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When you’ve taken your dog for a quick stroll in the evening and you see a loud and slightly intimidating group across the road, having your protective dog at your side can certainly put you at ease. As soon as someone comes within 10 feet of you he starts to growl and stares menacingly. He’s also the same when someone comes to the door. The postman must dread having to approach the steps, knowing there’s a fierce guard dog on the other side of the door.
While this protective nature can come in handy at times, it also prevents you being able to embrace friends and family. If you can train your dog to stop being so protective you’ll no longer be known as the ‘neighbor with the terrifying dog.’ You also won’t have to worry about him going too far one day and biting somebody.
Training will be a gradual process where you socialize your dog with other people and pets. You’ll need to gradually bring his guard down and show him that it isn’t his responsibility to protect you. You will need to alter his position in the perceived pack so he won’t always leap to your defense. If he’s a puppy and the protective nature is only a recent development, then it may take just a couple of weeks to tackle. If this protective aggression has been going on for years, you may need up to 6 weeks to stamp it out entirely.
Getting this training right is essential if you want to avoid an accident one day. All it takes is a one-off when somebody accidentally gets too close and your dog bites them in a panic. That could result in serious injury or even a court order to have him put down.
Before you can get going, you’ll need to gather a few things. A secure leash and a body harness will be needed to ensure you retain control and to reduce strain on your dog's neck.
Your furry companion's favorite food or some tasty treats he cannot resist will also play a vital role. These will be used to motivate and reward him throughout training. You’ll also need to set aside 10 minutes each day for training in a quiet space, away from distractions.
Once you’ve got all of that, you’re ready to get to work!
The Gradual Introduction Method
Most Recommended
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Most Recommended
4 Votes
Approach slowly
When your canine companion is about to meet a new person or pet, approach them very slowly. Keep him on a leash, securely at your side.
Reward
As you approach the new person or pet, quietly praise him for as long as he remains calm. You can even give him the odd treat to reinforce that this is the behavior you want to see.
React promptly
As soon as he does start to display signs of aggression, turn around and pull him away. Walk away from the person or pet until he has fully calmed down. Once he has, you can turn back around and slowly approach again. It may take several attempts before you can get within 10 feet.
Stop within 10 feet
At 10 feet, you need to calm the storm again. Have him ‘sit’ or ‘drop’ and then instruct him to ‘wait.’ You then need to position yourself in between him and the strangers to show him you are pack leader, and therefore it is you that is responsible for protecting him and not the other way round.
Be consistent
You need to use these steps whenever you approach new people and animals over the next few weeks. Each slip up you have will set back the end result. So take it slow, retain control and reinforce calm behavior constantly.
The Perception Method
Effective
5 Votes
Effective
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Secure the leash
Whenever anybody comes to the house or an unknown person approaches, have your dog securely on a leash. Also, ensure you are in front of him. If he is between you and the approaching person, he will feel like leader of the pack and responsible for protecting you.
Be confident
Dogs mirror their owners' behavior and pick up on their emotions. If he can sense you are worried (probably about his reaction) then he’ll be more likely to panic himself and get aggressive. So be calm, confident, and assertive and it will put him at ease.
Always react
If he does start to bark or show any signs of aggression, quickly shout "NO". Don’t terrify your dog, but make sure he knows you mean business. At the same time, give the leash a quick pull to reinforce the point.
Practice obedience commands
Teach your dog to ‘sit’, ‘roll over’ and any number of other things. This training will help cement your position as the pack leader and will give you the best chance of retaining control in testing situations.
Show him you are leader
Make your dog wait for his food, make him wait a minute before you take him out for a walk. By doing this, you’re showing him who is in control. If he knows you’re always in control he won’t feel the need to be protective over you in the first place.
The Crack Down Method
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Least Recommended
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Stop over indulging
If your dog gets unlimited attention and doesn’t have to abide by any rules, then curbing his aggression will always be a challenge. Set rules to assert your position as the pack leader. It could be no climbing on furniture, only going to the toilet in specific places, etc.
Exercise
It may sound crazy, but a lot of aggression stems from built up energy. Give your dog an extra walk each day or walk him for longer. If this isn’t possible, play fetch during the walk--the constant short sprints will tire him out. If he’s knackered, he won’t have the energy to defend you from everyone you meet each day.
Desensitize
If your dog is going to meet a new person or pet for the first time, introduce them carefully. Keep him at a distance and show your dog that he’s got nothing to worry about by being calm and confident around that person.
Avoid his territory
It will also help to meet new people and pets outside of his territory to start with. If they come into the room where his bed is he will feel like he needs to defend you in his area. Instead, meet people outside or in a room he’s less familiar with.
Never punish him
If your dog does show aggression, don’t punish him. Doing this will only scare him more, increasing the chances of him being aggressive the next time. Instead, calmly remove him from the situation. Don’t give his aggressive behavior any attention.
Written by James Barra
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 11/07/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
Training Questions and Answers
Dog is very protective of home and car. He barks and lunges and at any visitors to the home and anyone that approaches the car. Recently he has started barking and lunging at people who make sudden movements when approaching me. I just pit him up when we have company and tells folks that they can't pet him when we are out for walks.
