A bit of a problem. Got a rescue Lab about 2 weeks ago.

[Bonhomme Richard]

He has not been in a shelter but rather a sponsor kept him for a week before we got him. His owner had to give him up due to a change in housing. He's 5 years old and the best behaved loving dog we have had. Actually the first dog I ever had that you could leave off leash and he will come when called even if a Deer has his attention. A real pleasure to be with.... except.
All of a sudden he is showing territory/fear aggression whenever anyone, even if he has already met them, comes on our property either at home or at my work. When we are on a walk he isn't like that. I think now that he is getting settled he knows his "territory" and has become very defensive. He hasn't bitten anyone but no one has turned their back on him either. It can be disconcerting when an 80lb dog runs up to you barking.
I have started working with him using the command "enough" and rewarding him with treats if he is quiet and sits while I let someone in. We have already done it once today when a friend stopped by my shop. He is very smart and I am hoping that he is a quick learner.
I am wondering if anyone has any other suggestions on how to handle this situation or is this the best way to deal with it and just be patient?

[BrklynLiberal]

1. i wish IO had some suggestions for you..but I can only say to do some research

It would be so sad to lose such a wonderful sounding dog to what appears to be some sort of fear based aggression.

Please come back with more information and updates as you can.

Maybe a local shelter that really works with dogs or SPCA can help
http://www.sspca.org/Dogs/AggressiveBehavior.html

[Upton]

2. He's being a watchdog

he's doing his job. I like dogs like that as long as they don't get carried away and attack someone for no reason. You say he's well behaved other wise...I don't understand the problem..

[Stinky The Clown]

3. Our dogs do that, too

They bark (seemingly ferociously) whenever anyone apart from immediate family approaches the house - or even walks by in front. They stop immediately upon seeing us greet and welcome the person and then they're genuinely loving and playful.

We use the words "Its okay" consistently, and its starting to work. What we do NOT want to do is stop them from barking. 160 lbs of snarling dogs (a *big* GSD and a larger Border Collie) is the best break-in preventer in the world!

[Bonhomme Richard]

4. There is being a good watchdog and then (he's giving me a toy)

there's causing people to be frightened, and frankly I don't know for sure if he will bite. I have only had him for 2 weeks. We have had good size dogs for 30 years and there is a difference here. He is also like that after he has met them a couple of times. From what I read it will only get worse unless he learns it is not acceptable behavior. The thing is he is smart and really wants to please and I think that is half the battle. I have begun working on it and have seen some positive progress using the "enough" command and rewarding good behavior with a treat.
The rescue person said that he wasn't socialized at the previous owners so he doesn't have the tools in his bag to cope with the new environment.
I also want to add that he is not like that on leash out for a walk.
Thanks

[TorchTheWitch]

5. he's taking over as pack leader

because he isn't trusting you to do it. He just needs to be taught that this behavior is not acceptable. Be the leader. Whenever he starts to do this behavior correct him. The second he starts to do whatever he does in this territorial behavior (barking, running toward the person or whatever it is) physically stop him. This can be done with or without a leash, but I've found in the beginning correcting is easier with the dog on leash especially with larger dogs. Snap the leash to the side toward you to divert his attention... this is a sharp tug and release with the same intensity as he's showing. In other words, the more intense he is, the sharper the tug otherwise it won't be enough to divert his attention. Dogs can't give their undivided attention to more than one thing at a time (this is part of what makes them so easily trainable). Ideally, he'll stop and look up at you like "What?". If he doesn't pay you any mind and just goes right back to the bad behavior, do it again more sharply. You want him to stop and look at you for direction. The second you have his attention, make him sit and be quiet so he can learn to greet and be greeted properly.

Since this behavior is very new, he probably won't be difficult to re-direct... it's more difficult with dogs that have a long habit of being allowed to do a bad behavior. However, dogs are quick learners (far more so than people) and dogs that have done a certain bad behavior for years can learn to behave differently with just a few corrections.

Consistency in all things is the big key. You must, must, must correct every single time. Dogs - unlike people - won't follow an unstable leader, and only consistent leaders are stable in a dog's world.

Voice commands other than the very basics like no, sit, stay, come, down, etc. are really unnecessary and may even cause confusion in the dog. Words have no meaning to a dog, but sounds do particularly one syllable sounds, and tone is important. However, dogs respond much better to body language since that's mostly how they communicate. For the most part, I only use a few words and one particular sound that works with my dog to get his attention, and everything else is gestures and body language. I've found he responds much better to body language commands than with voice commands.

