We have a female 7 month GS mix which we got when she was about 4 months. She is doing great with training, she learns very fast. A couple of questions:

We do not have a lot of company but in the last several days we have had a couple of people in. One friend walked in without knocking and she barked and growled alot. The telephone man came today and he knocked. Shadow barked a couple of times (trained) we told her it was OK and she was fine when he came in the house. She just went on playing. He went out and came back in a couple of minutes later without knocking, and she barked and growled alot. Then the neighborhood kids knocked on the door and she barked then just went to the door to see who it was.
Is this good or bad at her age, that she barks and growls when someone walks in the house?

The other question is about other dogs. We have neighbor dogs (different breeds, sexes, and neutering)on both sides of our backyard with chain link fences. She is interested in the males and they all go to the fence and just sniff and/or whine. The female Yorkie and Shadow bark at each other nose to nose but no aggression on Shadow's part. But if she see's a dog (either sex) out front on the street, loose, she gets very aggressive, hackles up, barks and growls.

Any ideas?

Jo Ann

Jo Ann,

I would not worry too much at this point. You need to decide how you want the dog to feel about guests. If you don't want the dog to bark at re-entries into your home, then discourage it. With our Giant, once someone has been in they can re-enter on the same trip with no problem. Once they leave he won't let them back in. With guests staying with us, they can come in and out with no problem. If the person has left items here they are allowed in. We have a consistant dog sitter and he can come and go as he pleases. The neighbor cannot come in with out being invited.

Dogs learn by experience who belongs where. The dogs in the neighbors yards are where they belong. So they may greet each other by vocalizing and you can discourage that if you want. When a dog is out front it doesn't belong there, so the dog is trying to drive them off. Most dogs will clain a territory, even if they can't geet to all of it. For instance, we live in a cul de sac. Our dogs "own" the area in the rounded area at the end of the street where we live. Any one in that area is out of place and barked at. We can call them off, which will hold for that time. If they leaves and come back then they bark again. It can get to be a pain when the neighborhood kids are playing in the street. Their "place" is in the house, not playing in the street.

What created this situation is praising for barking at peole in this area. I wish we hadn't trained as large an area as we did. At the time it was done there wern't any kids in the neighborhood, so it wasn't a problem. But people move and we created a monster. So think ahead as to what you want. Problems are easier to prevent than to correct!!!

I think you need to decide exactly what you require from your dog and talior your training to that. I think that if you have a dog that is protective of your house alowing people who are not familiar to your dog to come in without knocking is an accident waiting to happen. I personaly belive the growling and barking when a stanger is at the door is a good thing as long as it can be stopped when you command, when I have workmen in who have to keep entering and exiting the dogs go in the kennel/yard, but they are working dogs, keep an eye on it and if it becomes out of hand look at either removing the dog before strangers come in, or work on exposing the dog to strangers with the odd treat so that the dog no longer percives strangers as a threat to its teritory.