How Do I Stop My Dog From Being Protective
I have a jealous dog or a dog who tries to protect me
This is something I hear a lot from clients. You have a dog that growls, lunges, barks, maybe even bites strange people when they get close to you. It’s easy to think that the dog is trying to protect you from the scary invader. This may be the case, but most likely, it isn’t. Most likely, your dog is scared, and has associations of being anxious when they are with you.
It’s not so much, “I have to protect mom or dad”
as it is, “When I’m with mom or dad, I need to protect myself”.
I see police dogs and trained protection dogs protect their owners
Certainly dogs can be trained to protect their owners and their family. Certainly dogs are bred for this purpose. But this is only reliable when coming from a confident dog who trusts their owner. Often, we see anxiety behavior from dogs’ genetic predispositions. Retrievers tend to be more clingy to their owners when they are anxious. Collies and heelers struggle with nipping at heels and legs when they are scared. Shepherds often resort to protective behavior a little more quickly than other breeds when they are nervous about a situation. When a dog is nervous and doesn’t know how to behave in the situation, they tend to resort to what their genetics tell them to do, and if that is successful, it gets reinforced. If it gets reinforced, not only will the behavior repeat, but the anxiety that created it will be reinforced also, creating more anxiety and stronger behavior. But anxiety laden protective behavior isn’t desirable. It isn’t clean. It isn’t trustworthy. It’s a liability. It’s making your dog anxious.
You don’t want an anxious dog
Even if you think the behavior is desirable. Your dog shouldn’t have to spend its entire life nervous about every new person they encounter. That’s not a great life.
So how do we fix it? We have to change the relationship. We have to replace the relationship where the dog feels like when they are with you, they have to fend for themselves with a relationship where they trust you as a leader and can be confident that you will protect them. We’ll achieve this through structures at home, becoming aware of how your dog sees resources in the house (food, toys, treats, affection), and how we can be sure they know those come from you. And then, we will train. We will teach your dog that when they are nervous, the behavior they think they need to exhibit (running, clinging, barking, lunging, biting) isn’t necessary, and that listening to you keeps them safe! We want to interrupt the cycle of the anxious behavior reinforcing the anxiety by asking for new behaviors, behaviors that teach them to trust you.
We also want to play tug to show them where these genetics are acceptable to help alleviate the anxiety of not knowing how to be what their genetics tell them to be, and to build their confidence by encouraging the behavior in an appropriate setting.
If you want a dog that is trained to protect you or your family, we can work on that, depending on the dog. But it’s simply not something you can do with a dog used to acting out of anxiety.
Protection requires a dog with confidence!
And this confidence is best built through play, mainly tug. So start playing if you want your dog to be protective in a healthy way. Learn more about play here:
https://www.thetrustedcompanion.com/thetrustedcompanionblog/play-why-its-important-and-how-to-do-it
Recommended Packages
This package is best for dogs with more advanced anxiety or aggression issues, but is still a fantastic solution for most dogs! Where no training option is magic and there will be work to do with you and your environment no matter how long they train, this option allows for fuller immersion in training structures, fuller development of play, emotional associations, and communication, and the more normalization of good behavioral and emotional habits make that transition home much easier. You cannot rehabilitate aggression or anxiety issues by just focusing on behavior. This package gives more time to focus on the emotional and genetic contributors to the issues your having to set you up for long-term success and your dog up for success and self-confidence.
You couldn’t rush a relationship with your dog and neither can your trainer. The more time we have to develop our mutual trust and communication, the better learning environment we can create for your pup and the more durable the training will become. You can teach commands through stress and you can bribe with food, but neither of these options develop the mutual trust, respect, and communication that time and play can develop. Play satisfies your dog on a genetic level and gives them purpose in life. How awesome would it be for you to be the provider of that fulfillment? You can certainly use coercion to make yourself relevant to your dog when they are distracted, anxious, or aggressive, but mostly this masks the behavioral in the short term when the genetic and emotional underpinnings aren’t addressed. A large reason why behavioral issues develop is because your dog doesn’t have outlets for the things that make them who they are (chasing, biting, herding, barking, etc.) and don’t know how now to have that fulfilling relationship with you. Your dog is an incredibly social animal. If you aren’t providing the genetic or social fulfillment to your dog, they will look for it elsewhere and live a less confident life. This training option is designed to more fully develop the concepts of play so your dog can find that fulfillment they need, set up a very motivational and successful learning environment ant relationship, and then use that play and that relationship to create the boundaries and communication we need to help them navigate their issues and find long-term success.