You might find a lot of these video clips helpful for just the problem you're having... how to stop the dog's bad behavior and get his attention, how to tell the dog what you want him to do, how to meet and greet people and dogs properly in the house, yard and out in public, etc...

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/player.html?channel=39678

Right off the top of my head, there's one video clip called "Pug and the Pig" in the Disobedience category that shows how to teach the dog to let people come into the house and wait to be greeted. Yes, this owner has a little pug doggie and a great big fat pig that appears to just live in the house like a dog. I know I've watched a lot of other ones similar that include really bad behaving dogs, great big dogs and whole packs of dogs being taught to let people come in the house and wait to be greeted and how they greet people with good manners. If you click on the little link near the bottom that says "view descriptions" you can find which videos would be the most beneficial for your particular issue.

The full episodes at the website are even more beneficial for real problem issues and really stubborn really badly behaving dogs. One of the things I think is really maybe the most beneficial about these videos is they show not just the expert doing the correcting but the owners learning to do it themselves and being corrected by the expert in whatever it is they aren't doing right. Ok, and a lot of the vids are fun to watch just to see how truly awful some of these dogs are and how easy their bad behavior can be turned around.

From the brief description you gave, I think this isn't fear or aggression or fear/aggression but mostly territorial with probably some protectionism, too. The bad part is that territorialism and protectionism if left uncorrected can turn into aggression, so it's good that you see this behavior as a problem and are wanting to nip it in the bud, and that's half the battle. The good thing about his exhibiting this behavior after only a couple of weeks with his new family is that he's accepted his new home and people and is comfortable and happy now in his new home. That's a pretty short period of time, so it's good that your new family member has already adjusted so well, which is a really good sign for the future. Of course, the behavior itself isn't good, but it's a positive sign that he's adjusted so well and so quickly.

[lukasahero]

6. You are doing the right thing

You just need to do more of it. I'm more a believer in positive reinforcement than negative so we are working with our dog to go sit on her 'mat' when we 'approve' of the person at the door. Someone up-thread said the dog is being a watch dog - and that's great as long as once you decide the person outside the door is no threat, you can get the dog to go lie down and take your word for it. We have a command ("I've got it") we use on Bella when we see who's at the door and it's ok for them to come in. Then she goes and sits on her mat, we treat her abundantly and then let the guest in.

This takes a real commitment and a fair amount of time and energy to get her to do consistently so keep doing what you're doing but expect that it will take some time. Try and see the situation from his perspective - he's been abandoned not just once but twice - in his eyes, the sponsor has abandoned him, too. You have kept him for a little while and he wants to protect his new home and family - he wants to hang on to his good thing. Give him time. Labs are wonderful dogs that want nothing more than to please you. "Will work for treats and praise."

Good luck!

[Bonhomme Richard]

7. Thanks for the advice. I have been working with him.....

constantly. He goes to work with me and that gives me more time to work with him.
At work, when someone comes to the door he will still jump up to the door barking but now when I get between him and the door and tell him to sit he does and he sits while I let the person in. Then I let him go check the person out. At the same time I give the person a biscuit to give him. Instant friend. I realize now that when I get between him and the door I am taking the alpha position and letting him know that I am in control and taking care of it. I now control him at all times and he seems to be settling down a bit. He also now knows that he isn't to go out the door ahead of us and is told to sit and stay until we are out and give him the come command. Another thing we are doing is to sit out front of our house to get him used to all the dogs and people that walk by.

When we got him he came with a backpack. That also seems to cause him to react differently as if he has a job to do. Today we took him on a long walk up to a horse farm nearby just to get his reaction and maintain control.
I am convinced that he will improve though he is still testing us.

[TorchTheWitch]

9. Excellent!

Sounds like you're doing the right things. Going to the door and barking is ok as this is just an alert and a good warning to whoever is outside. It's the allowing you to open the door and have the person enter that matters, and it sounds like you're doing this just right and it's working out well. Having people hand feed him is really good... shows the dog that though he doesn't know these people they're above him in the pecking order. Once he learns the scent of these new people that give him treats he'll be sniffing under the door when they come again and he'll already know who they are before you do and be obviously pleased by their arrival.

The backpack is a great idea. Dogs always seem much happier when they feel like they have something important to do. My dog loves his reflector vest and always seems so proud when we walk at night with him wearing it like he's doing some kind of special important work.

