protective dog????

Question

my 6 month old australian cattle dog mix is the most friendly dog in the world, he gets so excited when some1 comes 2 our door and follows them and wants there attention untill he gets bored...
he always barks if some1 is walking past our house is this becouse he is protective or just becouse he wants attention and not getting it???
and will he be protective of the house if some1 breaks in or attacks me or something??
or will he just want there attention????

Answer 1

Have you enrolled your pup in a reward based training program yet? If not I recommend doing so soon. With any herding breed...Cattle dogs included, have the ability to be "on" 24/7. Without an outlet for using his mind he will pick something on his own, and most likely it will be something that will drive you nuts, such as excessive barking. Barking is a natural response for a herder (they will bark and nip to get the herd moving or to redirect them). A reward based training program will help you learn, how to help your Cattle dog to learn. Your dog is not being protective, your dog is being bossy....He is demanding attention. He is in full teenage mode at the moment and really needs some guidelines and boundries from you. A few simple things, in addition to a good REWARD BASED program, will keep your household in good order...
1) You control food...scheduled feeding with 20 min. to eat. Dont forget to make him 'work' for his food...a simple sit, down or shake will suffice.
2) Games start and finish with you....if he wants to play...again make him ask politely by performing a simple command
3)You also control sleeping quarters...if you want to let your dog sleep in bed with you fine...but if he goes to bed before you...he gets kicked out...make yourself comfortable...then invite him back.
4)You walk first through doorways.

Set your dog up for success in his life...it is his life insurance policy, if something happens to you

Answer 2

Puppies are not truly protective at that age. Some puppies do have enough of a defensive drive that they will bark, but they would not do any actual protection. It is impossible for me to tell you if he is being protective or is just excited, as I have not seen him. Just for reference, most of the time that people see a strange dog that is wagging its tail, and they think 'oh, what a nice dog!' it is NOT that it is being nice at all. The wagging tail in that instance means something TOTALLY different.

Contrary to popular belief, most dogs will NOT protect their owners in case of a break in. In the dogs mind, they have two options, fight or flight. Both options are equally beneficial, so flight is chosen much of the time. The same is true if you are attacked, although I do think the dogs is more likely to protect you in that situation, but even then most dogs do NOT have the nerves to attack a person. Besides, puppies are taught from day one that aggression is not acceptable. Protecting you without formal training would go against everything they have been taught up to that point. Not to say no dog ever protects their owners, because that certainly isn't true, but without formal training you certainly cannot count on it.

Answer 3

I have had a lot of blue heelers (cattle dogs) and they are very friendly I agree. I had one that would literally lie on her back and let people pet her....while I was there. If I wasn't there and she was with my kids or alone and anyone came over it was quite another story and she bailed up a few people who were very surprised to say the least. They are very smart dogs and yours will know the difference between when you are home and not. The barking is just letting you know there is a stranger around.

Answer 4

houses and streets are strange things to dogs. You get enemies/strangers walking in your dog's territory all the time. The worst thing to curb the behaviour is to screm at the dog when he starts barking, because he'll think you're joining in too.
He probably won't attack anyone who breaks into your house.
He may just be an exciteable dog, so you need to train him that strangers are not enemies, but also aren't play mates.

Answer 5

Probably a little of both.
It's hard to know if he would attack an intruder until the event happens (please God you'll never need to find out)
But if he is a 'meet and greet' variety when people come to the house,I wouldn't place too much money on him being able to differentiate a friend from a foe.
My Golden Retriever would welcome the world and his brother especially if he thought there was any chance of the odd bit of food coming his way.But then dogs can be strange creatures and sometimes an instinct you never thought was there suddenly kicks in for reasons known only to himself.

Answer 6

Sounds like your dog is a great watch dog. My dogs bark any time someone enters our yard. I don't think that it is attention seeking behavior- they just want to let you know. As far as the dog actually protecting you, who knows? Some of the friendliest dogs in the world have hurt people attacking their owners. You shouldn't try to train your dog to attack tho, unless you are experienced in this type of training.

Answer 7

Your puppy is doig both. He is protecting HIS territory and he wants attention. Just look at his tail wagging. Don't worry. As dogs make an area "their territory" they will naturally want to protect that area and the people that they love. By the way, is he neutered? Don't let anyone tell you that a neutered male will not be protective --- it's just not true. As a male animal matures it is not uncommon for them to get cancer in the testicles. It's a very painful way to die and neutering them at this age will prevent that disease. Good luck with your puppy.

Answer 8

If the dog knows the person,and likes that person he is just looking for attention, if the peson is a stranger the dog is more than likely watching out for you. the dog can sense when there"s danger , and yes the dog will bite when he's scared. donna.

Answer 9

you need to get him in to Agility or Fly Ball to give him something to do. the breed of Australian cattle dog need to keep his brain busy. He also need Obedience training as to being protective or just friendly only time will tell. please look up a dog trainer in your area.