Redefining the Leader Follower Dynamic to Stop a Dog From Guarding the Door

For this Nebraska dog training session we shared our petting with a purpose method and some passive training tips to help 2 year-old Jax (pictured here on the right with his roomie 14 year-old Border Collie mix Tippy) stop charging or guarding the door from guests and to listen and respect his humans as authority figures.

Jax showed no protective or territorial behavior when I arrived for this Nebraska in home dog training session. He was excited and didn’t have the most respect for my personal space, but was not at all an aggressive dog.

Living in the country, Jax has a plethora of exercise options available to him, but I shared some unorthodox ways for the guardians to exercise him inside on days when its not pleasant to be outside. Increasing Jax exercise, especially before anyone visits can help stop his territorial behavior.

Next we went over the structure in place. As a dog behavior expert, I have found that many dog behavior problems come from a lack of structure which can easily confuse a dog about its position in the family group. This is especially the case when you have a hearing breed like Jax (Im not mentioning his breed as it is one of the worst breed names I have ever heard. Fortunately the negative name did not impact Jax who is a really wonderful dog).

One of the dog behavior tips I shared to stop the dog from guarding the door is what I like to call Petting with a Purpose.

Petting with a purpose is a wonderful way to help redefine the leader follower dynamic, build up a dog’s respect for humans, practice desired behaviors and teach a dog manners.

The more the humans ask the dogs to ear their attention or affection, the less Jax will feel the need to protect his humans. In time, he will learn to defer to them. There are many other ways to help Jax stop acting aggressive to guests at the door, like creating exercises that require the dog to wait before it gets something it wants like teaching a dog to wait for permission to go through an open door.

Its going to be a lot of little things that help stop this dog’s protective behavior at the door. Fortunately, Jax has some amazing guardians who are dedicated and now have the tools needed to create a healthy leader follower dynamic.

To help the humans remember all the dog psychology tips I shared in this in home dog training session, we shot a roadmap to success video that you can check out below.