Keep up the good work!

[MiniMe]

8. 2 weeks sounds about right

I volunteer for a lab rescue and I have had tons of rescue labs in my house. I have a dog and they tend to take their cues from him. If you don't have another dog, he is are still trying to figure things out. He has accepted your home as "his" home now, and it is his "job" to protect his home, and you. My dog sounds like a terror when the doorbell rings. He keeps it up unless I tell him to go get a ball or that it is OK, then he quiets down. My last dog it was to go get a toy, then he knew it was OK. I remember once with my old dog that my neighbor who was out on maternity leave saw somebody outside sort of checking the place out. She actually went outside to find out what he wanted, then she looked at my house and Yogi was in the window barking his head off and all you could see was teeth. He wouldn't hurt a fly, well, maybe a groundhog, but not a person, but the guy outside didn't know that. She said that once she saw that Yogi was "on duty", she went back inside and didn't worry about it anymore. I was refinancing my house and it was an appraiser to do the appraisal on my house. I actually let him bark if it is a door to door salesman or a Jehovah's Witness, not nice on my part I admit, but sometimes those people are hard to get rid of, but they usually don't want me to open the screen door with a barking dog.

He needs to learn to sit and stay, and pay attention to you. Then you can have a release word to let him know that he doesn't have to be on guard anymore. Have a treat in your hand and put it near your face to get him to look at you. Practice with a friend ringing the bell and staying while you answer the door. When he stays until you release him, he gets the treat and a lot of praise. I say use a friend who knows what is going on because you are going to lead a lot of repetitions and a friend is going to be more willing to help with that. He sounds like a great dog.

[Bonhomme Richard]

10. Geez. When this dog gets focused forget about it.

I have been working on his changing his focus to me so he responds to voice or hand commands. I have called his name repetitively and praised him while giving a treats many times a day. The thing is that when he gets focused on something else, a person, an object like a truck, or even a noise he completely ignores me. I have to physically get between him and whatever he is interested in as he try's to look around me. Even if I do get him to look at me he won't even take a treat until he gets bored with whatever got his attention. It's as if he is saying "I'm doing my job..leave me alone".
Is this normal?

[TorchTheWitch]

11. only for a dog that believes he's above you in the pack

The only way to make a dog be always submissive to you is to never allow them to believe they are above you in the pack structure, and the only way to do that is to treat him how a dog who is the pack leader would because that's what dogs understand. Reward-only training doesn't work for everything and every circumstance just like it doesn't work for kids. Discipline is necessary for children just as it is necessary for dogs. Training for dogs means not allowing them to believe they are above you in pack structure, and that means always behaving as a pack leader DOG because dog behavior is the only thing a dog will ever understand.

Physically getting between the dog and the object of his interest that you don't approve of is what a pack leader DOG would do and why the dog understands. Acceptance of your status over him is going to take repetition and absolute consistency for a dog that has been allowed to believe his status is above you. Some dogs won't protest at all and some will protest to a point since dogs are born followers and their natural inclination is to have a reliable trustworthy pack leader that isn't them... they only step in as pack leader when no other dog or human that is part of their pack takes on that roll because a stable pack leader is the most essential thing to the survival of the pack. But unlike people, dogs will not follow an unstable leader, and that means one that they can trust to never over-react, never be unsure, and always always always require obedience to them.

What you describe is a dog that believes his status is above you and why he ignores you at times and is insistant on doing what he wants, and of course it's normal for a dog that believes his status is above you. Dogs don't change another dog's focus by giving treats or praise so why do people? Sure, the dog will do some things that you want when he knows he's going to be praised or given a treat, but it's HIM making the decision, and he'll only make the decision you want when there is nothing else the dog feels is more important to occupy his attention.

Because dogs are only capable of focusing on one thing at a time, they're a hell of a lot easier to refocus than children. But just like children, dogs need to be disciplined. The difference is in how it's done. Dogs respond to behavior that is normal for dogs... it's all they are capable of understanding. So, teaching them requires behaviors that mimic normal dog behavior.

The pack leader always comes first. The followers look to the leader to know how to behave, and if they misbehave the pack leader stops them and insists on being obeyed. So, a human pack leader needs to know how a dog pack leader would do that and respond in the same way.

