Possessive dog?

[dontknowwhattodo80]

Hi

I'm after some advice about my dog snapping at other dogs if they jump up at me, or other members of her family - she's worse with me though.

She doesn't bite, almost does a threatening bark.

It's very different to her general personality. She's very gentle, playful, you can go near her when she's eating ( could probably take food away if you needed to). Absolutely gorgeous dog. Is also fine at playing with other dogs, can eat next to my parents dog when we visit, share toys etc. So she doesn't appear to be a particularly possessive dog?

She's a mini schnauzer/mini poodle mix, 15 months old and is spayed.

So to put it into context she tends to grump at another dog in the park if they run up and jump up at me- the same dog she'll play with happily

She also doesn't like it if my parents dog jumps up at me, or sits next to me ( what would be normally her space)

She seems very clever, never shows any level of bossiness towards the humans in her family ( unlike my parents dog)

Is she jealous? Possessive? Protecting me? I'm with her the bulk of the time ( unlike the rest of the family) and she tends to always be wherever I am.

Any way to change this? Does it need to be changed?

Thanks

It sounds liked she feels she is your protector, and must keep all other dogs away. You need to teach her that you are the protector and not her. Is she on a lead when she barks at the other dogs? You could try keeping treats on you at all times so that if another dog comes over you can treat her. That way she will start to see interaction with other dogs as a positive thing.

But you must get the treat in before she shows any aggressive behaviour, otherwise she will think you are rewarding her.

My guess would be that she's resource guarding you - but I'll let Vallahala come along and give some advice as it's a complicated area.

I just asked my OH about this and his suggestion was too let her bark, and then treat her when she looks away from the other dog or goes quiet for 3-5 seconds. Then she will easily learn what behaviour you do want her to show.

Sounds like she's resource guarding you.
You can absolutely turn it around but ideally you should speak to a good trainer or behaviourist.
In the meantime the vital thing is that you don't tell her off for the behaviour, but if possible avoid putting her in the situation where other dogs are crowding you.

Thanks everyone, I think it's something to do with protection too

She does it both on lead and off lead

If he's resource guarding you, it's less about protecting you from harm, and more about seeing you as being super valuable and wanting to make sure that the other dog doesn't steal anything that's super valuable (ie you). It's easier to understand if you think of a dog acting out the same behaviours around a bowl of food.

If you do want to see a behaviourist, look for someone APBC or CCAB accredited. There is no regulation of the industry and some of the unqualified ones are clueless and will make your dog irreparably worse. CCAB or APBC accreditation means you get a good guarantee of quality.

In the meantime, I'd avoid giving other dogs any treats or attention while you're out as that's only likely to feed into your dog's worries that another dog approaching means less of the good stuff for him.