over protective german shepard

Question
JoJO is about 5yrs old and is recently becoming very protective. We have had to move and I,m sure that has something to do with it. A stranger can come into the house and she is very aggressive until I hold her back and convince the person to make up to her then she is great. I can take her to a park and play frisbee and she pays no attention to anyone and anyone can approach her and she is great. But anytime the front door is open and she see's someone outside she goes after them fullforce. I,ve seen the mailman spray directly in her face and she wouldn't back down until I yelled at her. She is very good with small animals even cats and she is very good with bigger dogs as long as they show no aggression. I,m confused with her.

Answer

Hi Gary,

It sounds like your dog has developed what's known as "Protective Aggression".  Protective aggression usually refers to aggression directed toward people or animals whom the dog perceives as a threat to his family, or "pack".

An aggression problem will not go away by itself. The fastest way of gaining control over this habit is by working with (in person) with an animal behavior specialist. If your vet or a local boarding kennel can't give you a referral to a behaviorist in your area, you may be able to locate one here:

https://iaabc.org/consultants

http://www.dacvb.org/resources/find/

http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSAppliedBehavior/caab-directory


Being a large dog that could potentially really hurt someone, in situations where you know JoJo to be aggressive, you might consider having her wear a muzzle until you can get control over this situation. A basket style muzzle is the most humane, it allows the dog to pant and even drink water while it's worn. Here is some info on how to get your dog used to wearing a muzzle:

http://www.morrco.com/trdogtowemu.html

http://www.petexpertise.com/dog-training-article-teaching-your-dog-to-wear-a-muz


Best of luck,

Patti