# Sticky  What you think is protective behaviour may well be fearful behaviour.



## Castlemaid

Good article (easy read) on the difference between fearful towards strangers and protective behaviour, and how to help your dog to be more confident around strangers:

https://paws4udogs.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/hes-very-protective/


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## Chip18

I don't disagree with that at all. But it makes no difference to me. Fearful or "Protective" either way it's a dog one can't predict and what the dog will do?? That would be a that "may" bite??

I have no problem with a dog "knowing" I have his back because..uh yeah I do!

I show them how I "expect" them to behave. And until I am satisfied with what I see in them, NO one touches them.

So yep "Who Pets my Puppy or Dog" is the way "we" roll!


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## Jax08

> Fearful or "Protective" either way it's a dog one can't predict and what the dog will do??


That is so not correct. There is a huge difference between fearful and protective. HUGE. A properly "protective" dog is not going to just bite a person. A properly "protective" dog has a nice level of suspicion, will watch the "threat" and will give a warning. They don't just bite willy nilly.

A fearful dog is not stable and has anxiety.

A "protective" dog is stable and confident.


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## llombardo

Jax08 said:


> That is so not correct. There is a huge difference between fearful and protective. HUGE. A properly "protective" dog is not going to just bite a person. A properly "protective" dog has a nice level of suspicion, will watch the "threat" and will give a warning. They don't just bite willy nilly.
> 
> A fearful dog is not stable and has anxiety.
> 
> A "protective" dog is stable and confident.


Agree.


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## MayzieGSD

Can a dog be confident, protective of his territory and just bite willy nilly? Without it being fear-related?


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## lhczth

This is a very good article.


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## Jax08

MayzieGSD said:


> Can a dog be confident, protective of his territory and just bite willy nilly? Without it being fear-related?


Why would a confident dog just go around biting? That's an oxymoron IMO. Confident dogs aren't threatened easily. A dog will only bite if threatened or unstable or taught to do so.


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## MayzieGSD

Jax08 said:


> Why would a confident dog just go around biting? That's an oxymoron IMO. Confident dogs aren't threatened easily. A dog will only bite if threatened or unstable or taught to do so.


Well, for example, two days ago I was out running and a small dog ran down his driveway, out into the road and bit me twice on the calf and ankle. (hard enough to draw blood/bruise up my leg) In his yard, he was plenty far from the road (and me) that I was no threat to him whatsoever. He went out of his way to bite me. Ran right up with no hesitation and chomped my leg. I stopped running when I saw him coming so it wasn't prey drive or anything. I have a hard time believing he was fearful.


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## Jax08

Unstable. Not confident. Just a nasty little dog.

Example: 1/2 Akita/1/2 Black Lab. Jax, my female shepherd is fear aggressive and will charge a dog. She looks confident but is NOT. She has the mind set of I'll get you before you get me. She is fearful. She did exactly what that little dog did to you except she does it to dogs. 

So she races into the road while cousin in law is walking. Bruin, Akita/Lab, never flinched. She stood in front of cousin in law guarding her. Jax never got close enough to fight because Bruin never reacted. She just waited and watched. She was the most confident, stable dog I've ever seen.


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## Castlemaid

MayzieGSD said:


> Can a dog be confident, protective of his territory and just bite willy nilly? Without it being fear-related?


No. A protective dog, in the proper sense of being protective, protects when there is a THREAT. Protection comes from a place of solid inner confidence. They feel secure, and they feel confident, and they feel strong. They enjoy life and IF there is something that is threatening, they will keep a watchful eye on things, and react appropriately when required. 

Think of a good Cop. She has had the training and practice to take on bad guys. Is confident on her fighting skills, her self-defense skills, has a strong inner sense of her physical strenght, knows that her marksman-ship skills are equal to none. 

She patrols her area with calm assurance, smiles and waves at people going on about their business, but her experience as a cop sets off her 'weirdo' radar in a particular situation. She keeps a wary eye on this potential thread, but won't react until she absolutely has to. Will calmly assert her presence without being over-the top as she know that just being there, letting the potential threat know that there is a cop present is often enough to discourge a person and make them leave. 

Sorta the same with a protective dog. They don't bark at everything, don't growl or hackle or bite at everyday occurances. Their inner radar let's them pick up on vibes of something not right, but will watch quietly and assess the situation. 

Appropriate aggression and protectiveness in a dog is not constant, smoldering aggression just beneath the surface, ready to let loose at the slightest provocation, like a person walking by or a far-away noise. Explosive barking at nothing, growling at harmless strangers getting close, biting when there is no real, immediate threat, these are all actions of an unstable, insecure, fearful dog, acting out their fear.


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## Castlemaid

Mayzie, about the little dog that bit you: this dog has learned that when he acts this way, the 'threat' goes away. The problem with a fearful dog is that EVERYTHING is a threat to them. So if everything is a threat, where is the inner self-confidence?


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## MayzieGSD

Castlemaid said:


> Mayzie, about the little dog that bit you: this dog has learned that when he acts this way, the 'threat' goes away. The problem with a fearful dog is that EVERYTHING is a threat to them. So if everything is a threat, where is the inner self-confidence?


Nasty and unstable yes - I just wasn't seeing fear (if anything he seemed fearless as he flung himself at me) but this makes sense.


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## Jax08

Castlemaid said:


> *Mayzie, about the little dog that bit you: this dog has learned that when he acts this way, the 'threat' goes away. *The problem with a fearful dog is that EVERYTHING is a threat to them. So if everything is a threat, where is the inner self-confidence?


Exactly. And the reaction escalates over time because the other dogs/people reaction gives them confidence in their own reaction. Jax has learned that is she snarls and bites, the other dogs go away. And that has escalated to being the aggressor in situations, thus the running at the other dog. She's had success with this. She chased a dog down the road one day. The other dog ran. It taught her that A behavior = B result. It's a nasty circle of behavior to break.

It also earned her a long line and restricted outside access. Just thought I'd add that before the peanut gallery jumped in.


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## wick

It is fearful because it sees non-threats as threats and reacts on that. It would be like if a person stabbed anybody that walked by their house because they thought they were a burglar, even if it was just a girlscout.


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## Castlemaid

wick said:


> It is fearful because it sees non-threats as threats and reacts on that. It would be like if a person stabbed anybody that walked by their house because they thought they were a burglar, even if it was just a girlscout.


Exactly!


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## jschrest

Great article! I'm fully aware that Lyka is fear aggressive, and like Jax, I restrict her to prevent any bites.

However, she displays protection mannerisms around men. She immediately puts herself between me and the male. Her tone changes, she growls and curls her lip back, where with females she just barks and hides behind me. So my trainer is going to bring in a male to evaluate at our next session. I think it's just an increase in fear of men due to something negative associated with them in her past, but the trainer believes it may be protective as well. Which is why I'm loving having a trainer help me, I can't honestly tell exactly what's going on, I just know it's more extreme and frightening around males.


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## gslover60

Hi—I’m afraid I wasn’t clear. I don’t think either of these dogs is protecting me. The puppy is being a puppy (aka pest) and Liam, the Havanese, is resource guarding. And after I wrote all this, I realized of course how it’s my fault because I have permitted Sparkle, the pup, annoy him. Since the. I’ve interrupted her. Ain’t easy, that’s for sure. Takes up to five minutes to get her to turn away and do something else. Trouble is, if I distract her with a toy, Liam wants it and we are off to the races.


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