How can I train my dog to be a protective guard dog for my home?

I am sorry, but you are having the opposite problem with Spring that most people do! As veterinarians, we most often want people to raise safe, socialized dogs that are not going to attack people unprovoked. You likely have a naturally friendly dog that isn't afraid of people, which is what most pet owners actually want. You may have to seek out a dog that has actually been bred and trained to guard property.

I would speak to your vet about taking Bubbitha to a professional behavioral expert. I'm not exactly sure what she does if she's "too protective," but I would be concerned she could become aggressive. Should she become aggressive, she could bite another person, and that can lead to serious consequences. I never recommend owners deal with issues such as being too protective on their own, as it can be a safety problem, so working with a professional behavioral expert is best. Contact your vet next week to discuss a referral to one. I hope this helps!

I'm glad to hear Tobias has been making improvements! Protective dogs can be challenging to train and modify the behavior. Wolves are naturally protective of their territory and don't want trespassers. Certain dogs will also exhibit this behavior to a degree. In their mind, they are doing the right thing for the pack and the territory. However, most of us need a dog who is accepting of people they don't know in the house. Additionally, he may be trying to 'herd' these people to an area where they will sit down and he can get attention. Dogs are very clever like that sometimes. I recommend to read some of the books written by a trainer named Victoria Stilwell. She uses a positive reinforcement only approach for dog training and behavior modification. You may also need to help of a professional trainer for those last few tweeks you want to make. Until you know the exact reason for Tobias's behavior, it may be difficult to know what else to do to get the desired response. Best of luck.

Sorry to hear about your dog's aggressive behavior. This breed, among others, has a tendency to be protective and territorial aggressive towards people. The causes can be related to the blood line or as a result of environment. Best bet here is to consult with your local veterinarian on a plan to help alleviate the problem through behavioral modification and medical management through neutering. There are also specific medicines available to help deal with certain behavior problems. You might ask your veterinarian for a referral to a veterinary behavioralist in your area, who specializes in these kinds of problems. Together, I hope they can lend you some solid answers to this difficult but serious problem with your dog. Please feel free to reach out for a consult with me if you have further questions. All the best, Steve Popish, DVM.

I would recommend having a certified trainer work with you on these issues. They can come to your home and the dog park to help King adjust again to playing with dogs and not be so protective over you or aggressive with other animals. Your veterinarian should have recommendations for good trainers in the area. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, Marshall may be having some territorial aggression like a GSD does. He may be protective of his home, you, other pets, and even babies. Therefore, when the trainer takes him and introduces him, his guard is deactivated and therefore is fine. Initial steps are to determine what triggers the behavior. Second step is to avoid the trigger. And the third step is to re-establish leadership. Reestablish leadership with your dog Many people have misconceptions about truly dominant actions from dogs. A dog that walks ahead of its owner or disobeys commands is not expressing dominance but is showing effects of improper training. We are not part of the dog’s pack as many people believe and thus we should not look for a role as the “dominant” dog. Rather you should try to attain leadership by having the dog look to you for guidance in any situation, instead of being submissive or fearful of your commands. Reestablishing leadership can be done by using non-confrontational positive reinforcement techniques. Tools such as head collars can be used to help re-direct your dog’s behavior. Avoid punishing unwanted behaviors Punishment-based techniques, such as leash corrections, alpha-rolling, shoulder jabs, verbal disrupters (such as ‘baaaaa’ and ‘tssssh’), and training discs/chains tossed at dogs, do not address the underlying motivation, require constant direction and force, and typically do no result in positive long term benefits. These types of punishments have been shown to actually increase aggressive behavior. Positive reinforcement training and behavior modification methods focus on changing the underlying emotion of the dog’s aggression, while promoting and rewarding desired behaviors. Hope this helps.

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.