# He guards me while I sleep...



## HarleyTheGermanShepherd

My four y/o male GSD is a very aloof dog, but I've noticed a particularly odd behavior from him. He "guards" me while I sleep (or at least I think it's guarding?). I live with my parents and brother. Varick always lays on my bedroom floor while I sleep, and if one of my family members try to come in, he barks/lunges and won't let them in, but he has not done any harm. He only does this while I'm sleeping, when I'm awake it's not an issue. He knows and loves my family so I'm confused by this behavior. What could be causing this and how can I stop it?


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## dogma13

Since you can't train and sleep at the same time,keep the door closed and they can knock if they need something.You can then put him in a down/stay.Many dogs are more alert and reactive in the dark.I don't know why.


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## Sabis mom

HarleyTheGermanShepherd said:


> My four y/o male GSD is a very aloof dog, but I've noticed a particularly odd behavior from him. He "guards" me while I sleep (or at least I think it's guarding?). I live with my parents and brother. Varick always lays on my bedroom floor while I sleep, and if one of my family members try to come in, he barks/lunges and won't let them in, but he has not done any harm. He only does this while I'm sleeping, when I'm awake it's not an issue. He knows and loves my family so I'm confused by this behavior. What could be causing this and how can I stop it?


It is essentially the same behavior as kennel aggression. Don't reward it, don't encourage it.

Basically he sees your room as a den. Most kennel aggressive dogs don't actually follow through, and that is exactly what your dog is doing. It is a fear based behavior, basically the dog feels trapped, and with a sleeping owner to boot, so he is making a racket. If it continues you may want to crate him, or remove him from your room.


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## carmspack

quote "It is essentially the same behavior as kennel aggression. Don't reward it, don't encourage it.

Basically he sees your room as a den" "It is a fear based behavior, basically the dog feels trapped"

I wouldn't say this . The dog only does this when the person is asleep. 
People would spend money to train this -- those people wanting/needing a PP dog.

He is social otherwise .


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## HarleyTheGermanShepherd

Sabis mom said:


> It is essentially the same behavior as kennel aggression. Don't reward it, don't encourage it.
> 
> Basically he sees your room as a den. Most kennel aggressive dogs don't actually follow through, and that is exactly what your dog is doing. It is a fear based behavior, basically the dog feels trapped, and with a sleeping owner to boot, so he is making a racket. If it continues you may want to crate him, or remove him from your room.


Thank you for your input, but I don't understand why he would feel trapped, or fearful. By no means am I an expert on dog behavior, but I don't think this is fear based. I was thinking he could be over protective, possibly territorial.


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## onyx'girl

HarleyTheGermanShepherd said:


> Thank you for your input, but I don't understand why he would feel trapped, or fearful. By no means am I an expert on dog behavior, but I don't think this is fear based. I was thinking he could be over protective, possibly territorial.


agree, because you are in a vulnerable state so he is taking matters into his own paws. I would personally work with him so he doesn't need to be aggressive, but just alert you. His brain is still immature so deciphering is not yet there.
If something ever happened and you would need EMT in his presence, he may not allow access to you.


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## wolfy dog

How is his obedience and impulse control. Does he respect you? If not, he might have put you on the same level as his food bowl and toys aka resource guarding. Does he :"guard" you in both day and night time (dark)?


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## Sabis mom

HarleyTheGermanShepherd said:


> Thank you for your input, but I don't understand why he would feel trapped, or fearful. By no means am I an expert on dog behavior, but I don't think this is fear based. I was thinking he could be over protective, possibly territorial.




A confident dog shouldn't be lunging and barking at people he lives with. Not protective, territorial maybe.
Unless he has a reason to see your family as a threat, which is your business not mine.


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## HarleyTheGermanShepherd

wolfy dog said:


> How is his obedience and impulse control. Does he respect you? If not, he might have put you on the same level as his food bowl and toys aka resource guarding. Does he :"guard" you in both day and night time (dark)?


