Advice re. my 2yr old Rotti's aggressive behaviour

[michala]

Hi, I am new here and would appreciate any advice anyone can give me.

We have a Male Rotti, Spencer who is just over 2 years old. He is as placid as they come - he is our second Rotti so we have a fair idea of their temperment.

Spencer doesn't react to other dogs, cars, bikes, fireworks etc., yet lately whenever anyone visits our house he jumps and barks at the door. Before he would just look through the window to see who was visiting and most of the time the visitor would go out with us to say hello, the idea behind this is that he is not excluded from us. He is very much part of the family in that he is allowed in the house/living room when we are home and is very good with our children, never barked/growled at them, although as with any dog, the children are not allowed in the room alone with him.

My problem/worry is, today we had a viewer come to visit our home as we are in the process of selling and Spencer lundged at the door barking with his fur up, why we are particularly worried is that he only saw the viewers baby walk into our room. Also, when a friend who has met spencer before and he was ok with, was leaving my home she said goodbye to him, ie, stroked his head and he growled then barked at her.

Spencer is very protective if I am home on my own if my husband goes out, but he seems to be on high alert all the time lately. He has been castrated approx. 12 months ago.

Any advice would be appreciated as at the moment I am not comfortable with guests calling to the house.

[AngelBunny]

How much obedience training has Spencer had?

[Diva Satanica]

Out of curiosity, are you from Cardiff, Ontario?

[jlaack]

yet lately whenever anyone visits our house he jumps and barks at the door.

Since he has adopted this new behavior it is your job to teach him an alternative behavior incompatible with jumping and barking so he has something else to do when people come to the door. We have taught our dogs to 'park it' which means each dog to their own bed and lie down until released. Now they automatically go lay down on their beds when they hear a knock on the door because we have practiced so much. You can have your dog respond to people coming over by teaching him to go into his crate when people arrive. I'd recommend this especially when you are showing your house/trying to sell it. Not all people are dog people and even dog people can find a barking/jumping dog to be a nuisance. You want potential buyers to really look at your house, not rush to get through because they are wary about your pet!

Either way, it sounds like his behavior is escalating. Try leashing him whenever company he knows is coming over. This provides you with an opportunity to provide a very quick correction to inappropriate behavior.

Spencer is very protective if I am home on my own if my husband goes out, but he seems to be on high alert all the time lately.

With the move, has there been a lot of stress and tension in the house lately? Has he been receiving adequate exercise?

[michala]

Hi, thank you for replying. Spencer is exercised daily, he is obiedient so when he is told "bed" for example, he goes. I suppose he could be picking up stress from us. Thanks again.

[michala]

Diva Satanica : Hi, no, we are from Cardiff in the UK.

[BhanuBusara]

Dear Rottweiler lover,
Has he been left alone during the day lately? Have you spent enough time with him each night before he goes to bed?

[jlaack]

Hi, thank you for replying. Spencer is exercised daily, he is obiedient so when he is told "bed" for example, he goes. I suppose he could be picking up stress from us. Thanks again.

Then use his obedience to prevent the jumping/barking at visitors. He can't jump on people if he is lying down.

[Elswick]

At around 2 years of age the rottie becomes more territorial. It is not uncommon to see them become more protective. Saying that, it is very important to establish Pack Leader status with your dog. If a dog senses you are not the Pack Leader then they will take over that role and decide how to protect the property and his family. Dogs can sense energy and they sense when the owner is nervous, worried etc. They also sense when the owner is not the Pack Leader and dogs are a social animal and require the heirarchy structure in their lives. There is no democracy with dogs. You should check out Cesar Milan's methods. Just google his name. Here are some pack leader behaviours: Pack Leader sleeps in bed and dogs sleep on the floor
Pack Leader sits on couch and dogs sit on the floor
Pack Leader eats first and dogs eat after Pack Leader is finished
Pack Leader walks through doorway first and dog follows second - with permission
Pack Leader can take dog's food or bones away at any time
Pack Leader is able to scratch dog's belly anytime he or she wants to
Pack Leader provides dog with lots of exercise
Pack Leader has dog release toys from mouth on command
Pack Leader establish no go areas in the home
Pack Leader will use body language, facial expressions and voice to establish dominance
Hope this helps. As pack leader it is you who decides what behaviour is acceptable.

[michala]

Hi, I am home most of the day and when we are home he is allowed in the house with us, he knows where he can and can't go and allows his toys/bones etc., to be taken off him, as mentioned by Elswick, he knows his place in our family. We are just going to have to nip this behaviour in the bud before he gets into the habit of "being on high alert all the time". Thank you.

[michala]

Originally Posted by jlaack

Then use his obedience to prevent the jumping/barking at visitors. He can't jump on people if he is lying down.

Yes, Thank you we are using his obedience training, however as mentioned in my original post, this is a new issue with Spencer and we are dealing with it - the whole point of asking the question was for advice.

[jlaack]

Yes, Thank you we are using his obedience training, however as mentioned in my original post, this is a new issue with Spencer and we are dealing with it - the whole point of asking the question was for advice.

Awesome, than problem solved! There might be other times when he adopts a new and unacceptable behavior. Since his obedience training is solid, resort back to commands that he knows which are incompatible with the desired behavior as a first plan of attack. It is easier to modify behavior if it is caught early so it doesn't become a habit. Good luck, I'm sure he will do fine.

[Elswick]

There are different ways to deal with this problem but all share the a common thread, namely speaking; your dog needs to know you are in charge. Jlaack mention that their dog retreats to his bed when commanded to do so. The dog sees Jlaack as pack leader and listens. If you go to Youtube and search for Cesar Milan, you will be able to watch a number of free video clips. This might help you out. If not, seek out the assistance of a professional canine behaviourist.