Should a year old GSD be discouraged from being too aggressive when people come to the door, and if so, how do you go about training a "correct" level of aggression?

Those are pretty broad questions, so here's the situation: I've got a great little Leerburg dog that has a fantastic instinct for protecting the home. He alerts the moment anyone steps into the yard and puts on a pretty intimidating display when anyone comes to the door (especially relatives <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> ). I've never given him any encouragement or discouragement in this - it's just something he does, and is the main reason we got him. I'll add that his protective side turns off like a switch once the door opens, so he isn't aggressive to people, only to perceived threats. Perfect.

As he's getting older, though, he's getting more and more aggressive at the door (again, only while the threat is there - he'll walk away from the door and go into a platz when I open the door and is perfectly behaved with whomever is at the door once its open.) But he's reached the point where he's either going to start hurting himself when he hits the door, or destroying the door itself, or both.) Yesterday, he broke a window pane in one of the sidelites. I'm also worried that he might hurt his front legs when he hits the door (think of a dog going for the sleeve on the courage test, and then stick a door between the dog and the sleeve at the last second.)

So, I'd like to calm him down a bit, but I can't think of a way to correct him that will tell the dog to be somewhat aggressive, but no more. I also don't want to do anything that will reduce his drive for sport work. Right now, my reaction is just to make the door more dog proof by adding tempered glass, and I'm getting a price on having a heavy oak door built that won't scratch so easily. I wouldn't mind keeping the dog this aggressive so long as I know he isn't going to kill himself or knock the door down. I have this cartoon image in my mind of the door falling down on top of the person with Mika standing on top wondering where the guy went.

So, any ideas? I'm sure someone has dealt with this before.

The usual counter to escalating displays of aggression is to increase socialization and desensitize the animal to people coming to the door.

Dogs learn by repetition If you can get several friends to come to the door and each person gives the dog a treat immediately, the dog will start to view visitors as "bearer's of good news". During this re-training period, the dog is kept crated or kept out of view of windows, etc. so he doesn't have an aggressive response to people just passing by in the street.

Trouble is, this takes *a lot* of reputations to work, and it doesn't work in all dogs.
It wouldn't hurt to try though.

And this isn't "training a correct level of aggression", by any means - it's just an attempt to decrease an aggressive response.

Thanks, Will - I thought about that, but I was worried that the dog would associate the treat as an award for being aggressive. And then the opposite risk I guess would be the dog thinking that everyone who comes to the door is there to give him a treat. I wouldn't want strangers realizing how much of a powder puff he is. I still want him to put on a display and look mean and all - I just don't want him to hurt himself in the process.

Well, if the overall display isn't the biggest problem here and we're basically just trying to avoid damage to your dog - it becomes an engineering problem. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Get a steel entryway door. Replace street facing glass panes with Plexiglas, etc.
Problem pretty much solved from the dog getting hurt point of view, although your wooden crown and molding is going to catch hell.

My dog do the same thing, what works for me is that he has a very solid down in any condition, and so I waited until right before he slam on the door and I down him and then a quiet command, so he still go nuts when the door ring but turn off by obedience so he won't mess up my door. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />:

Sounds like a plan, Will. So as long as the dog isn't harming himself by hitting the door so hard, and so long as this isn't a situation of me causing other behavior problems by letting him continue, then I'm fine - I can keep enjoying the show. I admit, I love watching people back off the front steps when Mika answers the door. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

One thing you could try, and I will say I have about 50% sucess rate, mostly I think different training methods. I would try using the negative marker whenever the dog touches the door. Kinda like the hold and bark. I have pretty good luck if the dog did marker training to start.