Managing a serious, protective dog

[shehulk]

I love my dog to death and for the past year, I haven't had to really deal with his social aggression. My ex-husband is anti-social so, it was fine for all three of us to be under house arrest. I now have a boyfriend who practically lives at my house and my dog isn't cool with that. He's jumped up to bite bf's face (either missed or was just trying to make a point) and now it's clear, I need to get serious about his protectiveness. I simply avoided all public spaces for the longest time because I have a hard time controlling the dog. It's as if he constantly thinks I'm in danger and he takes his job as my protector way too seriously. With me, however, he's a total goofball.

Rehoming him was something I thought was a real option and a great solution but it's unlikely I'll find him a home that's experienced enough to deal with him and even if they were experienced, who would want the stress?

I know I'll never get rid of his tendencies but how do I teach him when it is and isn't appropriate to be protective? My strategy in the past year has consistently been: keep him from any and all situations/environments that can trigger aggression. Unfortunately, it takes very little for him to turn it up and I kinda need to get on with my life. All I want is to be able to take him to the vet and sit in the waiting room without making a scene, take him on walks and be able to say Good Morning to neighbors (he usually snaps out of his sit in that split second when I greet people) and get him to welcome house guests and if plural is too much, just at least be ok with the boyfriend. Am I asking for too much?

Any advice? In general, I'll admit I've been really soft with him so discipline is an issue, he doesn't take me seriously. So I need to work on that. I also work from home so he's very attached - could that be a contributing factor in his protectiveness?

I'm also looking for a good trainer but would love to get some pointers in the interim. Thank you!

[W.Oliver]

Originally Posted by shehulk

I'm also looking for a good trainer but would love to get some pointers in the interim. Thank you!

I think having the support/guidance of a good trainer is the key. I am equally as confident others on this board will offer sound advice for developing your dog, but during the interim, if your dog isn't crate trained, I would suggest working on that.....and having the dog put away while visitors are around.

[gsdraven]

Nothing in Life is Free

To me, this isn't protective, this is a dog that's been allowed to do what it wants and is using inappropriate behavior to control the situation and/or guarding a resource.

You need to fairly lay down the ground rules. I would make sure the dog has a very structured life with earned privileges and freedoms and not expected ones. Check into NILIF. Nothing is free. He is not allowed to interact with others. You might also consider starting to postivitely train him to a muzzle.

You can get opinions on here but without actually seeing what goes on we are just guessing (myself included). You need someone who can watch the behavior and tell you exactly what is going on and help you decide on a plan of action. I wouldn't just try a little of this and a little of that because it could make things worse.

[BowWowMeow]

You need to step up your leadership so that he knows he doesn't need to protect you or that you aren't his resource to guard.

There is a great book called Click to Calm which could help you a lot. Another good one is Control UnLeashed. I would also find a good positive training class and start taking him there.

I would also condition him to a muzzle and keep it on him while you're working on training him.

[shehulk]

Thank you for everyone's thoughts. gsdraven, you're right that trying things piecemeal isn't a good idea. I'm trying to take a step back to think about ALL the things that I do that make my dog this way. Fundamentally, I believe he's a working dog that doesn't have to earn anything because I give him everything freely so there's very little desire to please me though he always want to be with me.

BowWowMeow, you're right about setting up leadership. To him, I'm his favorite ragdoll! LOL I'm not sure about the muzzle though. Someone once described it as like duct tape and the last thing I want is for him to be uncomfortable during training...I guess I'll just have to make sure no one else is around when we train?

W. Oliver, yeah, he's crate-trained. It just gets a bit tricky when my boyfriend isn't just spending a few hours here but practically lives here. I guess it's time we scaled that back a bit so my dog is given more time to adjust.

[GSDElsa]

Just want to stress the importance of getting a very experienced trainer to help you--stat.

[wolfstraum]

there are wire cage muzzles - nothing like duct tape or velcro! Would be a very good idea that he learns to wear one while you work on your problems....

Lee

[shehulk]

Originally Posted by VALOR

Since you are in southern California I would contact Anne @ Adler Stein Kennels-German Shepherds-German Shepherd Puppies-Working Line German Shepherds if you are looking for a trainer experienced with German Shepherds. She is extremely familiar with the dogs and reading signals the handler sends to their dog etc..

That's my dog's breeder and yes, Anne's great but also super busy and has little patience for human stupidity! LOL

[BowWowMeow]

Anne is on this forum and I'm sure would be very motivated to help one of her dogs' owners learn how to handle the dog. At the very least I'm sure she could give you recommendations for reputable trainers.

[onyx'girl]

Any advice? In general, I'll admit I've been really soft with him so discipline is an issue, he doesn't take me seriously.

This is part of your problem.
He takes things into his own hands because he probably thinks he is your leader instead of the other way around. When you start showing authority to him(NILIF included), I bet he'll be happy to give up the role/though he already has the behaviors instilled so working with a trainer will help you manage him.