My dog barks at visitors at the door. How do I manage this fear?

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I agree with you, the discipline has not been handled correctly. There are other, better ways to discipline a dog but at this time it is going to be difficult to correct without a professional trainer. Does she have fear aggression? I don't know because I have not witnessed the behavior myself so I can't say for sure. You need a professional dog trainer to come to your house and see the dog's behavior and how the dog interacts with everyone in the house. Only then can they make recommendations on how to correct the problem. Sometimes you need to work concurrently with a veterinarian as behavior modification medications may be needed in the beginning of the re-training. I'm sorry I do not know where you are located so I can't really recommend a trainer. I suggest you call your vet for a recommendation. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Many dogs get very excited when visitors come to the door! I would recommend asking guests to call ahead for now when they are coming over, so that you can put Vesta on a leash before they arrive. Use the leash to keep her under control, and use treats to reward her for sitting or other calm behavior. Once she calms down a bit, your visitors can also ask her to sit for treats and petting. It takes lots of time and patience to work on this issue, so be patient with Vesta while she learns! Ideally, I would also recommend finding a good reward-based trainer in your area who can work with you in person to make sure you're making progress - you can search for a qualified trainer in your area here: www.ccpdt.org

While you may think he "knows he shouldn't do it" that doesn't mean he actually does, or isn't still wanting to do it. It could be that the maid coming by is extremely stressful for him, or he has fear associated with it- especially if you scold him every time. In his mind, he may think maid comes over = I get yelled at, so he tries to shoo away the maid in the hopes he won't be yelled at or scolded. Speaking with a trainer or behaviorist about BAT (Behavioral Adjustment Training) is a good idea. This can help nervous or fearful dogs desensitize to certain stimulus through positive, gradual introductions, rather than forcing him into a fearful situation. Moving him to another room or outside until you can work with a trainer can also help and can keep your maid safe from being bitten if he's actively trying to bite her. Trying to make her coming by a positive experience instead of a fearful one may also help. When she comes by, have her toss him a treat and then ignore him, or give him a special Kong or toy filled with his favorite snacks, so that he begins to associate maid coming over = fun! instead. As aggression is a very complicated issue, I highly recommend working with a trainer or behaviorist in person so that they can observe and work with you to positively change Brownie's behavior. In the US you can find a list of nearby behaviorists here: http://www.dacvb.org/about/member-directory/

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Almost any behavior can be resolved with training and behavior modification. I would highly recommend you consider contacting a local dog trainer who can work with you in person as that is needed. This should work but it will take time and persistence and of course a professional working with you both. Best of luck!

Your best option is to have a professional trainer come to your home and evaluate her during these situations. They will be able to give you the best advice. Behavior issues are not quick fixes and if you don't know what you are doing you could make the dog worse instead of better. These types of behaviors should be handled by a professional. You need to catch this before she gets worse. The longer this goes on, the harder it will be to rectify (especially in a dog like a German Shepherd). I don't know where you are located so just do a google search for in-home professional dog trainers in your area or you can probably get a reference from your veterinarian. Here are some random ones `i found in India but I don't know if any are close to you: ( http://www.k9school.in/ ) ( http://cochindogtrainingacademy.com/ ) ( http://www.woodstockdogs.com/ )

Hi there! When it comes to resource guarding of a specific location or area of the house, this is a fairly complex problem that can't really be addressed properly in this type of format. I would recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer who can evaluate her in person and help you put together a detailed plan to work on this behavior. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org or a qualified trainer here: www.ccpdt.org In the meantime, if she only shows this behavior with people she doesn't know, I would recommend separating her from visitors by putting her in a crate or another room with the door closed to avoid any further problems until you're able to get some in-person assistance.

I would recommend working with a trainer with Kiwi. The trainer would come to your home and see exactly what her triggers are and how she behaves. At that point they can recommend ways to help her and help you handle the situation. This would be the best for Kiwi. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.