My female GSD thinks it's her job to protect me, she places herself between me and other people. I no longer take her for walks because of this. What to do?

Question

We adopted a 4 yr old GSD female about 1 1/2 yr ago. (She is def. an Alpha female). We immediately enrolled her in a beginners and then intermediate obedience class. My son (28) started taking her to a local Schutzhund club weekly. She does well, but the comment was always "she's a rescue"- as an excuse for the possibility she would not do well. Now they exclaim "And she's a rescue" because she does well. (I purchased a GSD puppy for my son).

The problem is with me... She is the love of my life. But she has decided that it is her duty to protect me... I do not want protection. At club, my son noticed that she would place herself between me and another dog. Just after acquiring her, at a family gathering as I went to hug each person as I left, she followed me and again placed herself between us. When my older son visits, as he hugs me, she barks...she used to jump and bark. We put her in a submissive down position.

We taught her to bark at front door when bell was rung. I encouraged this on 2 occasions and now she thinks it is her job to protect front door. My son and I tried the leash thing. Still a problem.

I realize this is a pack leader problem and have tried the suggested responses... going out door first, sitting/working for food, long downs... etc.. but she still thinks she has to protect me. I no longer take her for walks myself, because if she decides an approaching dog is a problem, I would not be able to control her... I am 68 and have orthopedic problems. So I am missing out on lovely walks with my very affectionate friend. She behaves differently with my son. I have had GSDs before, and did not have a problem.

Accepted Answer

My feeling is that the dog is not so much protecting you but is more "claiming you" as she would a possession. Many dogs guard things they believe they "own," like food, toys, furniture and sometimes owners. Unfortunately people who don't fully understand dog behavior often think the dog is protecting them from potential harm, when they are actually just being possessive. This shows the dog's lack of respect for you, so you are the one who has to change the way she is allowed to behave.

There are really no shortcuts to fixing this, it takes work and training and a change in the way you live with her in and around the house. You say you "tried the leash thing" but I'm not sure what you mean by that and how long you tried. Using a leash once or twice isn't going to undo 1 1/2 years of behaviors that have been allowed to go on.

Start with our groundwork program and Pack Structure for the Family Pet.

You may want to consider going to the electric collar if you don't have the physical strength to walk her, but only after the preliminary re-training has been done on leash. We have an excellent video on how to use the collar, Electric Collar Training for the Pet Owner.

We also have a number of free eBooks that may interest you.

You can try using the search function on the website to find the answer to any additional questions. It is located in the left hand corner of every page on our website. Simply type in your search terms or key words and you will be directed to articles, question & answers, free streaming videos and posts on our forum.

I hope this helps. Cindy