Your dog lives with a trainer at their house for 8 weeks!
Immersion into normal life with new and better habits
Will develop the fundamentals and rules of fetch and tug within the time allowance
Healthy dog and human socialization
Fuller integration of commands with normal life
Can include electronic collar from E-Collar Technologies and Herm-Sprenger prong collar for off leash and on leash reliability!
Can include commands of “out”, “come”, “sit”, “place”, “heel”," “down”, leash manners and door manners, proofing for high distraction, long distances, and long duration holding commands until released
Commands will be proofed off leash where applicable
Can address and build confidence regarding any anxiety or aggressive behavior
Can solidify good habits regarding specific issues
Can integrate dogs from the same home together in training as well as normal life
Can spend time developing tracking or detection
Updates every single day
2-4 hour in-home turnover (within 2 hours of Massanutten) to make sure you know how to maintain the training and develop your new relationship with your dog!
Lifetime refresher lessons at the park in Massanutten should you need any help transitioning the dog home or even if you let things slip a little
50% discount on a consultation for help getting started before Board and Train start date.
For dogs at least 4 months old
Rushed scheduling is available for a 30% surcharge.
*Military, First Responder, and Multiple Dog discounts can be applied!!
*All Board and Train purchases must be paid and full and have returned signed contracts before scheduling.
This package is designed for dogs with anxiety in certain situations, reactivity towards people or dogs, some mild to moderate aggression, and adult dogs who need more time developing confidence and practicing good habits around a diversity of distractions. The additional weeks will be used to further guide the genetic and emotional drives to appropriate and fulfilling places as well as develop a stronger and more profound relationship with your pup. Emotions and genetics matter a lot especially in anxiety and aggression. 5 weeks gives us more time to focus on those components of your problem issues. It is possible to teach your dog through stress and coercion, but if we can help build trust and motivation through play, they will be much more excited to learn and maintain what they learn. Motivation is far more important to learning than repetition.
Play is the highest form of social interaction with your pup and the highest form of reinforcement when the dog understands how to play. We will attempt to develop it as the primary positive reinforcer, but also as the means to communicate boundaries and develop a trusting relationship to help guide your pup through their issues. It is impossible to fully suppress behaviors reinforced by your dog’s individual genetics. If they are genetically inclined to bite or chase, we cannot keep them from biting or chasing forever. It will always eventually pop up in the places we don’t want, because it’s who they are, and suppressing who they are creates anxiety. However, if we use our time to develop outlets for those behaviors by biting tugs or chasing balls through play, then we have a significant chance to be successful at telling them they can’t bite people or chase cars, etc for the long term. We will also use our time to create more embedded patterns and habits of the more acceptable behaviors and states of mind so that they translate to your home more readily.
Your dog lives with a trainer at their house for 5 weeks!
Can include electronic collar from E-Collar Technologies and Herm-Sprenger prong collar for off leash and on leash reliability
Can include commands of “out”, “come”, “sit”, “place”, “heel”," “down”, leash manners and door manners
Will develop the fundamentals and rules of fetch and tug within the time allowance
Can proof commands for high distraction, long distances, and long duration holding commands until released
Commands will be proofed off leash where applicable
Can spend additional time proofing for higher distractions
Can spend additional time working around sources of anxiety with a focus on increasing confidence
Can spend additional time working on specific issues like resource guarding
Can spend additional time getting multiple dogs accustomed to working with each other
Slower and easier introduction to the commands
Can cater training to any specific issues with your dog
Updates every single day
2-4 hour in-home turnover (within 2 hours of Massanutten) to make sure you know how to maintain the training and develop your new relationship with your dog!