He is usually pretty obedient. I did wake up to him barking once and I told him to stop, he did immediately. He is good with commands and such. I'm working on impulse control, it's a work in progress but he's doing well so far. He does respect me I believe, I am pretty confident that he sees me as a leader but I could be wrong I suppose. 
It's only while I'm asleep. I'd like to note that I'm an overnight worker and I sleep during the day Monday through Saturday, so it's not always dark.


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## HarleyTheGermanShepherd

Sabis mom said:


> A confident dog shouldn't be lunging and barking at people he lives with. Not protective, territorial maybe.
> Unless he has a reason to see your family as a threat, which is your business not mine.


I agree, the behavior is certainly confusing to me, but he's not a fearful dog. 
He has no reason to see my family as a threat, they have done nothing wrong to me nor him.


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## HarleyTheGermanShepherd

wolfy dog said:


> Does he :"guard" you in both day and night time (dark)?


I'd like to add that I'm an overnight worker and I sleep during the day Monday through Saturday, so it's not exactly dark. 
And would the resource guarding be a possible explanation even if he has no history of this behavior? I've never had a problem taking toys/bones away from him or getting close to his food.


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## Thecowboysgirl

So the family is not an actual threat. My only other question would be how well does he know them/how big is the house?

To me, definitely an undesirable behavior. My guess would be possibly resource guarding either the room or you or both in the abscence of your leadership or direction (because you are asleep)

Will he do it if you pretend to be asleep? Then at least you could set it up and let him know this is not acceptable behavior.


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## Jenny720

Yes it sounds like rescource guarding. You can always lock your dog out of your room until his behavior is corrected. Our chihuahua started rescource guarding certain toys from Max our pup home I tried to manage this many corrections through the day on our chihuahuas part. It got to the point were our chi was setting up booby traps with his toys just so he can yell at Max. I kid you not. We put the toys away. It ended all of that. Now we can take out toys and there is no rescource guarding. We put the toys away to avoid any conflict but our chihuahua learned to check himself out of that new habit he was forming. If your dog is locked out of your room and separated from you during the night when you sleep, he will then perhaps learn not to act like a fool.


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## voodoolamb

HarleyTheGermanShepherd said:


> And would the resource guarding be a possible explanation even if he has no history of this behavior? I've never had a problem taking toys/bones away from him or getting close to his food.


Mine resource guards me and only me. I could take a raw steak out of his mouth after he hasn't eaten for 3 days if I wanted. He'd wag his tail and give me a kiss. He actually looks to me to protect his things when other dogs are around. 

But he will lunge at another dog in a heartbeat if it so much as looks to me. He's challenged my boyfriend a few times when he has approached me. He's gotten much better with correction and managing the situations he guards in. Since you can't do that while sleeping I'd suggest crating the pup.


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## Jenny720

Last week we got out of truck to go into our nosework class and Max lifted his leg and peed on my truck. I won't let him do that again. That was a first. We have a male Weimaraner in nose work class who Max and I are on the other side of the room. I'm constantly watching Max and can tell the times he is just waiting for that male Weimaraner to glance our way -almost looking forward to it. he gets corrected just for that thought. But 2 1/2 hour of that can sometimes be exhausting. Every time my husband or kids hug me give me lots of attention -Max will get right in the middle not aggressively but in a very passive aggressive way -with his tail wagging and all happy and giddy but his intentions are pretty clear. He does get pushed out of the way.


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## wolfy dog

Harley, resource guarding does not just apply to food or toys. It can involve anything that is valuable to the dog, including you. That's what I meant that you are on the same level as his toys. He needs his cues from you, not take matters in his own "hands".
No matter how sleepy you are, I would immediately remove him from the room if he does it again. But first you have train a marker word for the removal out of your room. This gives you time to get up and calmly remove him. Don't say anything else. You could use" OOPS!" and train it like you would with "Leave It!" "OOPS!" is easy to say and it never sounds harsh, which tells the dog that you are in control. Make sure he goes to a place that is not as much fun as your bedroom.
Keep us posted. It is interesting to see how it turns out.
Also: brush up his obedience and apply the NILIF treatment.


