I hear it all the time, “I have the best dog, he/she is very protective of me and my family”. Or, we want to buy a dog to protect our family, but we don’t want a trained protection dog. Typically, these people are talking about German Shepherds or those types of dogs known for protection, Rotties, Dobis, Mastiffs, etc.
With the world today, I completely understand the need to feel secure. However, this is just the wrong way to bring a dog into the home as a family dog. Most of these people like their dog with them, like to have people in the house, and like their dog to accept everyone they accept. They do not train the dog to recognize when to act and when not to. They don’t give their dogs “attack” or “protect” commands so they can trigger this behavior when needed.
What they are seeing is when a stranger approaches, the dog will stand in front of the owner. He will be cautious and possibly bark. This is certainly protection, but why?
Dogs that do these types of behaviors also tend to do things like ignore some commands, take independent action in the home, and can be described as stubborn or autonomous. They have decided on their own that their family needs him to protect; the problem is that he was never told what he should protect from; so the answer tends to be EVERYTHING.
Let me start by saying, this is not a beneficial situation to be in. Over time, the protection can grow and the dog may not distinguish between who you let into the house and who he should protect from. He will rush the person at the door barking ferociously leaving the owners confused as to how this happened and what to do about it.
The first thing that needs to be done, is don’t take this behavior lightly!
Almost ANY dog will protect the owner that is being attacked or in trouble. That should never be an owner’s worry or even thought about. An owner should work on making their dog comfortable with people. .. all people!
When you see inappropriate behavior, first consult a specialist. Next, stay calm and work to make sure every person interaction your dog has is the best interaction ever! The dog has to understand that people bring him good stuff. .. they are nothing to be feared or protected against. One other important concept is that the person needs to give the dog space to investigate. . .they should not attempt to meet or greet the dog. No Look, No Talk, No Touch until the dog requests it. Sniffing is not a request.
At this point, it’s the owner to make sure the dog is paying attention to them, not the incoming guest. Reinforcing good behavior and not yelling at any poor behavior. You don’t want your yelling to be taken by the dog as “when people come in, I get in trouble. I don’t like people”.
While this is an overly simplified, high-level view, this is the concept. Again, please seek help to make sure this is done properly. With some proper guidance and procedure, many dogs can recover from this poor behavior.
