Tips to Stop a Dog From Acting Protectively Aggressive to House Guests

For this Omaha dog training session we helped 6 year-old Boxer mix Koda’s family by teaching them how to stop protective aggression in dogs. Koda has a tendency to act aggressive when people visit his home.

What is Protective Aggression in Dogs?

Protective aggression is pretty normal for dogs when they think someone or something might be a threat to their family or home. You might notice it in a few ways: they could bark or growl, take a stiff/ threatening stance with their head forward and hackles up, or overreact to new things.

Sometimes, dogs might lunge at what they see as a threat, bare their teeth or snap, and in serious cases, even bite. Some dogs might also urinate to mark their territory, as a way to show they’re protecting their space.

Protective aggression is very similar to resource guarding. Resource guarding is when dogs display aggressive behavior to protect something they value. Dogs can display mild aggression, such as growling or running away with their toy or item they want to guard. They may also show more intense aggression by biting anyone who tries to approach what they are protecting.

Combating Aggressive Dog Behavior

I studied Koda pretty closely through the glass door to the home when I arrived for the session. He showed a very light bit of aggressive dog behavior, but seemed more excited. I used a few dog behaviorist tips to help him settle down before I came inside.

One of the things I did was offer him a bully stick. When dogs feel anxious or stressed, they may chew on things. Providing Koda with a chew toy can help redirect his behavior. It can also create a positive association and give them a healthy way to release anxiety and stress.

How to Stop Protective Aggression in Dogs

I gave some advice on how to stop Koda from being aggressive towards guests by learning more about his daily routine. Adding exercise, rules, and structure can help a dog develop a healthy relationship with their owner.

Another activity Koda’s family should try is what we call the engage disengage game. The engage disengage game is a great game to play with a dog that is reactive to new things; both in a fearful or excited way. The goal is to help a dog learn to watch the stimulus and not react.

One thing I’d like to see the guardians do is have his cracked tooth extracted. His aggressive behavior towards houseguests started shortly after the passing of another dog and his tooth getting cracked. Any chronic injury can have a profound effect on a dog’s behavior and psychology. This dog’s protective aggression habit is likely not caused his cracked tooth, but it definitely plays a role and may make it worse.

I showed the guardians how to use the same technique I used with Koda to help him stop being aggressive. They can even ask friends to help him practice. Watch the free dog training video to learn how to stop protective aggression in dogs.

The guardians should practice the guest arrival approach a few times a week for at least a month, maybe longer. Koda will see strangers as friends if he has good experiences with visitors. This is because he will associate strangers with positive experiences. This will make him less likely to see strangers as threats.

We made a video to help Koda’s family remember the training tips we discussed during our session. This video covers the techniques we went over to help Koda behave better and will be a useful reference for them. Whenever they need a reminder, they can watch the video. Check out our “Roadmap to Success” video below.