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## HarleyTheGermanShepherd

Thank you all for the helpful advice. I'll work on being in control the next time he does this, for it happens somewhat randomly.


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## WembleyDogsUK

> What could be causing this


Yes,it is guarding, but not you, or your den. He is protecting his position (what he thinks is) in your family. He minds you number one, and himself number two, other cats dogs, kids and adult humans are lower than him. That fact that he sleeps on the floor (level lower than you as a subordinate) and not in your bed - doesn't mean much in this case, he still protects his sleeping spot next to you. If he thought of himself as a number one, he would guard the bed from you and sleeping in it himself. That is dominance in a mild form, and the best thing - to ignore it. Dogs learn by consequence, and this behaviour would dissappear if he doesn't receive anything back in response to his barks and growls.


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## Deb

I'm finding this conversation very interesting. I had two dogs growing up that 'guarded' me when I was sleeping, both were Heinz 57s, who knows how many breeds mixed together. One followed the other, I didn't have them at the same time. They never lunged, but if I were sleeping would growl and bark at someone entering my room. If I was reading or just awake, no response from them at all. Both were very social dogs, never met a stranger. If I had a sleepover they didn't do it at all. I am also one of those people that if you wake me suddenly I will come up at you fists flying.


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## carmspack

a gsd , a certified therapy dog , trained by a very well known and respected institution was the assistance dog of an elderly woman , wheelchair bound . By all accounts an amazing dog able to conduct himself appropriately in any situation including when the visiting day care workers and delivery persons let themselves in and out -- even the pizza delivery who would be met by a stampede from visiting relatives . Never ever ever a problem.

GSD bond. They are supposed to . In many of the lines out there there is this missing sense of responsibility and natural protectiveness . It has to be appropriate . 

This is what this GSD did . He bonded deeply with this woman . The caretaker could lift her out of her chair, dress her, move her around, sit and share lunch time --- but if this woman was asleep in her chair -- you better wait until she has woken . The dog would place himself in front and hold off any source of attention . 

This was not trained. 

This dog was reassigned because his charge started to have more serious medical issues . He became a still-talked about police dog , as did his son . (both to the same department). There are requests to "find another one like this"


Even in the von Stephanitz book there are excerpts where the dog will take over when their charge has injured himself , or take care of young children - change from tolerant baby cap wearing companion , gentle and tolerant , to something fiercesome to deal with if any one wanted to harm the vulnerable kids.

This is supposed to be a natural part of the GSD character.


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## WembleyDogsUK

> I had two dogs growing up that 'guarded' me when I was sleeping


One more theory may explain: many people think that *dog's sense of vision worsens in the dark*, that's why many dogs appear more scared or aggressive at night time. Whoever enters the bedroom in the dark could be anybody, because strangers (your visitors) enter rooms anyway.


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## Deb

WembleyDogsUK said:


> One more theory may explain: many people think that *dog's sense of vision worsens in the dark*, that's why many dogs appear more scared or aggressive at night time. Whoever enters the bedroom in the dark could be anybody, because strangers (your visitors) enter rooms anyway.



Mine did it in broad daylight when I napped. And I believe research has shown they do see better than us in the dark. Their sense of smell would also alert them to who it was. We train dogs to protect people, PPDs. I think some dogs do it naturally without training. That doesn't mean every dog that displays the night lunging or barking is doing it for the same reason. I think some do it due to resource guarding, some due to fear and some due to guarding 'their' person. JMHO


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## WembleyDogsUK

> I believe research has shown they do see better than us


For many creatures electric lights, especially if many, is a disaster, for instance deer would run in front of your car on the road until the lights hit some bushes. Dogs see perfectly in a dim natural light, but with many randomly placed electric lamps become weary.
How To Tell If Your Dog Is Losing Its Sight | Petslady.com


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## carmspack

WembleyDogsUK said:


> One more theory may explain: many people think that *dog's sense of vision worsens in the dark*, that's why many dogs appear more scared or aggressive at night time. Whoever enters the bedroom in the dark could be anybody, because strangers (your visitors) enter rooms anyway.


a canine's primary senses are scent and hearing , not sight.


