Territorial Terror: How to Stop It

Kingdom of Pets replies:

Your dog’s territorial aggression is a local behavior, so you can fully expect him to be an angel outside of his own yard. If he met your mail man in the street he probably wouldn’t give him a second look. The protection of territory is the issue, not the innocent ‘intruder’.

Dominance and fear are the two driving forces at work here.

Correcting Dominance

Guarding the territory of the pack is the alpha-dog’s job. If your dog thinks of himself as alpha-dog he will therefore feel that he has to defend the territory for you. Make sure you use alpha training everyday. Not only will your dog be relieved of his guarding duties once he realizes you are pack leader, but he will also be more inclined to listen to you and look to you for guidance, so he will be easier to train in general. Likewise, everyone else in your household should use these techniques on a daily basis to teach the dog that they are also above him in the pack order, and also to improve their level of confidence with him.

Reducing the Fear through Desensitization

When strangers pass the fence

The next time he reacts to an ‘intruder’, try distracting him. You could start a game with him, or give him a command he knows well. Over time, this interruption technique should defuse his automatic reaction.

Using a safe scenario

Gradually expose him to what triggers this aggression, increasing the exposure as you progress. Use a fabric muzzle (which will allow your dog to eat treats), a head harness, and a leash for safety. As the dog gets better with the scenario you can phase out the muzzle if you feel it is safe. If your dog becomes aggressive and fails to calm down, go back a step or two, as you may have progressed too quickly.

• Work with someone he likes, and conduct the training in the location where he is being territorial.
• Have your dog sit or lie down.
• Have the ‘stranger’ approach the fence or boundary, but at a distance. If your dog does not react, drop a treat on the ground in front of him (this will make it easier for your dog to eat the treat if he is wearing a muzzle, and keep your fingers safely away from your dog’s mouth if he is not). If your dog does try to react, ignore this bad behavior until it ends and then praise and treat as soon as the dog is calm again. Remember it is safe to ignore your dogs bad responses when using this scenario because the dog is muzzled (if necessary) and under your control in the head collar.
• Next, get the ‘stranger’ to step into the yard (still at a distance), then step back out. Repeat this several times.
• Now ask the ‘stranger’ to come into the yard and walk around a bit, still at a distance from the dog and not making eye contact or acknowledging the dog. Continue to praise and treat for good behavior and ignore the dog’s bad behavior.
• Continue this until the ‘stranger’ can approach the dog with out it reacting. At this point the ‘stranger’ should take over the treats and treat the dog for being calm.

This scenario needs to be done in several regular but short sessions as often as possible. Once the dog is comfortable with the original ‘stranger’ try asking other people to help out. As the dog progresses ask the ‘strangers’ if they will try wearing different things such as hoods and sun glasses as many dogs will find not reacting to people wearing these items more challenging.

You can also try the routine in your house, with your ‘stranger’ knocking on the door. Go to the door, invite him in (happy voice), and then bring in your dog (wearing muzzle and leash). If he remains calm praise and treat, if he becomes aggressive or barks everyone should ignore the bad behavior. When he is calm again treat and praise.

Other things that may help

If your dog is starting to do well in the safe scenarios but is hard to distract when actual strangers pass near the fence try putting objects along the fence line that will make it harder for your dog to run up and down it barking. For example try scattering a few bricks and then laying mesh over them so that the surface is uneven and feels unusual. Next time your dog goes to run along the fence line he will be distracted by the odd substrate and his response to the stranger will be reduced. This will make it easier for you to call your dog over for a game or to do a command.

If it is appropriate for your situation you could try restricting access to the front yard altogether to reduce problems at the fence. You will still need to use the desensitizing scenario and alpha training however so that your dog learns how to behave appropriately when strangers come inside the back fence or house. Alternatively you can try keeping your dog in a restricted part of the front section while it is still in training. This will make initial training easier and may help reduce your dog’s anxiety.

All the best,

Daniel Stevens and the Secrets to Dog Training Team
"Secrets to Dog Training - STOP Dog Behavior Problems!"
http://www.kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/

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