How To Deal With An Overprotective Dog

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An overprotective dog can be a lot to deal with.

On our morning walk to the beach today, we ran into an old friend of ours, Bella. She is a giant and loveable Newfoundland dog just a few months younger than Grace and Benson!

Chatting with the owner, he mentioned that she has been extremely overprotective of their children. And only when other dogs approach! It has become a big issue for them, and it got me thinking about why dogs get overprotective of their family members. And also about how to correct for it since a fearful and protective dog can become an aggressive dog.

A very similar thing has been happening lately with my good buddy Kiera. If you read the Kiera Gets Leashed story you will be familiar with how she falls in to my heel and runs to greet me! However, she feels some need to protect me from other dogs and she has started attacking them when they approach me! Not good.

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Signs of an Overly Protective Dog

There are signs to watch for to see if your dog is overly protective of you. If you notice your dog sticking closely by your side and acting nervous or anxious when other people or dogs approach this is a potential red flag. This can be followed by growling, barking or at worst becoming aggressive. Watch for any unusual signs your dog may be exhibiting and take note of what could be triggering it.

I am relatively lucky with my two dogs! They are confident and have no issues with being protective when out of the house. This is a huge relief to me since I’m not sure I could handle two such large dogs if they started getting protective and aggressive.

Grace and Benson are protective of their house though. They make a lot of noise when anyone unfamiliar approaches but generally it is just that. Noise. The only time Benson really was a threat was when it mattered and someone was trying to break into our house. You can read more on that HERE.

Reasons Behind The Behavior

There can be many reasons why a dog will suddenly become overly protective. In the case of Bella, I think that she more than likely views the children as more vulnerable and in need of protection. A lot of this can have to do with the energy given off. Dogs can sense negative or fearful energy and will often react on it. If you act nervous around certain people or dogs, there is a chance your dog will get protective in those situations. Being calm and confident is important.

With Kiera, she was a rescue and no one knows about her history. She seems particularly drawn to women so there may have been some abuse in her history. And she feels the need to protect women. I’m really not sure why she feels so drawn to me though, but it has the owner and dog walker very concerned and they have her in training for it.

Poor training and socialization can also lead to a dog being overly protective. They need training to learn confidence from their owners. I made sure to train my dogs well because each dog is bigger than I am and I simply didn’t want a large out of control dog.

Proper Socialization and Training

Proper socialization of any dog can go a long way! My breeder told me the importance of getting Grace into a good puppy kindergarten class as early as I was allowed. Unfortunately, classes were not available to Benson when he came home but I had already learned a lot with Grace. You can tell the difference between the two when we are out, because I can’t keep Grace away from other people and animals where Benson sticks closer to Mom.

Getting your dog used to dealing with as many different people and dogs in a variety of circumstances is critical to socialization. This can prevent your dog of getting overly protective of you and also boost their confidence.

With proper training, you can use commands to limit your dog’s activities if you notice that their behavior is starting to look protective. For example, have them sit if they are agitated or using the quiet command for barking or growling. Training and socialization go hand in hand and help a dog learn proper behavior around other people and dogs.

Positive Reinforcement

One of the worst things you can do is punish your dog if you notice they are becoming overly protective. This can lead to a more fearful dog and the behavior can actually worsen instead of improve! And a fearful dog is more likely to become aggressive.

I found with Grace and Benson that they respond exceptionally well to positive reinforcement! I had a trainer come in the house for Grace at one point, and I found her techniques to be fairly aggressive and Grace would start to shut down. By switching to positive reinforcement she thrived! My dogs live for the praise and treats when they do well!

Be sure to praise your dog when they listen as you correct protective behavior! But don’t mistakenly reward the bad behavior. Giving your dog praise when they are protecting can reinforce the negative behavior. Find a couple commands your dog responds well to and focus on that behavior.

Desensitizing Your Dog

If it is already too much of a problem, you may need to get a professional involved and start working to correct the unwanted behavior. Safety is a priority.

Start slow. If your dog has an issue with men or other dogs you will need to work carefully to increase their comfort level. Have someone approach from a distance and if the dog gets agitated use your training commands to calm them. When your dog is calm, reward them! Keep working on this until you can SAFELY and comfortably decrease the distance and build your dog’s trust and confidence.

Proper Equipment

One of the things I found interesting with Bella was that the trainer suggested a gentle leader while walking. That way you can correct the behavior quickly if you see it starting. It makes a lot of sense when I think more about it. I know that many people don’t like to use prong collars as well, but when used correctly it can also help with the training!

And don’t forget to reward and praise the positive behavior!!

Each dog is a unique personality. You may need to do some experimentation to find out what works best for your dog! If you are worried about a protective dog be sure to do your research on the breed you are looking at to see if they have protective tendencies. Entirely pets has put together a list of the most protective dog breeds here.

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