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## Sabis mom

carmspack said:


> a gsd , a certified therapy dog , trained by a very well known and respected institution was the assistance dog of an elderly woman , wheelchair bound . By all accounts an amazing dog able to conduct himself appropriately in any situation including when the visiting day care workers and delivery persons let themselves in and out -- even the pizza delivery who would be met by a stampede from visiting relatives . Never ever ever a problem.
> 
> GSD bond. They are supposed to . In many of the lines out there there is this missing sense of responsibility and natural protectiveness . It has to be appropriate .
> 
> This is what this GSD did . He bonded deeply with this woman . The caretaker could lift her out of her chair, dress her, move her around, sit and share lunch time --- but if this woman was asleep in her chair -- you better wait until she has woken . The dog would place himself in front and hold off any source of attention .
> 
> This was not trained.
> 
> This dog was reassigned because his charge started to have more serious medical issues . He became a still-talked about police dog , as did his son . (both to the same department). There are requests to "find another one like this"
> 
> 
> Even in the von Stephanitz book there are excerpts where the dog will take over when their charge has injured himself , or take care of young children - change from tolerant baby cap wearing companion , gentle and tolerant , to something fiercesome to deal with if any one wanted to harm the vulnerable kids.
> 
> This is supposed to be a natural part of the GSD character.


I guess it depends on how you look at it Carmen. The op described a dog lunging and barking at people he should know. 
I have had dogs be naturally protective. They stay with whatever they are guarding. In fact I had wondered if the behavior we see as resource guarding isn't an offshoot of this.
To me a dog going after someone and especially someone they know is either fearful or spoiled. 
The ops statement that the dog is mostly obedient is another alarm bell. There is no mostly. Obedience either is or is not.


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## onyx'girl

my thoughts are about the dog being in a room with someone sleeping during the day. Is the dog getting exercised(mental and physical) or is locked in a room all day while the world goes on around him. If this is a fairly busy household, it may be frustrating to a dog to hear/scent but not actually be included in what is happening on the other side of the door. 
My own dogs probably sleep the day away while I am working, but they can and do roam the house and interact with who is coming and going(adult children). 

There are many things playing into this scenario.


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## gsdsar

I don't know. I don't think I would give this a second thought to be honest. 

Years ago, a foster dog I had was similar. At the time I had a roommate, who had a little JRT. She was out late one night and so her JRT slept with me that night. 

The next morning I went downstairs and my roommate greeted me with a story. She had come home and realized her dog was in my room, so she opened my door a smudge to call her out and my my foster got up, growled and walked/stalked towards the door. She shut the door and went to bed, leaving her dog with me. 

This foster was a very stable dog, and was perfectly fine when he saw her the next day. 

It happened again and this time my roommate called his name whitely and he totally relaxed and she got her dog. 

I don't know if she smelled odd that night, or if her apprehension of coming into my room made her nervous and he sensed that. But once she realized she just needed to announce herself, he was fine. 

Neither of us were concerned with his behavior at all.


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## HarleyTheGermanShepherd

Welp this sure took an unexpected turn. 
I guess I should elaborate on the obedience aspect. He listens to commands I use regularly (sit, lay down, wait). If he's barking at someone outside of the yard, he comes when called (except the mailman, so I guess this means that his obedience is crappy? My bad). 
And as I previously stated, I sleep during the day because I work overnight (so this means that it is not dark out). He lays in the room with me for a while, but he has free run of the house and does move around and interacts with family members coming and going. 
If anyone has any more questions please feel free to ask me.


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