owner protective aggression

Question
I've been told my dog is protective of me as he barks at anyone near me in my street or mums street & he barks at my husband if he cuddles me or kisses me, but he is fine when away from the house. does anyone have some advise of what i can do to stop this behavior?

Answer
Dear Tracey,

You should be aware that you may be reinforcing the behavior by speaking to, petting, praising, scolding, or otherwise giving attention for the barking.  Ignore the barking.  You should also wordlessly move away from the dog immediately when he barks at your husband.  

It's very possible that the dog is doing this because of a breed predisposition or just his own personality trait, but it's also very common for owners to be unaware that they themselves are promoting the behavior by reinforcing it.  You get what you tolerate:  Stop tolerating it and it will stop.

Thanks for writing.
Suzanne Harris, BSc, CPDT
http://www.dogdaysusa.com