Nell Cunliffe

Thanks, yes it’s very recent behaviour. Both for the petting and the people he doesn’t know entering the house. He doesn’t bark or make a fuss if someone knocks at the door and has always been generally fine with people entering the house but just in the past few weeks he has become a little bit territorial if someone tries to enter he just stays very still and makes the rumble sound as if to say back out now. If someone is out at the front and I need to answer the door for example he will go in away from the door when I tell him and he doesn’t make a fuss but will peer out of the window to see who it is. It’s only when they enter he becomes wary. There are certain people he has become to dislike where he was fine before, ie the mailman used to pet him and the neighbour but he doesn’t approve of them anymore all of a sudden and I have to tell them they shouldn’t come near him. Strangers are hit and miss he was always much more of a mans dog but he seems to be a bit wary of them lately. He doesn’t like anyone hugging either, he doesn’t growl if I hug with someone but he barks frantically as though he is confused at what he should be doing. I have been trying to reassure him it’s ok by holding my hand out to him to pet him which seems to calm him. Is there a specific way I should handle this behaviour it’s ever so slight and only a warning never has he been aggressive but the last thing I would ever want is it to progress into aggression!

Thank you your help is so much appreciated he is such a lovely dog but noticed he will constantly test me so can’t drop my slack with him haha. Yes sniffing seems to be his thing at the moment he gets lost in another world it’s quite amusing to watch! There are a lot of dogs everywhere we go so have planned out quieter routes to and from the places we go and take the off track routes which are actually nicer. We have a huge bond and I think because of the lockdowns this year we literally don’t spend any time apart and it’s usually just the two of us he is like my best friend but have noticed lately he is getting a little more overprotective towards me and anyone who enters the house. He used to be fine with this, excited even but he has now started to growl to the point I have to lock him in another room. He is less tolerant of strangers petting him also when out and about and let’s off a low throat grumble. I am a bit concerned is this something I should be worried about? And how do I make him feel relaxed at people he doesn’t know coming into the house? I don’t want this to become a problem 😬 thank you so much

Thank you so much for all of this advice. Yes what you mentioned at top sounds a lot like him in being very selective. Some dogs he just tends not to like and others he can happily ignore. There are a lot of off leash dogs who display rude behaviour to him unfortunately and when we create a distance their owners don’t attempt to call them away which is extremely frustrating. He is generally fine like you say for 3-5 seconds haha. He is fine up to quite a close distance too but I find it easier to just try avoid them altogether. I just don’t want to be doing the wrong thing by keeping him from another dogs completely and make the situation worse. I have been using two strong leads attached to each other when the coast is clear because since we played the find it game his nose has found a new lease of life and loves to snuffle in the long grass haha. Perhaps for now I’ll let him indulge in this new hobby more this seems to completely distract him even from other dogs at the moment and get a long line for this. I will re read all your tips and hopefully In time he will mellow with the training. Thank you for your help it is so much more than anyone has ever given before.

Hi 🙋‍♀️ and thank you! he was trained as a personal protector and guard dog previous to me rehoming him, he was raised and trained in kennels which sell personal protection dogs, he was returned at 3 due to owners ill health and rehomed to me as retired and a family dog. I was told he was great around other dogs and has proven to be fine when playing under supervision - when another owner I met in the park with 5 dogs convinced me to let him off and play. However when on leash walking past another dog he can become very dominant acting- snarling and going into a full barking growling fit. He has never started a fight but I have never given him the opportunity and keep him on the leash unless I am certain no one else will be around. I have treat trained him so we can walk past quite near but I still keep a distance when possible. It took quite a while but he is now very good with that and can hold his focus on me and let the dog pass unless it starts barking at him which frequently happens. He can walk past and ignore if I hold up something tasty unless the other dog barks first then he loses his head and goes wild. He will allow friendly dogs to come up to him and sniff but after about 5 seconds or if I try to pull him away he launches to attack mode. Sometimes he snarles and tries to mount them. He also gets extremely distracted and will dart off into the distance if he sees something that takes his attention. He has no trouble with recall if NOT distracted and does not get distracted by people. He is great with puppies and female dogs, it’s just other males. He loves to run and his face lights up when he is allowed to be free but I just can’t allow it as I just am not 100% certain how he would react with other males off the lead and don’t know how I could ever find out giving the circumstances I feel like I’m letting him down 😞 I hired a dog trainer but he is not helping at all. Sometimes it’s just so tiering worrying if we will walk into another leashed dog in a narrow path in the park it makes me feel quite anxious at times as he is very strong and very loud!! I don’t believe he has been used to being on lead at all times before I adopted him but do believe he was trained quite harshly. He does have a very dominant personality and have been advised to get him neutered on numerous occasions but I really want to avoid this. we have been playing all the games on the site working through them and I can honestly say although it’s not helping with the problem I am desperately trying for it is creating a much deeper bond between us and I think I am enjoying it as much as him! He does seem to be looking to me more as leader lately and so I am trying to build this as much as possible positively but it’s so hard when I have no experience- he is my first dog I definitely jumped in at the deep end but never regret it he is a joy to have with us so I really want to help him act calmly around other dogs. He is such a loving boy with so much energy and I would love to just let him run. thank you for any help and advice you are able to provide in advance I am so grateful! thank you Nell

I have a 4 year old Rottweiler who i adopted 7 months ago. He is really well behaved and highly trained but very leash reactive to other dogs so I can’t let him off his leash because even though his recall is excellent under normal circumstances if he sees another dog he bolts away like I don’t exist. I have been treat training and praising and it works if we are far enough away I just don’t know how to progress this to allow him to run around leash free or socialise without fear of him not coming back when called or starting a fight as he is so big he would get me into trouble. He is an angel but sounds like a monster sometimes when walking past another dog. Any advice would be greatly appreciated 😊