Phrases We Can Retire: "My Dog is Protective"

Another phrase that grates on my nerves is "protective", as in "my dog is so protective" or "he's just being protective" when a dog shows signs of aggression.

This is not a sign of aggression, it's just silly.

When my dog spazzes out and throws a barking fit because he saw another human on the street, he is not trying to protect me. My dog is being reactive, the sight of the other person causes him stress and anxiety, and he puts on a big loud display to tell the guy not to come any closer.

When my dog is ok with other dogs at the dog park, but attacks them when on leash, he isn't trying to protect me from the other dog. He is feeling vulnerable because the leash prevents him from retreating in a confrontation.

I think the reason that hearing bad behavior dismissed as "protective" bothers me so much is because it puts a positive spin on something we should be discouraging. There is absolutely nothing good about a dog that turns into a sputtering ball of rage every time another living thing gets within range. There is no reason to put a positive spin on a lapdog chomping anyone who sits down beside its favorite lap.

A lot of people I've talked to claim that their dog's protective behavior is a bad thing, but I feel that the word itself lends a subconscious positive cast to the word. Sure, I do feel at ease walking Brisbane through the bad part of town at 2am because I know he will eat anyone who gets within leash range, but I never call him or his behavior "protective". Briz is reactive, when he's feeling anxious he is likely to go off at anyone no matter how nonthreatening. On a dark street at 2am when I'm feeling antsy and the tension is going right down the leash, Brisbane would probably chomp a baby.

Happily, Brisbane does not guard non-edible toys.

This is why I greatly prefer the term "resource guarding" and "reactive" to describe the vast majority of "protective" behaviors. When my chihuahua shows his teeth because another dog or cat hopped up on the couch while he was sitting on my lap, he is guarding me as a resource. I can help improve this behavior by giving him treats when the other pets get close by, so he develops a positive association.

Brisbane used to throw a fit every time he saw a jogger, I improved this behavior by giving him treats every time he saw someone jogging. Eventually he learned that joggers meant tasty treats, and now he doesn't care about them anymore. Had I viewed this behavior as Brisbane protecting me from joggers, I may have tried to discourage it through aversive training.

When we call aggression and anxious behavior "protective", it gives us a reason to avoid dealing with it. Without consciously realizing it, we may write it off as something potentially positive. We may also attempt to remedy it the same way we might remedy other overly enthusiastic behaviors like jumping up to greet people. A knee to the chest might discourage a bouncy dog from pawing my clean shirt, but a leash correction or a harsh word when he's growling at a jogger across the street could be enough to convince him that everyone in sweats must die.

TBT: Playgroup at the Park

When Brisbane was a puppy, I used to take him to the Camarillo Springs dog park every morning. There was an informal playgroup of regular attendees that made for some fun socialization experiences. Today the entire park is open for off-leash play, including the hiking trails, but back then it was just a fenced run with benches and water fountains.

Here is Brisbane at six months old, playing with Bear the standard poodle. She belonged to Zack, a retired gentleman fond of wearing sweatsuits. They eventually moved away.

Welcome Back Ulysses!

Ulysses is back with us right now, his adoptive family returned him. This was a wise move, and we are very glad to have him back.

No idea what happened to that book.

Uly's adoptive family had a baby just under a year old. While Uly didn't show any signs of uncertainty about the baby while we were there, we also didn't get to see how he felt about the baby crawling on the floor. I did let the adopters know that he had growled at my dogs and cats one day while he was resting, and that he might feel uncomfortable being approached in that situation. I recommended a crate in the living room or wherever the family spent the most time, so he could have a protected resting spot where he felt safe.

Within a few days in his new home, Ulysses bit the baby. There was no damage aside from a small bruise, but it was concerning. We are told that the baby was crawling near him while he was resting, and that he probably gave signals that he was uncomfortable beforehand. The family said they still planned to keep him, and even took him to be signed up for their pet health care plan.

A few days ago he bit the man of the house. We're told that the baby was crawling near him, and that the man went to pick up the baby and pushed Uly out of the way, and then Uly turned around and bit his arm, leaving a puncture. While I wouldn't normally continue working with a dog that had a bite history, I feel there is more to this story.

First, Uly has an incredibly soft temperament. He is an absolute moosh. I have a very hard time believing that there wasn't some sort of severe and extremely scary correction involved in the original baby incident. The adopters seemed to be fairly competent in their dog training abilities, but I'm not certain they knew how to deal with behavioral issues. The average human would probably respond to the baby incident by screaming and punishing the dog, and then attempt to prevent future incidents by warning the dog not to do anything bad when the baby was nearby. This would actually just teach the dog that the baby is bad news, and that he is not safe around it.

We shared Dogs and Babies with the family, and recommended total separation via baby gates along with helping Ulysses understand that the baby means good things for dogs. Obviously neither of these things happened. The adopter tells us he went to push Uly out of the way, but Uly can't tell us how he was feeling at the time. Not everyone speaks Dog, and he may have been giving every possible signal that he was afraid. I honestly think he was afraid he was going to be hurt or killed when he bit.

Now that Ulysses is safely back in foster care, we're taking the time to learn more about him. The friend that picked him up and brought him back tells me that he wouldn't approach her husband even for bacon. He has been extremely friendly and affectionate with me, much more relaxed and playful than he was when he left. However, he is just as reserved as ever with my husband and male friends. Uly will greet them and hope for petting, but he isn't as happy and silly as he is with women. We haven't gotten any sort of fear or aggression response out of him. When he's off his ten day quarantine, we will be meeting lots of men and watching him carefully to see how he feels.

Was Ulysses labeled aggressive in the shelter because he was cornered by a man? We're not sure, but it seems likely. He's still the soft, gentle, sweet boy we thought he was. Now we need to find an adopter who is willing to respond to undesirable behavior with a quiet "uh-uh" or "what's wrong?" rather than "NO! BAD DOG!"