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My 3 year old mutt has been increasingly more protective/aggressive. What's changing/how do I stop it?
She does look like she has a small amount of pitbull in her, but she is only about 35lbs full grown. I adopted her from a shelter about 2 years ago and it was clear that she had been abused. She has always been afraid of men, but very loving toward women/children. Once she knows a man she is very loving as well. In public, she avoids men, but shows no aggression towards anyone. At home, she used to growl at my male friends, but she backed away and got used to them within a few minutes. Now she has become much more aggressive and has actually nipped at a few friends. She also now seems to think any house/location that we spend any amount of time in belongs to her. She is protective of any area that I am in. I understand the protective instincts, but I don't understand why her behavior is becoming so much more aggressive. I know she would never do anything to hurt me, but I fear for anyone meeting her.
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Member 1090411
on Feb 7th 2012
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Breed means nothing, my neighbor's Golden Retriever bit 2 kids - not the dogs fault. The owner set no boundaries and let the dog take over the house. The poor submissive Golden, made terrible choices. :(
It's not unusual for fearful dogs to be defensive and protective. Your job as the owner is to protect both her and other people.
-Keep her on a 5-6 foot leash around strangers, even at home.
- Keep calm and in control. If you worry constantly, she will feel the worry, but not understand SHE is the source. Keep the leash slack.
-If she barks or growls, just say, "excuse us a moment", lead her away. When she calms, bring her back.
-Put her on a sit/stay and reward (with food) good behavior during greetings. Ask your guest to ignore her.
-Give her something to do, or somewhere to go. During greetings, Pepper is encouraged to run through her tricks, it gives her confidence and relaxes my guest.
(PS, Dino was won over by a pocket full of bacon!)
Pepper
answered on 2/7/12.
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Well, like you said, you understand that she was formerly abused. She was probably abused by a young man or a teenage boy that wasn't cautious about what he did to the dogs. Usually, if you've let it get to the point where she starts making physical contact with your male guests, then there isn't a lot of re-inforcement that could be unprofessional. Obedience school is a less convenient and more expensive option, but if you feel that you need to resort to that option, please do for the sake of your friends and family. If you don't wish to seek professional help, then you can always crate her and scold. You can also get a tin can filled with pennies and shake it around a few times. It tends to disorient them and teaches them right from wrong.
Sophie
answered on 2/7/12.
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It may be more expensive and inconvenient to take her to classes but it may be totally worth it! If you can find a good, positive trainer in your area. Having her do tricks or at least some basic obedience is a great way to help her learn what she should do around new people. Again with the protectiveness I don't know how much obedience she knows or how well she listens but it is very important that she listens quickly. My brother's dog has similar issues and a quick sit that she knows she must listen to works wonders
Skarlet
answered on 2/9/12.
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