Lifetime refresher lessons at the park in Massanutten should you need any help transitioning the dog home or even if you let things slip a little
50% discount on a consultation for help getting started before Board and Train start date.
For dogs at least 4 months old
Rushed scheduling is available for a 30% surcharge.
*Military, First Responder, and Multiple Dog discounts can be applied!!
*All Board and Train purchases must be paid and full and have returned signed contracts before scheduling.
ESSENTIAL $500:
Includes 3 30-60 minute private lessons at a park in Elkton, VA or Penn Laird, VA (appointments subject to weather)
Includes Herm-Sprenger prong collar and long training leash
Teaches how to improve your relationship with your dog through play
Teaches leash manners, “out”, and “place” or “come”
Teaches how to play and set parameters for inappropriate behavior
Can cater to specific issues
For dogs at least 5 months old
COMPLETE $850:
Includes everything in Essential package plus 3 additional 30-60 minute private lessons for a total of 6 lessons and electric collar (appointments subject to weather)
Includes remote electric collar
Teaches fundamentals of play and how to use play to develop your bond and communication with your dog
Teaches leash manners, “out”, “come”, “sit”, “place”, “down”, and “heel”
We will proof commands for distance and duration
Will cater to any specific issues with your dog
For dogs at least 4 months old
ROCKSTAR $1100:
Includes everything in the Complete package plus 2 additional 30-60 minute lessons in Elkton for a total of 8 lessons (appointments subject to weather).
2 additional private lessons can be used for teaching additional advanced commands to really bring out the rockstar in your dog! Advance commands can include your choice from extended distance sit and down, come to the heel position, send aways to place, stand, front, maintain eye contact, or feel free to ask about something else!
For dogs at least 4 months old
ANXIETY & AGGRESSION $1100:
Includes everything in the Complete package plus 2 additional lessons in Elkton for a total of 8 lessons (appointments subject to weather).
2 additional lessons will be used to work specifically around the sources of the anxiety and aggression where applicable.
Focus on building confidence and trust
For dogs at least 5 months old
*Military, First Responder, and Multiple Dog discounts can be applied!!
ESSENTIAL $800:
Includes 3 30-60 minute lessons conveniently in your home
Teaches how to improve your relationship with your dog through play
Teaches leash manners, “out”, and “place” or “come”
Teaches play and how to set parameters for inappropriate behavior
We will proof commands for distance and duration
Includes Herm-Sprenger prong collar and long training leash
Allows us to address specific issues in your environment
For dogs at least 5 months old
Includes everything within an hour of Massanutten, though further distances are able to be accommodated for a small surcharge.
COMPLETE $1550:
Includes everything in Essential package plus 3 additional 30-60 minute in-home lessons for a total of 6 lessons and electric collar
Includes remote electric collar
Teaches fundamentals of play and how to use play to develop the communication and bond with your dog
Teaches “out”, “place”, “come”, “down”, and “heel”
We will proof commands for distance and duration
Will cater to any specific issues with your dog
For dogs at least 4 months old
Includes everything within an hour of Massanutten, though further distances are able to be accommodated for a small surcharge.
ROCKSTAR $1800:
Includes everything in the Complete plus 2 additional 30-60 minute lessons for a total of 8 lessons
2 additional lessons can be used for advanced commands and specific issues anxiety or aggression. Advance commands can include your choice from extended distance sit and down, come to the heel position, send aways to place, stand, front, maintain eye contact, or feel free to ask about something else!
For dogs at least 4 months old
Includes everything within an hour of Massanutten, though further distances are able to be accommodated for a small surcharge.
ANXIETY & AGGRESSION $1800:
Includes everything in the Complete plus 2 additional lessons for a total of 8 lessons
Lessons will be used with an emphasis on building confidence and reliability around the source of the aggression or the anxiety where applicable.
For dogs at least 5 months old
Includes everything within an hour of Massanutten, though further distances are able to be accommodated for a small surcharge
*Military, First Responder, and Multiple Dog discounts can be applied!!