How protective is your puppy?

my 4 month old black lab is becoming very protective over me! if we're in the car and some one gets to close to us he starts growling and barking, if there's an "intruder" on the property (such as another dog) the hair on the back of his neck raises up and he growls, lol or of i'm sitting down at my house and a stranger walks up to me he begins growling, buuuttt then he will just back away if they go to touch him he's still scared. i am very happy with his protectiveness, how do i keep him protective of me and my property with out him becoming aggresive as he ages?

How protective is your puppy?

i have a 3month old long-haird, big-boned german shepherd and he is VERY protective of me

How protective is your puppy?

That's actually behavior you should nip in the bud. As he ages he's only going to get worse. The best thing you can do for him is to properly socialize him.

My pup is the complete opposite. He loves everyone, and will go out of his way to greet people.

How protective is your puppy?

Puppies go through various stages as they grow up. They can go from fierce to cowering in terror all the time, in a few short weeks. Labs are not typically extremely aggressive by nature, so I doubt your dog will become "mean." Of course, professional training is the most reliable way to teach your dog specific behavior. But if you aren't going to do that, I would recommend that you use praise as your most powerful tool. Whenever your puppy appropriately (!) defends you, pet him and praise him. But do NOT punish him or scold him in any way if he acts fearful--he will get past that anyway, as he grows. Also, it is VERY important that you socialize him well. Take him for walks, make sure he is used to being around friends, strangers, and other dogs. In addition to the vet's office, you can take him for walks where other people walk their dogs, and even to certain pet stores that encourage people to bring their dogs in for extra socialization.

How protective is your puppy?

My mini schnauzer is exactly the same way except she is 7 years old. I wouldn't have it any other way. She is protective but will not bite or be aggressive if I tell her to "be nice". She is especially protective when I am sleeping but that is not a bad thing at all atleast I know she will alert me if someone decides to break into my home. She is very protective of my car if she is with me.

How protective is your puppy?

He needs to socialize. Meet lots of nice ppl who like him so that he isn't threatened by every new person he meets.

And don't worry, that won't take away his guarding instinct. He will still know when someone is a bad guy.

He just won't be afraid of everyone.

He's a baby. He's afraid of new ppl and dogs. You can reassure him that it's ok, and teach him to 'quiet' when you tell him too. Then praise him and treat him when he is.

How protective is your puppy?

It's not really protection, it's resource guarding. Socialization is the only way to correct this. I've got a puppy who is fear-aggressive and a resource guard. He's eight months old and 70lbs. It's very dangerous for him to be this way. He also needs to know that you don't approve of this behavior. Do NOT correct aggression with aggression. At this age you are most likely in need of teaching "leave it" and "enough". Leave it will tell him he needs to ignore the person approaching, enough will tell him to stop. You are putting yourself at risk by allowing him to be this way. If he's barking/growling but backs away when approached that is Fear-aggression. Classic sign of improper socialization.

How protective is your puppy?

be very careful about encouraging this behavior. Pixy is right - you need to nip it in the bud. He is backing away now because he is small/young. If he is allowed to continue to act this way, he may become a fear biter.

see the attached link for more on aggressive behavior.

How protective is your puppy?

my 7 month old yellow lab is a "guard" dog.

he'll bark only when he sees someone walking up to the house. he doesn't bark at passer -bys. but he only barks at intruders when he's inside the house, he also wags his tail and the hair on the back of his neck doesn't go up. if he is outside he'll just run toward them and want to play. when i open the door for someone he is very excited and wants to play.