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Posted by Alyssa on May 28, 2009, 1:35 pm, in reply to "Territorial Aggression"
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I wouldn't call this aggression. This is, IMO, a variation of normal dog behavior.
First of all, if she's barking at people, why on earth are they continuing to pet her? This is not a breed that barks just for the heck of it, so if she's continuing to do so, there's a reason. IMO, people should never approach a fence to pet through or over it. The fence is a boundary that defines her territory and if people are breaching it to interact with her, it is probably making her insecure/edgy. Think of how you'd feel if strangers came to your house, poked their heads and hands through your window, but said stuff like, "Don't worry, it's okay, I'm friendly!" Mixed messages for us, mixed messages for dogs.
How strong of a leader are you? Are you doing NILIF at all? If you're not leader enough in her eyes, she will feel obligated to take over. If you're clearly the leader, boundaries for house behavior have been taught (like a sit/stay to greet people, not barking like a maniac), she'll probably straighten up. I'm not talking punishment at all here -- but it sounds like she may have never really been taught how to properly behave when you allow people in the house. Socialization is great, but it does not take the place of teaching.
My suggestions are to 1) start leashing her when you're going to open the door to allow someone in, so you can control her behavior a bit more. Just having the leash on also sends the message that YOU are in control of the situation. Use a no-pull harness if you have to (I don't recommend a Gentle Leader or Halti in this situation). 2) Teach and re-teach sit/stay in many, many contexts. Make it fun, treat-filled, and happy, but be firm that she WILL do a sit or down/stay when you tell her to. Start from square one and don't assume that she already "knows how" to do it. Dogs don't generalize sit/stay at etsmart to sit/stay at the park without lots of practice. 3) Get some help to desensitize her to the doorway routine. Don't wait until you have real visitors to train -- too stressful for everyone.
Finally, if you are still having trouble with her, have a behaviorist do some troubleshooting with you. The solution might be much simpler than a whole series of retraining...this is just where I'd start.
-- Alyssa.
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