I will quote something out of the book I am reading. It is a little long, but you may find it extrememly useful.


All of us, I'm sure have encountered homes that are overseen by an overprotective dog. At the first sight, sound or smell of a passer-by the dog comes belting out, barking and bouncing around in the most animated way it can manage, pacing or even racing up and down the perimeter wall or fence of its domain as it does so.The message it is sending out is clear:you are dangerously close to my territory, stay away for your own good. Many people do exactly that. Such behaviour, particularly from a loud and agressive large breed of dog, can be a serious source of distress for passers-by. It is common for people to make a point of crossing the road or even making a detour so as to avoid confrontations. Children, in particular, can be terroriesed by such dogs. Of course, there are an unfortunate few owners who revel in their dog's aggressive reputation. Equally there an unpleaseant few passers-by who will deliberately inflame these animals, winding them up into an even greater frenzy in order to satisfy their warped sense of humour.
In most cases, however, the fact of the matter is that this behaviour is as upsetting for the owner and the dog as it is for the passer-by. The root cause of this problem, what I call 'boundary running', is of course territorial. The dog believes it is the leader of its pack and sees all approaches to the perimeter of its den as a potential attack on his domain. In the course of my time treating dogs, I have seen dogs that have become deeply distressed by the burden of this reponsisbility. One case springs to mind, in which the dog would run around the boundary of its owner's circular garden. The poor animal would run and run - in ever-decreasing circles yet in an ever-increasing state of anxiety. The good news, as two case histories will hopefully illustrate, is that boundary running is a relatively straightforward problem to treat.



If you want me to continue, I can. If not, tell me. If it doesn't sound like the case, that's ok. Its just hard for me to tell without really knowing the situation. I can tell you what the book sais about a border collie who barked at a neighbor when they walked by. If this sounds similar to your problem, feel free to let me know.