Tips to Teach a Territorial Dog to Stop Aggressive Barking

For this Omaha training session we worked with Zeus, a three-year-old Maltese Shih Tzu mix. Zeus gets aggressive when any human corrects or challenges him; barking, lunging and even nipping.

His guardians asked me to come for a dog training session to stop aggressive barking and other aggressive dog behaviors when people correct him.

How to Stop Aggressive Barking

Zeus was a combination of excited and territorial when I arrived for my session. His excitement changed to frustration when I disagreed with him for trying to jump up on me.

When a dog jumps up on someone who has just arrived, it’s their way of claiming the person or telling them that they are the top dog in the home. This often happens when a dog is too excited. It may think they have the same or more authority than humans. Both of these issues relate to Zeus’s disagreeing behavior with his guardians.

I sat down with Zeus and his guardians to discuss the situation. Zeus was very excited and showed some bad behaviors.

So, we decided to put him on a leash. I stepped on the leash about a foot away from his collar. I wanted to help him calm down and block him from hiding behind his guardians while barking at me.

It only took a minute of Zeus being on the leash this way before he calmed down and was able to stop aggressive barking.

The reason that Zeus disagreed with my presence was pretty obvious once I started the evaluation. In my talk with his guardians, I found out he had no real rules. He could tell them what to do. In the guardians own words, “Zeus is the one who runs the show.”

But if a dog believes that it is in charge, it’s not going to listen to the humans it lives with. I made several suggestions on ways that the guardians can change this leader follower dynamic using positive reinforcement.

As a dog behaviorist, I prefer positive dog training. It helps create a dog that understands what you want. This makes it easier to reach your goals.

When you try to correct and punish your dog, you create a fearful animal. This is not how I believe we should live with dogs.

Preventing Aggressive Dog Behaviors

I suggested some new rules and ways to add structure when they pet Zeus. This is called Petting with a Purpose. Then, I showed them how to teach him to stay on command. Teaching a dog to stay is one of the most underused or under-taught dog commands out there.

Teaching a dog to stay is a great exercise. It helps the dog learn self-control. At the same time, it builds respect for the guardian as an authority figure.

Next, I discussed some nonverbal communication methods. These can help the guardians guide and correct Zeus. This is important when he breaks the new rules or disagrees with them.

Zeus often misbehaves when people come to the door. I wanted to teach his guardians how to manage the area around the door. This way, they could control the door answering process.

I explained why it is important to control the door greeting. I also discussed how dogs read human reactions when guests arrive. Then, I broke down the door answering ritual into several simple steps.

It’s important that we control the situation before we actually open the door. Many people hurry through this step. However, it is very important to get it right. This helps your dog learn better behavior at the door.

Next, a neighbor knocked on the door. I showed how the guardians could use nonverbal cues. I also explained the structure from the earlier videos. This helped control the door answering ritual.

Since I set the tone of leadership when I arrived, it was easy for me to get Zeus to step back and stay away from the door.

The real test was how the guardians used what they learned. They needed to clean the door themselves. So, we reset the exercise. This time, Zeus’s guardian took a turn.

Zeus’s guardian did not get the same response I did. She was a bit timid in her movements and slow to react. Timing is everything when you were disagreeing with the dog. If you’re too late the dog is already worked up and simply ignores you.

As the guardian practices this exercise her timing and technique will improve. Once that is the case, Zeus’s behavior should also get better.

I didn’t film it, but Zeus’s other guardian practiced answering the door. After we shot the video, Zeus did not bark at all.

By the end of the session, Zeus was much calmer. He listened to commands and corrections right away. He had already started to follow some new rules on his own.

It will take a few weeks for his guardians to enforce the rules. They need to reward or correct him at the right times. This will help make Zeus’s new behavior his normal way of acting. Based on how quickly he took on a follower’s mindset during the session, I am confident his guardians will help him get there soon.
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