Aggressiveness towards visitors

[vitalsignusa]

Help,...I have bee having problems with Sawyer lately. First he acted up when my step-father came over. He was growling and trying to keep him away from us. We told him to stop and he did. Now, every time anyone comes over he does it and WILL NOT stop. I don't want to crate him because of what he went through before but he's getting really bad about this and not obeying at all when it comes to this. Any suggestions??

 

[RonaldMM]

I went through something similar with Drake. Our trainer told me that when he "instinctively" went to protect me, to give him a correction, and let him know that it's not his job to protect, but rather my job to protect him. If you watch carefully, you can head off that behavior. You will see signs of them getting ready to go to protection mode. Give him the correction. My correction is a loud deep voice, enhhhhhhh, enhhhhhhhhh. It snaps him out of it. The trainer said it was important to address it now. One reason, it takes the stress off of him to be the protector and heads off fear aggression. It really does work! Sending you the best! Let him know by doing this that YOU are the protector, not him.

 

[Motomom]

I went through something similar with Drake. Our trainer told me that when he "instinctively" went to protect me, to give him a correction, and let him know that it's not his job to protect, but rather my job to protect him. If you watch carefully, you can head off that behavior. You will see signs of them getting ready to go to protection mode. Give him the correction. My correction is a loud deep voice, enhhhhhhh, enhhhhhhhhh. It snaps him out of it. The trainer said it was important to address it now. One reason, it takes the stress off of him to be the protector and heads off fear aggression. It really does work! Sending you the best! Let him know by doing this that YOU are the protector, not him.

Exactly. You want him to be calm-submissive not the aggressive protector.
He will learn. You just have to keep correcting. Repitition is key.

 

[vitalsignusa]

Agressive w/visitors

Thank you. I will try this each time we have someone over.

 

[vitalsignusa]

Aggression towards Visitors

I've found a happy medium. Sayer was still being aggressive towards visitors so I had a few people come over. They rang the bell. Of course he went completely over the top, barking, growling. I answered the door and took HIM outside to meet them. Once he realized they were okay, we came into the house and he was fine with them. I don't know if anyone else has done this. It worked fine. We are still working on the problem though because he still acts that way if the service people come over to the house to work on something. I've been firm. I've rewarded him when he sits while they are there and hopefully with repetition he will learn. Keep your fingers crossed.

 

[gmacleod]

From your signature it appears Sawyer is 7.5 years old? You know, if this is a sudden thing with him, I'd be inclined to take him along to the vet and get him looked over. Perhaps his eyesight in particular.

Well socialised adult dogs don't normally start behaviours like that for no reason at all... teenagers maybe, since they're still going through fear stages, but not adults. It could be that he's having some difficulty there making people out, and that's what has him on the defensive.

 

[dharmadoodle]

Our old dog Odin started this when his eyes started to fail him, & when his hearing started to fail too. I guess he was just wary all the time.