# My male is becoming possessive over me



## kdiaz54 (Apr 1, 2012)

I have a 1 year old GSD who will be 2 next month. The past couple of months I have noticed on play dates he is becoming very dominate and pushy with other dogs when they approach me. I can’t even bend down and pet another dog without him trying to push it away from me. The latest incident was this past weekend at bbq at my parents’ house. My uncle brought his dog over which my dog has played with many of times. When I would go outside and his dog would come up to me he would charge at her. He does growl and will grab the top of the neck with his mouth. I had my husband pet the dog and play with it but our dog did not care at all and ignored them but with me it’s a different story. I’ve asked how he acts at daycare and they said he has never had any issues with his play group. How do I go about handling this situation? Other then this he is wonderful. He loves people and is amazing with children and our Chihuahua and my parent’s Chihuahua and cat.


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## MadLab (Jan 7, 2013)

What is the dog like when he greets you, ie, you leave the house for a few hours and return.

The meeting ritual tells a lot, in my opinion, of how the dog views the relationship.

Does it ever try to lie on you or invade your space in other ways?

I would think you need to slightly distance yourself from the dog with body language to reset the relationship a bit.


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## kdiaz54 (Apr 1, 2012)

Both times the dog was wagging it's tail when it greeted me and was very playful and he still didn't like it. I do notice when at home with just us if my husband tells him to do something he will run over and put his head in lap and I will have to correct him and make him do what he was told. He does follow me around the house the a lot. Now that you mention it he does try to invade my space. If i go to the bathroom he waits at the door outside. My husband works graveyard I'm mostly with the dog and take him pretty much everywhere I go besides work. The only time he will leave me alone is if my Chihuahua is laying with me but she is the alpha in the house and he does respect her boundrys


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## MadLab (Jan 7, 2013)

I mean how does your dog greet you when you walk into your house.

Does he experience any separation anxiety when you leave?

Following you around does sound like a bit of separation anxiety to me

To counter balance this start to spend time away from the dog to get him used to being alone. When you return, ignore him for a few minutes. 

Only give him affection if you initiate it. If he comes and sits on your feet stand up and move him with your body language and sit back down again.

If the dog is looking at you expecting something, look to the side and give a yawn. This says Go away I'm not in the mood. You may notice him just simply lie down and relax,when you do this

Start to become more aware of your space and make sure he is not leaning on you when you sit etc. 

Give him a place to go like his bed and get him out of the habit of following you around.


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