When traveling, the pack leader goes first. A follower dog may travel next to the pack leader, but if a single hair on their nose goes a milimeter in front of the leader, the leader will immediately stop that behavior. They do that by physically "checking" the misbehavior of the follower and keep at it until they are obeyed, and the physical "check" will be a smidgeon above the intensity of the misbehaving follower. gdoo. s' esos, so Children respond to human behavior and dogs respond to dog behavior.

If the leader accepts another creature, the follower must also accept them. That means that if you invite someone into your home, the dog must accept that someone in the home. If the leader isn't bothered by certain noises or objects then the follower dog must accept those things and not retaliate on them even if they are personally bothered by them. If the follower dog doesn't like those things the leader accepts they can run away or hide or be more alert or show signs of aggitation, but they can't retaliate on those things.

Training a dog means insisting on being the pack leader in a manner that the dog can understand and be absolutely consistant and stable in that roll or the dog will do it for you because that's what dogs do.

[Bonhomme Richard]

12. I guess I have to be more consistant.

I don't let him go ahead of me entering or leaving wherever we are but I do let him go ahead of me on a lead. This past week I have started doing two things when he gets out of hand. One for smaller infractions is to drive my hand, with fingers extended like a claw, into his chest. Not hard but enough that he feels it. If he continued the behavior I would force him on to his back and hold him down until he gives up and submits. That seems to get the best response from him.
I will work on it...I guess I am really the one to be trained.

[roody]

17. He needs to learn 'leave it."

[Bonhomme Richard]

18. He knows that now. n/t

[Bonhomme Richard]

13. Update. I have decided to stop fighting him.

I think the problem is me more than him. I removed the choker chain and he has become a much better walker since I haven't been fighting him to stay behind me. He actually walks by my side most the time and he is easier to handle when confronted by situations that excite him. As far as people coming to the house are concerned I tell them to act like they own the place, tell him to sit and then give him a treat and rub him. That ends the drama, though he still gets upset if they leave the house and come back in on their own without being invited. Working on that. It dawned on me that the more I tried to control him the more obstinate he got. He would literally ignore me. Now that I let up he listens to me, for the most part, is much more relaxed and is much easier to control. We took him to the dog park yesterday not knowing what to expect ( he has been aggressive to other dogs in our neighborhood) and he was just fine with all the other dogs coming up an sniffing him. Next time I will let him loose.
And yes, we have signed up for obedience school which will come up in the next few weeks. All in all we are all doing a lot better.

[Bonhomme Richard]

14. Update. I have come to the realization that there are 2 issues.....

with our new Lab.
The first is fear. When someone comes on the property he is quick to run toward the person giving his best impression of attack dog. I think basically hoping the threat goes away. To deal with this I have been walking him out to meet the person while on his leash. This way I can control the encounter and give him time to realize that the person isn't a threat. I am hoping, over time, this will desensitize him to this situation. A note..he isn't typically like this while on a walk and meeting strangers off his turf though he is still cautious at first.
The second is protection. Once we get over the initial anxiety over a guest at the house he then goes into protection mode. He will seem to relax, lay around, play with the guest, etc. but he never really takes his eyes off them. He also will tend to lie down between the guest and my wife and I. If, for example, we are on the back porch together and my wife gets up with the guest and goes inside the house all bets are off. He does not like being separated by a door when my wife or I are inside with a guest and he is outside. I get the impression he feels the need to protect and the door prevents that. On another note, if we are all inside with the guest and one goes out and returns we start the process all over again. The fear factor.
We are working with a behaviorist and think that he has some wires crossed from the transition from foster care to our home.
This is going to take some work but the dog is definitely worth the effort. Other than these quirks he is a loving, obedient dog.

[MiniMe]

15. The same thing happened to a friend of mine

She only totally accepted a few people into her "group". And it was under the same type of circumstances. Although it was a private adoption, the dog was well loved in her home, and my friend went to adopt her. So she "took her away" from her first family. She was a great dog, I was the other person that she accepted. Who knows what goes on in their minds. Maybe they think that somebody else is going to come and take them away from their home, so they are protecting what they have. Most of the dogs we get in the rescue I volunteer for are strays, and they really appreciate what you do for them.

[Bonhomme Richard]

16. I think it will just take time. When my son and his wife come........

over now he will bark at them like the others but once accepted he treats them just like us. I can see the change in his demeanor though they do come over every week for dinner.
About children...that is the scary part. He doesn't seem to differentiate between children and adults.