any ideas??

Lou Dog is my first dog, even though my family had many when i was growing up. We mostly had shepards and they were really protective and we would always have to put them away when company came over because they didnt like startngers. So when i got Louie i purposely exposed him to alot of different people, hoping he wouldnt have the same problem. it seemed to be working fine- alot of people are always in and out of our house, i always took Lou Dog for walks in my town so he could meet other people and dogs. However, the last few new people that have come over, louie has barked and growled, he even tried to bite- but i was holdng him. whats going on?? is this correctable or not? i wonder why hes behaving this way

My mom's dog does this too... she is very friendly to one person and then not to someone else. It took a long time to realize what she would growl at - not the person, but something on them that scared her: keys attached to the belt like a lot of young people wore a few years ago. We don't know if the rescue that had her before had someone in there that scared her that wore chains and keys or if they inherantly scared her. She is now very old and she still does this to people (mostly men) with keys attached to a belt.

I mention this because I wonder if these people he suddenly growled at have something in common... are they all men? All young? All wear a type of cologne? Do they have a certain style clothing (loose, tight, etc) Do they have a different manner of speech? If you can pin point a commonality, this might be the cause for his sudden change in behavior. If it is something that might set him off, then you can work on it with him.

There is usually a time when breeds with more of a guarding skill will start to show it. In my own experience I've noticed that it can start anywhere from 5-6 months, though statistics might tell you otherwise. How old is Lou?

He wants to protect you and his home, and that instinct to protect can't be killed, but you can train him to act in a different way. :)

Good luck!

he'll be a year old jan 22nd.
i love that he is protective of me but i want him to end up biting anybody. im just not sure how to go about training him to not freak out everytime. the past few people he's had a problem with were some friends of mine in their 20s, 2 guys and 2 girls, all were seperate incidinces. any training ideas? cuz im all out:rolleyes: lol