unlocking this expert answer. A snarling, growling dog that lunges at everyone is almost always a dog that is unsuited to be a protection dog. If your dog is usually outgoing and friendly, even with strangers, it means that the person is okay (got your dog’s stamp of approval). If someone wants to pet your dog, ask them to put their hand out palm first. Sam Basso is a professional dog trainer and behaviorist, in the Phoenix/ Scottsdale metropolitan area. Even though you love your dog, sometimes it’s hard to remember that not every person on the planet is a “dog person.” Whether you have a super-friendly pup that wants to run up to every stranger at the park or an aggressive pooch that barks wildly around new people, properly navigating human encounters is important—especially during a global pandemic. Also, I suggest going to a training place. You can do this by inviting friends and family over to your house, sitting and talking with people in front of your dog, and taking your dog for walks in places where there will be strangers. Every one of the dogs I have owned would have bitten someone if I had let it happen. Tell them its okay to pet your dog, and if or when they come over, see how your dog reacts. It’s possible that your dog has started her second fear imprint period, and has become a grouchy tween that’s starting to become intolerant of new people. Eye contact for dogs can meet a fight for domination, depending on the circumstances. socialized as a puppy, I cant take her anywhere without her lashing out at people and dogs. Kids are the same way. When you take a dog that is not suitable for protection, and make it into a biter, all you have done is make the dog dangerous by not properly socializing, leading and training your dog. Additionally, your dog may not have had a lot of exposure to a specific group of people, so they are fearful of unknown people. You can invite friends that are members of different groups your dog dislikes over to your house. 9 Tips To Socialize Your Pitbulls With Strangers And Other People And Make Them More Friendly Daily walk because daily works is the key solution. Dogs show their emotions through their tail and their eyes. I want my dog to protect me.” Or, “how do I make my dog bite people?”. You may also want to get your hands on a muzzle until the danger of aggressive behavior has passed. The dog jumps on guests, won’t leave anyone alone, and won’t calm down. It is widely used to help dogs with aggression and anxiety to calm them down. Dog Training: Raising your dog to be friendly to strangers is one of the most important things that you can teach your dog. Just read what happened when those two Presa Canario dogs killed that woman in San Francisco. An innocent woman died a horrible death. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. He might be friendly towards strangers when you are there, but without you and when he is at home, he might be more inclined to bark.Isolating him In their Rentals will make him unsocial and a poor pet.He is a boxer...they are pretty friendly dogs. Over time, your dog will learn to not view strangers as a threat. With consistent application, your fearful dog may slowly begin to associate strangers with … Sometimes a hound on high alert will bark at another dog or human strolling on the other side of the street. The biggest mistake is for you to get angry and harsh with an overly friendly dog. 2.) Again, instinctual. When your first introduce your dog to a new person, give them a treat if they don’t bark. You should take your dog out to public places and walk around and make him or help him grow more comfortable with the … Forth, most people have no idea what they are getting into when wanting their dog to not like strangers. They get the wrong breed. "I now know how to train my dog to be a little bit less aggressive toward strangers and other dogs. These will be vital for rewarding him and encouraging calm, friendly behavior. Therefore, guard dogs generally do not make very good attack dogs. For instance, if your dog jumps at your guests, you may consider keeping him … This isn’t some game. I know. You don’t do that kind of thing to any dog. So now if Magnus meets a dog (even a fairly calm, friendly one), he'll do a couple seconds of sniffing, but if the other dog makes any sudden (or even not-so-sudden) movements, Magnus will start barking and getting defensive. When your friends come over, give them treats or dinner to give to your dog. They may pin their ears back, yawn, or their fur may stand up on their back. For example, Kate, my Bouvier, was too friendly as a puppy, but became indifferent to strangers as an adult – generally friendly but not overly so, but was stopped by me once from biting a stranger suddenly coming into my campgrounds in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Selective breeding, within certain breeds that have the potential for protection, makes a protection dog. They may get frightened and lash out, so you want to be able to control their movements in case this happens. Put your face up close to the dog’s face and coo, “Oh, you’re soooo cute.” 4. If your dog approaches, they get the treat, while if they are too afraid they will not. 3. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Practice down/stay on the mat on and off leash. Instead, you have to work on how to make your dog more obedient. Reach over the dog’s head and pat, pat, pat. He is a boxer...they are pretty friendly dogs. Whether or not your dog is disobeying you and jumping at strangers after you say no, punishing him will not work. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. What can I do to make him into a guard dog? Also, take your dog to public places to meet other people. So, are Rottweilers friendly with strangers? It is the wrong dog for the wrong situation. Your dog may be curious about other people in the distance. If it is super friendly and easy going, then introductions will not be an issue. Your dog may only like to be petted in certain areas and in certain ways. A dog that feels he must aggress and bite strangers coming into the yard or into the house has the potential to cause harm to people, leading to uncomfortable guests, lawsuits, or worse. Sheri Williams is a Certified Dog Trainer and Behaviorist and the Owner of sheriwilliams.com, a business that specializes in teaching veterans how to turn their dogs into service dogs or emotional support animals to assist with PTSD.