March 12, 2022
Kona's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello Jeff, To address this need, I recommend hiring a private trainer who will come to your home, who specializes in behavior issues like aggression, and works with a staff of trainers, who can one at a time accompany the trainer to your home, to practice desensitizing pup to your "guests". This process will likely involve a combination of desensitizing pup to wearing a basket muzzle first, using a back tie leash to ensure pup can't bite the guest trainer, working on obedience commands ahead of time to build respect and listening with you, like Place, Quiet, Down, Out- leave the area, Leave It, and Say Hi, and then counter conditioning pup around the visitors by rewarding calm responses from a safe distance. First with you rewarding pup while the guest ignores, then the guest tossing treats over and speaking to pup more, and progressing gradually to more interaction with the "guests" gradually. Once pup is okay at home, then similar training is began again but with pup in the car and people walking past the car, then people walking past, then finally approaching you in public. Desensitizing to a basket muzzle first is important not only for the sake of others training with you, but also because many dogs will redirect their aggression to whoever is closest when aroused, which could mean a bite for you if not careful enough, even though pup may not have any issues with aggression toward you in other scenarios. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
March 14, 2022
My dog seems to have a protective boundary around me when other dogs and their human are close, even at the beach. I can keep her occupied by playing fetch but she gets aggravated and aggressive when too close.
March 9, 2022
Sandía's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello Stephanie, For some dogs that type of protection is due to pup being possessive over you - viewing you as something they own and don't want others close to. Often this is addressed by building pup's respect for you through activities that engage pup's mind, like structured obedience commands, more boundaries and rules follow through at home, and being calm and consistent in following through with commands and expectations of pup. It's also addressed by counter conditioning pup to others being closer to you, with the proper safety measures to avoid a bite, like a long training leash that keeps others out of pup's reach (and even you if pup may redirect aggression toward you to control how close you are getting). Pup is then rewarded for calm body language around others, gradually decreasing the distance between you and the others are pup improves with practice. Sometime the issue is related to pup's strong defense drive - German Shepherd often have strong defense drives -it's what makes them head into a dangerous situation instead of retreat when others would have, they push in in response to pressure instead of pulling back. Often a combination of desensitizing pup to others being near gradually, as described above, with safety measures in place, and working up to reliable off-leash obedience around distractions, so pup will obey you instead of their impulses even in what they consider higher stress situations. This drive is more instinctual than anything, so a high level of obedience, combined with desensitizing pup to decrease reactivity, is more necessary. Sometimes this issue is related to a lack of socialization and trust with others. If pup views others as a threat and suspicious, counter conditioning with others needs to be carefully and gradually done, with safety measures in place, often practicing obedience commands in environments where others are around at a distance. The obedience can help pup stay in a thinking mindset instead of going into fight or flight due to fear and distrust. When pup responds calmly to the stimuli of others in the background, pup is rewarded. This is done often, with other's at a distance, until pup starts to associate others nearby with good things and their emotional response about others changes. As pup improves, distance is slowly decreased - watching pup's body language to determine when its time to decrease distance, waiting until pup is genuinely happy and relaxed to decrease; doing this until pup can handle people and other dogs being at the distances they normally are to pup while out. For further up close counter conditioning I would hire a professional trainer to ensure it's done safety, and with the proper training guidance and safety measures, and the help of their training partners and canines, set up scenarios, like dog walks and people tossing pup treats, to improve socialization even more. A basket muzzle is needed for up close interactions at first in some cases. The muzzle is introduced using treat rewards gradually so pup isn't stressed by it, before training with it. Many can train safely without though. A qualified trainer could help guide whether it's needed. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
March 9, 2022
She has started attacking our Shihtzu. We all sleep together and last night attacked her twice. Without provocation. Maybe feeling like the other was going to get close to me. She’s very attached to me.
Feb. 10, 2022
Arie's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello Pam, It sounds like she is probably possessive of you or the bed. Possessiveness is like resource guarding, except it involves guarding a person pup views as belonging to them. I would work on having her not be allowed on the bed for a few months, building respect for you in general, and desensitizing her to your other dog being near you - practicing calling the other dog over while she stays somewhere like her dog bed, and rewarding her for staying calm and not tensing up or reacting negatively when the dog comes over to you or gets on the bed. You can practice Place, then toss the treat onto her place bed when she responds well - keeping the other dog from going over to her and starting a fight over the treat you tossed. Keep that busy with their own obedience commands like Sit and Down in front of you. Place - useful for counter conditioning and desensitizing around your second dog. If pup is really reactive and won't stay on place, I would use a back tie leash securely to something nearby in case pup lunges off the place to attack your other dog. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O75dyWITP1s Off- section on The Off command. Useful for keeping pup off the bed right now while addressing this. https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-train-dog-stay-off-couch/ Useful for boundaries and respect: Out - which means leave the area: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ Leave It method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite General respect building - respect building is important with possessiveness because pup needs to see you as something they can't own. The methods in this article are a few calmer, less confrontational ways to work toward that. If pup has ever shown any form of aggression toward you, I would desensitize to a basket muzzle and/or work with a professional to address this though. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-doberman-to-listen-to-you If things don't improve, there is a bite, or they get worse, I would also hire a professional trainer who specializes in behavior issues like aggression, to come to your home and evaluate the situation in person and create a training plan to work with you with the dogs, based on what they observe and their experience. Look for someone who comes well recommended by those they have worked with in the past for their work with aggression and resource guarding specifically. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Feb. 11, 2022