any dog whisperer here?

[patride71]

my dog has begun to growl and bark at strangers when they approach her.

this just started about a month ago at the final session of dog training.

we have been taking her to "clicker" training for months and during the final session one of the trainers approached her and she started barking at him and would not let him touch or pet her. it was totally out of the blue and unexpected as she has been socialized with other dogs and humans.

she is only 11 months old, so it might be a stage, or at least we hope.

we have continued to let strangers approach and pet her when we walk her in the neighborhood, but she still will bark etc. she seems to be barking in fear from what i can tell as she will either sit and bark or have her tail tucked while barking. she does not go toward the person at all. anyway, i have to convince the person that she won't bite, which she won't. once she lets the person pet her, then everything is fine.

in a way i guess it is good, because she won't just let anyone come to her, but it makes it awkward too if someone just wants to pet her or greet her.

any thoughts or ideas on this?

 

[trekker]

Yep... Problem with the owners.

Be the alpha! Let the pup know that you are the boss and any behavior not sanctioned by the alpha and or beta members of the pack will not be tollerated.

You need to be in charge at all times.

Allow people to approach you. Not her. When you welcome strangers and are secure and confident in meeting them, your dog will pick up on your behavior and will allow the stranger to approach. Basically, when you extrude confidence, this will be picked up by your dog.

If you are approached by someone who intimidates you, she will pick up on this and will be warey and this is how she is supposed to act because her "pack" is threatened.

IF she growls, a snap of the leash and a stern look should all it takes to put her in line. If she still exibits "bad" behavior, YOU need pratice greeting people.


Remember, when you take your dog to be trained, YOU are the one in training not the dog. The dog has pack instincts from millions of years of evolution. Her SOLE purpose in life is to belong to a pack and to please you. She has been born with all of the great qualities that we want in our companion dogs all you need to do is to learn how to recognize these needs and bring them out in her.

 

[D'Animal]

She is getting territorial and is protecting you. She does this by letting you know that some one she is not familar with is approaching.

 

[landcruiserjunky]

tsst!

 

[Corbet]

If Porter <-- steps out of line I roll his ass over instantly. The only slack I give him is if he is defending himself. We tried the "dog whisper" training program with him as a puppy. He needed a stronger hand. I never beat him, just force him to submit to me. He was the Alpha of his litter, I had to enforce that fact that I was his new Alpha.