To Serve and Protect

For some reason, the last week and a half has included several appointments for dogs who seem to be taking their job as "protector of the humans" very seriously.  There's the dog who won't let anyone near the baby (including the grandparents), the dog who body blocks anyone who approaches his mom on walks, and the dog who won't let his dad get into bed because he's laying next to mom there already.  While we were able to come up with workable solutions in all of these cases, there are a few big takeaways I'd like to share with all of you, whether your dog engages in this type of behavior or not.  Why?  Because all dogs are protective; it's simply in their DNA.  Some just express the behavior more readily, but all dogs are alert to changes in human behavior that might indicate that their humans require backup or support, either in the form of barking, body blocking, or outright aggressive behavior.  This inherently watchful behavior by dogs is very likely one of the reasons that early humans actively sought out relationships with them in the first place.

When people ask me how to teach their dog to protect them or to keep an eye on their kids, I'm always quick to respond that dogs do that naturally, no training required!  Sure, there are people out there who train dogs for protection work, police work, and military, and dogs used for those jobs are selected specifically for their inherent drive and overtly protective behavior.  Their natural behaviors are honed and rewarded, bringing them more to surface where they can be expressed and controlled appropriately by an experienced handler.  For the rest of us, we don't need a protection dog; we just need to know how to utilize and appropriately control the dog we already have.

First and foremost, it isn't cute if your dog blocks people you want hugging you or touching you from being able to do so safely.  It also isn't desirable that your dog protects your baby or kids to the point that the nanny, babysitter, or the grandparents don't feel safe approaching your kids.  You will need to step in and manage this behavior as soon as you see it; don't write it off as a "one off" as that first occurrence is just the tip of the iceberg.  If you ignore or excuse the behavior, you are opening yourself up to a lot of liability as the next instance of the behavior may include an escalation to a snap or bite. Let's look at a couple of specific examples:

You are having guests to your house to meet your new baby.  Your dog runs to the door and begins barking when the guests arrive.  When you tell him quiet, he doesn't stop, instead choosing to crowd folks at the doorway, standing between them and you holding the baby.  What should you do?  Well, you definitely shouldn't ignore him and you definitely don't want to reprimand him either.  Ignoring is an invitation to persist and reprimanding will just lead to a dog that doesn't give any warnings about their intentions. Instead, stop everything and attend to your dog.  Put your dog on a leash and lead him to his bed or mat away from the door and tell him to stay.  Return to your guests and your greetings.  If your dog remains there, reward him! If he gets up and comes back to block you from your guests or begins barking again, grab that leash and lead him to a time out in another room. Leave him in the time out for 3-5 minutes, only returning to let him out again, on leash, when he's quiet.  If he in any way tries to body block you or micromanage the guests holding the baby, again, remove him to his bed or mat and tell him to stay.  He can be watchful from that position just fine. Again, if he breaks the stay, off to a time out and so on until he can learn to settle down and follow directions given by you. In this example, the dog at no time was given unlimited power, nor was he rewarded for his overtly protective behaviors. Instead, he was rewarded for listening and compliance with directives aimed at calming him.  Even if you don't have a baby and your dog blocks you from your relatives, friends, or significant other, do these same exercises outlined above.  Your dog needs to know that you will be the one to tell him if you need his backup. 

One more example:  You and your dog have been a duo for quite some time, but now you are seeing someone new and talking about moving in together, but your dog isn't a fan.  She is constantly getting up on the couch between you and your girlfriend, walking between you, jumping up to block hugs and kisses, and growling when your girlfriend tries to climb in bed.  This isn't funny, nor will it get better with time and familiarity alone.  Your dog needs to realize that whether she likes it or not, you've chosen this new person.  First up, is changing the way your dog views your girlfriend. Have your girlfriend feed meals, including hand-feeding.  Only your girlfriend can give your dog treats and she should be the one holding your dog's leash on walks.  When your dog tries to body block on the furniture or invade your space during a hug, correct her, but don't punish her.  Tell her "nuh uh" or "nope" and take her to her bed or mat and give her something else to do (a bone, a toy, or a chew is fine) and tell her to stay.  Return to sitting together or to your hug.  If your dog gets up and approaches, stop her before she gets to you with a "nuh uh" or "nope" again and send her back to her place. If she goes there on her own, great. If she doesn't then it's out of the room for a time out of 3-5 minutes.  Repeat this until your dog can either sit quietly waiting for attention from both of you (big rewards!) or she can remain on her bed or mat in place with something else to do.  For bedtime, your dog should not be allowed to sleep on the bed anymore, regardless of whether your girlfriend is there or not.  If you continue to allow your dog on the bed when the two of you are home alone, she will view not being on the bed when your girlfriend is there as punishment and resent your girlfriend. If, instead, we just implement a new rule of "no dogs on the bed," your dog won't love the idea, but at least the loss of bed privileges won't be associated directly with your girlfriend's presence.  We might not be able to make your dog love your girlfriend, but at least we can get your dog to respect her and understand that she is a second source for treats, food, and attention.

I hope this helps any of you going through similar situations with your dogs.  Dogs who overtly or covertly protect their owners aren't bad dogs, misbehaved dogs, or aggressive dogs.  They are dogs who need to be taught boundaries and limits so that they can still do their job with those rules in place.

As always, if you have questions about your dog's behavior, you know where to find me.

Henley is my shadow he's always nearby and often at my feet which is fine most of the time as I live alone with two dogs.  When people come over, he will definitely try to insert himself for attention and needs to be reminded where he is supposed to be. He may try to lay at my feet between me and someone I'm visiting with, so if that happens, I have him move to a different spot and give him something else to do.  He's never behaved aggressively toward anyone, but he is a big male dog and he can be imposing. I don't doubt for a second that he'd protect me if I needed his help. It's my job to make sure that he understands when that's appropriate and when it's not.