guarding behavior. My 5 year old wolf dog acts like this towards me at times. If she gets to our bed first, I have to ask very politely before joining her. She also hides her disgusting treasures in the bed which is not impossible to tolerate most of the time.

Instead of clashing with Akah to battle it out, the SO must become a smooth, soft spoken diplomat. If he is sensitive, he can learn to read Akah's body language more accurately so as to avoid unnecessary stress for both him and the pooch.

I learned early on with the wolf dog never to engage her on the plain of conflict. If she seemed to be heading that way, out would come a high-quality treat. For a while she was insecure as well. She wanted our dog dog all to herself and eyed me as a potential rival.

I reacted to her by doing everything in my power to overcome her doubts. I never came between her and the dog and when she would insert herself between me and the dog, perhaps out of jealousy, I would immediately transfer all the loving and affection to her. (The dog dog is 8 and not a bit jealous or insecure and perfectly happy to play whatever role she needs him to. I could never have raised her without him.)

Don't worry too much about behaviors and bad habits, dogs are incredible malleable. If given love, respect, good food, treats, toys and plenty of play and exercise, Akah will realize he's hit the jackpot and become more self-assured and less brittle and reactive to perceived threats. It takes time but it almost always works out very well for all concerned.