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What you think is protective behaviour may well be fearful behaviour.

19K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  kitkat4824 
#1 ·
#2 · (Edited)
I don't disagree with that at all. But it makes no difference to me. Fearful or "Protective" either way it's a dog one can't predict and what the dog will do?? That would be a that "may" bite??

I have no problem with a dog "knowing" I have his back because..uh yeah I do!

I show them how I "expect" them to behave. And until I am satisfied with what I see in them, NO one touches them.

So yep "Who Pets my Puppy or Dog" is the way "we" roll! :)
 
#3 ·
Fearful or "Protective" either way it's a dog one can't predict and what the dog will do??
That is so not correct. There is a huge difference between fearful and protective. HUGE. A properly "protective" dog is not going to just bite a person. A properly "protective" dog has a nice level of suspicion, will watch the "threat" and will give a warning. They don't just bite willy nilly.

A fearful dog is not stable and has anxiety.

A "protective" dog is stable and confident.
 
#9 ·
Unstable. Not confident. Just a nasty little dog.

Example: 1/2 Akita/1/2 Black Lab. Jax, my female shepherd is fear aggressive and will charge a dog. She looks confident but is NOT. She has the mind set of I'll get you before you get me. She is fearful. She did exactly what that little dog did to you except she does it to dogs.

So she races into the road while cousin in law is walking. Bruin, Akita/Lab, never flinched. She stood in front of cousin in law guarding her. Jax never got close enough to fight because Bruin never reacted. She just waited and watched. She was the most confident, stable dog I've ever seen.
 
#11 ·
Mayzie, about the little dog that bit you: this dog has learned that when he acts this way, the 'threat' goes away. The problem with a fearful dog is that EVERYTHING is a threat to them. So if everything is a threat, where is the inner self-confidence?
 
#16 ·
Great article! I'm fully aware that Lyka is fear aggressive, and like Jax, I restrict her to prevent any bites.

However, she displays protection mannerisms around men. She immediately puts herself between me and the male. Her tone changes, she growls and curls her lip back, where with females she just barks and hides behind me. So my trainer is going to bring in a male to evaluate at our next session. I think it's just an increase in fear of men due to something negative associated with them in her past, but the trainer believes it may be protective as well. Which is why I'm loving having a trainer help me, I can't honestly tell exactly what's going on, I just know it's more extreme and frightening around males.
 
#17 ·
Hi—I’m afraid I wasn’t clear. I don’t think either of these dogs is protecting me. The puppy is being a puppy (aka pest) and Liam, the Havanese, is resource guarding. And after I wrote all this, I realized of course how it’s my fault because I have permitted Sparkle, the pup, annoy him. Since the. I’ve interrupted her. Ain’t easy, that’s for sure. Takes up to five minutes to get her to turn away and do something else. Trouble is, if I distract her with a toy, Liam wants it and we are off to the races.
 
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