New to the site, but not new to working lines. I have a 6 yr old GSD that I basically adopted (very recently) from a divorce. Decent working lines I think (goes back to Troll and Mink). I have not experienced any aggression/dominance with my wife or kids. However, when my mother-in-law or sister in law come into the house, on occasion he will growl. It is definitely a warning growl. He calms down when I give him a "pfooey", but it makes me nervous. He only does this when he is laying on the floor next to my bed and they approach my bedroom (this is his spot but never on the bed or any other furniture). My thought is "good boy", they are in-laws after all. But, my question is, is this a dominance issue? Since he only does it in my bedroom, not the kitchen, living room etc. I am just not sure. Any thoughts?? Thanks in advance for any guidance.
Mike. When I say the spot is "his", that is the spot I have directed him to sleep in. It is right beside the bed. He does not react to anyone else when on this spot. He has growled at the in-laws when they enter the house alone but again, he will obey my commands. As far as "Humans first, dogs second", I am a firm believer in pack order, and my humans come first in the pack. I have told the in-laws to talk to him when they approach my bedroom so he will know who is coming and they won't surprise him. Not sure what else I could be doing.
Hi Mark, Are they visitors in your home or do they live with you? If they only come for a visit he sees them as strangers in his territory among his pack. It is up to you to control the situation. He doesn't care that they are in-laws.
You have to sleep better at night knowing he isn't going to allow anyone to bother you or your family without a warning.
My protective/territorial dog isn't allowed out and about when friends and family come for a visit. She is crated or stays in my bedroom. She is allowed to visit with two of my three(adult) daughters. One of them is afraid of her so it's a no go.
Hi Debbie. They are semi visitors. They live here but haven't been around since I brought him home. Now they are back. I do sleep well knowing he is here, especially since I spend many nights a month out of town. I know nobody is coming in the house without the wife clearing it. We have a female GSD that lives outside, so the exterior is safe. I just need to make sure the new dog doesn't "eat" the in-laws while I am gone. And to answer the next question, Yes, the wife is able to command and control the dog.
Mark, Since "they're back". My suggestion would be for them to just acknowledge the dog with a greeting with no eye contact. Basically ignore him. He should get to the point that he will accept them or at least ignore their presense.
I have found that as long as friendships are made on the dogs terms with the dog being allowed to make the first move things are okay. If the dog wants nothing to do with them they need to leave him alone. At most they could toss him a tasty treat when he is not in the bedroom. Maybe one of the baby gates across your bedroom door would be a good idea until everyone adjusts.
These are just things that I would try with my dog and strictly my opinion.
Thanks Debbie. I appreciate the feedback. I will give it a shot and see if he responds better to being ignored. I would definitely rather get rid of the inlaws than a dog like this one. LOL Thanks again!!
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GSD "Aggressive" in his bedroom???
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