barking

my puppy will be a year old on nov. 30, she's a pit/shepard mix

she's always been a barker..but the past month it's different

now anyone who walks past my house the hair on her back stands up and she starts barking

doesn't matter who it is, kids adults.. she just goes into protection mode it seems

i try divertting her attention to get her to stop but she just seems to be focused until they get past my house then she's back to her normal self


is this what i assume it is, that she's protecting us or do i have a problem on my hands?

 

howdy,

no i wouldn't say its a problem per say. obviously your doggie is very close to ya. My advice is to teach her that "it's ok" with certain people. not "NO!" or "STOP!" because you could very well teach her that its wrong to be protective that way. My oldest is trained to the extent that she is fine around people that she observes me fine around..and NOT FINE around people im not fine with. She reacts based on my composure/reaction(s). I spent alot of time teaching her when to stop even when shes really angry/riled up, when instructed to. as with any type of training , it just takes time. just make sure to teach em that "its ok, stop barking" in an assuring tone + some lovin, NOT 'NO!!! BAD DOG! SHUT UP!"

 

I wouldn't freak out and make a big worry about it. However I'd have her evaluated if possible. You could also try working with her and correcing the problem.

From the sounds of it she may have fear aggression that is starting to manifest itself. This isn't a generally guard dog or protective breed. They will save your life when you really need them, but won't have shown prior protectiveness or aggression. Being that she is half GSD this could be something normal for her. Its hard with a mixed breed and mixing anything with APBT can be dangerous, let alone a guard breed. Sometimes you get really great ones and sometimes not. Most GSDs I have met are territorial, so it may be her natural instinct, as they inherit traits of each breeds.

Good natured dogs with good temperaments usually won't be bothered by kids and such. They may bark sometimes, but won't usually go into their protective or guard mode. Most APBTs won't put the hair up on their back, when dogs do this its usually trying to make itself look bigger and intimidating. I have seen some with fear aggression do this, but yours sounds like she's just being a little over protective. You should always be able to distract or divert your dog from barking.

I'm not really sure of the advice to give on this one. A behaviorlist would be best to meet the dog in person and see what the situation really is and if their is cause for concern.