If you got the dog from a shelter or as an adolescent, they may have had bad experiences in the past with specific groups of people. No, they usually don’t. 5. This is a huge mistake. take a short leash, and when you take him for a walk, make him walk beside you not! It’s important to keep your dog on a lease. A good protection dog doesn’t bite out of fear, they bite out of aggression. Sam Basso has a unique personal touch. Guard dogs are not typically trained to attack on command or to act overly aggressive towards a stranger. Fortunately, by understanding what drives your dog to this behavior, you can correct it. Expert Interview. This article has been viewed 46,395 times. If you notice, after a drug dealers place, or a pit fighting operation, is busted by the police, they normally seize these dogs and put them to death. Thus, you shouldn’t read too much into a puppy’s friendly behavior. They tease them, terrorize them, put them in fights, frustrate them, etc. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 46,395 times. ", How to Get Your Dog to Be Nice to Strangers, Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow, http://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/dogs-hate-men/328, https://www.petfinder.com/dogs/dog-training/talk-to-your-dog/, http://www.petplace.com/article/dogs/behavior-training/behavior-problems/fear-aggression-by-dogs-directed-toward-people, http://www.canidae.com/blog/2012/01/what-eye-contact-means-to-dog/, http://www.willoughby.nsw.gov.au/your-neighbourhood/pets/Dog-Ownership/how-to-behave-around-dogs/, http://www.citylab.com/navigator/2014/05/stop-petting-strangers-dogs/371022/, http://www.chicagonow.com/where-beer-whiskey-flow/2013/11/how-to-approach-a-strangers-dog-and-not-get-your-face-eaten/, https://www.cesarsway.com/dog-behavior/biting/dog-bites-101-why-bites-happen, http://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/ask-expert-breaking-dog-fight/20223, http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/common-dog-behavior-issues/aggression, https://www.cuteness.com/blog/content/signs-that-a-dog-is-happy, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. The protection dog trainers know what the breeding will do once these dogs grow up. PHOENIX , AZ AREA: (602) 708-4531 Remove them from the area so they do not get excited again. Just like owning a gun, you need to be just as highly trained as the dog, just as prepared for combat, just as strong and athletic, just as wary. If it is guarded and fearful or aggressive, then you will need to do more work around how to respond when meeting new people. However, no matter what the breed, a dog who was socialized and exposed to lots of different types, ages, sizes, and shapes of people as a puppy will respond better to strangers as an adult. How to Stop a Dog from Biting Strangers and Kids: Methods and Tips Worth Considering Many breeds out there are famous for their friendly, cheerful demeanor most of us associate with dogs. And then the dog attacks THEM because they don’t realize THESE TYPES OF DOGS AREN’T PETS, they are bred to work, and they must be professionally trained, diligently led and supervised, and given daily tasks so they don’t get bored and frustrated. No professional protection dog handler (police, security, prison, military) wants a dog like that because those dogs are not trustworthy and they are difficult to control. I get emails all the time telling me what great protection dogs pit bulls, and other fighting breeds, make. Every self defense course tells you to get away from problems and use force as a last result. They got the dog to protect them. Try to practice basic commands, like sit. They must never be shy or vicious. When you're socializing your dog around a few other people, speaking in a pleasant and excited tone of voice should get your dog to also be pleasant or excited. If you have a protection bred dog, and you want your dog to be functionally protective, able to fend off a criminal, then I know where you and your dog can get professional training. you want your dog to be more protective [PLEASE READ: I Want My Dog To Bite Strangers ]. He’s known for being fun, kind, intelligent, and humane. They may not seem ready to be near others; if this is the case, don't force them to meet new people just yet. Here are a few tips for you to follow: Start Early. The training they do with the dogs just brings out the control that will be needed on the street, but the protectiveness is already in the dog. If you don’t see the police or military using them, then your dog is probably the wrong breed. To intentionally make a dog wary of strangers will just make the dog unstable as an adult, and worthless as a protection dog. They don’t know how to deploy such a dog. My dog is perfectly friendly, but I do not want the liability of strangers constantly approaching her. That would be very hard to accomplish without that person actually getting in a terrible fight with their dog. I figured it was about time to write an article about this topic. I know of a 2 year old mastiff that knocked down and pinned a jogger that ran too closely past the owner’s 7 year old daughter… these people were friends of mine, and I knew the dog to be friendly. But, obviously, some breeds have more potential to be protective and watchful than others, having a shorter fuse and more power and intensity to back it up. Sam Basso Here are five tips on how to introduce dogs to new people in a comfortable, non-threatening way. We all know small kids will walk up to strangers and even walk away with them. They may bark or seem aggressive at first, but if you ignore them, your dog will eventually learn that this specific stranger is not a threat to you or them. Women oftentimes can’t gain enough dominance over the dog. I know of a friendly Black Russian Terrier (owned by a friend of one of my students that also has a 2 1/2 year old male) that was teased by the owner’s son’s friends, sneaking up on the dog and then pouncing and grabbing it by the neck. But, this dog will then be untrustworthy and potentially vicious. Make any dog of any breed vicious by abusing them, and yes they will attack — anyone. Panting or pinned ears can be a sign of nerves. Based in the Los Angeles, California metro area, Sheri has over 20 years of dog training experience and also runs a general dog training practice specializing in rehabilitating dogs through positive reinforcement training techniques. If your dog becomes very rigid and stiff, they are feeling threatened. While dogs do pant when they are overheated, they may also pant when they don't feel comfortable. They say the dog is too friendly. If they have an owner with them, ask them if the dog is good with strangers. Getting them more exposure to different groups of people is the best way to make them less fearful. Again, I don't think he'd ever go for the other dog, but I'm afraid another dog might overreact and bite Magnus's head off. Such a dog needs proper leadership, and if you don’t know what you are doing, the dog won’t respect you and the dog will take over the household. The solution is hiring a professional trainer to show you how to manage your dog’s energy and teaching your dog to be mannerly. Then, in other cases, I will get emails like the following: “My dog is too friendly with strangers. I know of a such a dog that put his owner in the hospital for 3 weeks. I’m talking about a police line dog, where the parents and grandparents and so on were all police or military dogs.