He stands between harm and Her

Greetings All,

I've had my Male Yorkie Sneakers for 2 years now, he and "we" have been just us, until my sweet little Becca arrived. (Both pictured below)
I have had many Dogs in my life, but, only one at a time, and until now, all of them have been Males.

IF, I had known, how sweet and loving a Female was, which I've found in Becca, I would have had one LONG before now. Not that a male can't be that way, but.... there's something VERY special about her. Plays, wags tale, jumps up and down 24/7, when she's not napping, and has the cutest Growl when we're tugging war, sounds like Errrrrrrr :D

Now, that I've successfully bragged on the new addition to our family...

Sneakers, before Becca arrived, was "seemingly" still a Puppy.
But... the moment little Becca trotted in the door, he Menched up like I've never seen him act !
It was like Becca was a trigger for his Maturity ! I was VERY surprised to see him react to her as he did. They run, play, he squashes her down when she becomes TOO pushy, nipping at and running with him ! I just can't believe how much, in such a short time, that they NO DOUBT have become to love each other SO much !

Now, here comes the problem...
I have coordinated visits to the Vet, take them (both) in the Truck when I go places, and on some occasions one goes when the other does not. So, they are together almost all the time.
When, they are together, and someone beside me or my co-provider approaches Becca, OHHH ME, Snickers goes TOTALLY NUTS !
Growling, barking, howling, which sounds like he's in pain ! Focusing on the "intruder", putting himself between them and Becca, and ferociously presenting himself toward them. He has not bitten anyone so far.
I think he fears that some stranger will harm "his" little girl friend.

This has been going on since almost day one, we've been out several times, and he has seen that most of the people who approach, are with good will, and just want to pet (Becca mostly), but are really not threatening.

Also, there have been occasions, when little Becca was too close behind one of us, got a toe stepped on, and yelped.
Sneakers has literally knocked furniture over, coming to her from another room or from upstairs ! Then sniffing her all over, "checking her out" totally, to see if she was harmed. (it's unbelievable how MUCH he worries about her)

Beyond that, and just as a personality description, Sneakers...

Doesn't like large dogs, and really is aggressive toward them.
Smaller dogs are ok, but, still then he's a little standoffish.
Has a profound departure fear (abandonment) and can't stand it if he's left behind, when one of us leaves, even if the other stays with him.
Has a wanderlust which is monumental, likes to GO GO GO, on the leash, or in the Truck or Car. He just wants to travel, any way we'll let him.

I'd love to take them to a Dogie Park, but, there is NO WAY I'd do that now.
Maybe one, then the other, another day, but not both at the same time.

What can I do, to ease Snickers mind about this, calm him down.
He KNOWS I'm the pack leader, but he just insists on taking the "lead" when it comes to defending her.

Now...
As a second thought, what business is it of mine, to come between such immense devotion and apparent love, and try to suppress the demonstration of it.

Your comments will greatly be appreciated.

Have a good Day ! :)
S.W.

Hi Sneakers, Hello Becca! You two have been hiding, we haven't seen ears not tail of either of you in ages!

Do you have a small dog breed play group near you? Check on Meetup.com I have been attending one for 2 years now. I prefer this to the dog park, as the dogs are all smaller breeds. So it is a safe environment for them to interact. The one I attend is held at a doggie daycare, which is even better, lol!

Sneakers sure has taken her on as his baby, hasn't he? I love seeing the various personalities interact. But, you can also see some obsessive behavior, and that seems to be what you are describing. He acts more like her MOMMA than her buddy!

The abandonment is "separation anxiety." There are practice steps you can take to work on desensitizing him to this. Was his this way before her arrival? This you should work on, as he will be healthier and happier for it. There may be some threads on here about it, or you can google it for more info. Basically, you start by leaving him in one room while you go in another room, just for 30 seconds. You progress to a few minutes. Then you go outside and at that point, you may have to back up to 30 seconds again. Then you work that time up, and get in the car. Maybe drive around the block. It is all done in little steps, and you don't add on until he is comfortable at one level. It may take 3 months to fully work out (sometimes longer) but I encourage you to work on that.

As for him protecting her, I'm not sure what to suggest. I am sure others will jump in.