2 year old dog - territorial anxiety/growling

[mariayougottaseeher]

Hi all,

Could use some advice about my 2 year old lurcher. She's generally an absolute dream - very calm and chilled in the house, good recall, lovely with us/our kids and brilliant with other dogs etc. Generally very easy - HOWEVER, she does seem to be quite territorial and it worries me a bit - I'm ultimately not sure how concerned I should be?

Essentially she's super affectionate and friendly to us and people she knows - if we or the kids have friends over she's nothing but happy, waggy, and sweet. But give her an unknown postman or delivery person and she's wary and will sometimes even growl in a menacing way. (She's half bearded collie and whilst she doesn't bark much she does growl in play etc - though with this it's definitely NOT friendly!)

I get that she thinks she's protecting her turf and my DH thinks I'm making a fuss over nothing. However last week some neighbours looked after her whilst we had to make an emergency trip to the in-laws. She knows and loves the neighbours and was a delight according to them - sweet and gentle etc. But they then went on to tell me that at one point she'd been in their garden and some friends of theirs came over and she raced inside growling etc - really behaving like these 'unknowns' were intruders and she needed to protect the people that she knows. I get she was probably on edge because we weren't with her, but it seemed extreme. She calmed down quickly but it's alarming to me, coupled with the 'growling at the postman' thing she also does. Any thoughts on how to manage this? Thanks so much x

I think it's normal (to an extent) but obviously not ideal.

Think about it from her viewpoint - she growls at the postman/delivery driver and what happens? They go away again. So in her mind, if she wants people to go away, all she needs to do is growl.

Ideally you need to work on desensitising her to the door and to visitors - but I would (personally) get the help of a behaviourist for this so that they can come and help you in person. If you speak to your vet, you may even find it's covered by your insurance policy too.

@coffeecupsandfairylights - thank you. Really good point about how if she growls at the door she makes people go away...I think that unfortunately she does have 'stranger danger' which has been exacerbated by not having visitors over the lockdown periods.

I'd never worried too much about this as she seems to be absolutely fine and friendly when visitors come INTO our house...but the way she reacted being over-protective towards our neighbours seemed extreme. I do know a good behaviourist, but what I think is difficult is that it would be difficult to stage a stranger coming in etc! Plus her reactions do seem a bit unpredictable, so....

If anyone else has managed to help their dog overcome this territorial anxiety, I'd love to know what helped x

Hi. Ours is the same - also has collie in her. Today I needed the mobile vet nurse to come this evening. Admitedly she is just not used to visitors after 7.00 - that is snoozy time. She went batshit at this lovely lady, full on growling, barking and a warning nip. Soon calmed down when she produced treats and an absolute kitten having a tick removed and claws clipped. Like your dog, we just haven't had visitors because of lockdown but also cos we don't have swarms of friends. It was really embarrassing as she was proper growling. Postmen she doesn't bother with or people just coming to the door. She's better if we bring her to the door so she can see them first outside and in the hall way.
Have to say, it is a bit collie - they are designed to protect the heard. My beardie I had used to go bonkers at the postman.

@KathieFerrars - interesting and I've also heard that collies are more prone to this. Ours isn't exactly friendly towards the vet either...it's like they sense something is up right?!

Our beardie was absolutely scared witless at the vets and would sink to the floor like a rug. Our rough thinks the vet is party time as she gets ALL the liver pate from everyone because she does this - the famous collie stare.

I have 2 dogs. A small mogrel and a basset hound. They are both very loving good sweet dogs. The front door however they go mad at if someone comes. Not in an aggressive way but they do bark. Last year though my basset was nastily growling at the front door early hours of the morning. Never ever heard a growl of any sort come from her before. We were about to be broken into when she flung herself at the door full force and the whole of the house rattled. Scared the wits out of me she's also did it when someone was trying to break in the back door a few months ago What your dog is doing is normal. What isn't normal is if the dog was growling if you sat on the sofa etc. I think in all honesty it's a good thing she's alerting you because she will know before you if uts a bad situation. You will be able to tell from her growl .

@Inthesameboatatmo - yeah, I know that she is doing what she thinks she 'should' be doing in many respects, but I felt a bit mortified that our neighbour's friends clearly thought she was an aggressive dog, not a friendly one.

I know all dogs are different but the dogs I had growing up were never reactive to strangers like this, and I can't help but worry that her behaviour could escalate when my kids are a bit older and start coming in with - perhaps - 'unknown' friends in the evenings etc. I'm sure it's a case of managing it but it stresses me out that she's like this. 😓

@KathieFerrars - she is gorgeous!