My 4 month old pup is showing protective instincts?

[Smitherman]

I have a solid black 4 month GSD. She is starting to show her protective behavior. When I walk her she always switches sides but I happen to notice she always gets to the side where a dog is. If another dog barks at us or comes towards us she barks and growls & attempts to go after them. She tries to keep my other dogs away, shes not agressive with them she just kind of jumps on them! LOL she walks behind me & she is always on the look out, & she hasnt showed protective instincts towards a person. Maybe because shes just starting? Is this normal though? She turned 16 weeks friday.

[Sunflowers]

Unfortunately, this is fear aggression, not protection.
If you do some research through old threads, you will find a lot on the subject.

[Smitherman]

I try to make her feel secure, I always try to show her that it's "teamwork". I will protect her & she can return the favor. However, when a dog does bark I just call her name & we go on like it never happened.

[Lucy Dog]

This is not being protective. It sounds like a mix of fear aggression, resource guarding, and lack of training.

She's still very young, so no one's expecting you to have a fully trained dog. I do suggest you start working on this now though before it gets worse and she gets bigger and stronger.

[Sunflowers]

Take treats and toys with you on your walks, engage her, and redirect so your dog's attention is on you.
Position her so that she is beside, not behind you.
When you see dogs approaching, get her attention and give her treats so that approaching dogs will equal good things. Your goal is to pass by with her ignoring other dogs.

[llombardo]

Originally Posted by Sunflowers

Take treats and toys with you on your walks, engage her, and redirect so your dog's attention is on you.
Position her so that she is beside, not behind you.
When you see dogs approaching, get her attention and give her treats so that approaching dogs will equal good things. Your goal is to pass by with her ignoring other dogs.

This works. You can also go to the park and stay a distance away from other people and dogs. Get your dog focused on you and as the dog does this, you can move closer to the action.

[doggiedad]

wasn't it you that said your dog walks behind because
she seems shy?

[Smitherman]

No I had asked what the behavior meant, & someone had told me that she was shy but she is not shy. She is very outgoing, & will greet any animal or person! She just doesnt like a dog barking for some reason, she may just want to play. I think it's more of a attitude but she may just play like that.

[Lucy Dog]

I think a "leave it" command would help a lot. You should also start redirecting her when she goes into bark mode. Either of those would be a good start.

And not trying to single you out because I've heard it a million times, but the "she just wants to play" excuse for a barking and lunging dog is just that, an excuse.

Whether she just wants to play or she wants to tear someones head off is irrelevant because you still have a barking and lunging dog at the end of your leash. It's still something you need to get control of sooner rather than later.

[carmspack]

sorry that is a lack of confidence -- so can over excitement and jumping and licky licking be a sign of nervous energy --