Hi, I have a year old petite male unneutered sheltie that is way overprotective?

Question

He won't let my boyfriend touch me without trying to nip at him. Even if he tries to put his hand on my leg, my dog, will go right at him. My dog is so protective of me it's driving me nuts. I can't even get close to another male person. He's ok with female people, but if a man comes to visit or something, he will try to keep him away from me. How can I stop this, it's getting worse and worse and I don't want to neuter him yet as I am breeding him in the Autumn time. Please help! I'm desperate. If me and my boyfriend are in bed, my dog will go nuts when my boyfriend tries to cuddle me or anything. I can't leave him outside the bedroom door cause he'll bark all night and wake the neighbors. I live in an apt. building. Any ideas?

Answer 1

Say you plan to breed him? What lines? Has he passed all his tests then? You know, VonWillebrands, thyroid, OFA and CERF? Has he gotten his Championship, or just pointed? Can you fault your dog for me, then explain his virtues?

If those questions leave you confused, I'd say you might want to reconsider breeding a dog with aggression issues. These issues can easily be perpetuated in his offspring. What you describe in your dog is very non-typical of sheltie temerament. They should be reserved but not fearful of stangers, and NEVER aggressive unless directly threatened.

As for you aggression problem with your dog, I suggest desensitization. Put the dog on a leash or in a crate where he can see and hear you, but is just out of reach for biting or other agression to harm you or your boyfriend. Calmly engage in normal contact with your boyfriend and do not let the dog draw your attention regardless of how agitated he might get. When he calms down, give him attention and praise. If he gets agitated again, ignore him again. Repeat the cycle frequently until the dog no longer reacts when you touch. Be careful about trusting him when you are finally able to let him out of the crate or off the leash. Also have your boyfriend feed and walk the dog to gain its trust. Make sure you aren't around when he interacts with the dog during this retraining phase.

Answer 2

If you haven’t owned your dog his entire life, there is a chance he was abused by a man/boy/male and that is why he is only protective of you with males.

Or it is simply a protect you from other males thing, because you’re his. (I had a horse like that, oddly enough.)

Either way, you need to assert your dominance over your dog, show him that he is below you on the totem pole first. Then, don’t let him get away the behavior. Reprimand him (I don’t mean beat him or anything, simply reprimand him, sharp words, a ‘swat’ on the butt, whatever works for you and your dog.) Force him to sit and not move while you are with your boyfriend. Show him that it is ok and his behavior is not acceptable.

Also, you might want to look into getting a crate. He can be looked in that, in your room, while your boyfriend is with you during the night. He’ll soon get over and get used to it. Reprimand him again for the barking and howling. Also, ignoring their whining also helps. But you really need to assert your position as his pack leader, because it sounds like he’s walking all over you.

Maybe even a muzzle, though it sounds cruel, it can work sometimes, to help with barking and such. There are a lot of ways to deal with this problem, and it all depends on your training methods.

Answer 3

You will have to teach him that this behavior is unacceptable to you.
Hitting is not necessary or even advisable.
You will have to react to his aggression every time.
You must be consistent in this, no lapses.
Grab him hold him down on his back, (submission posture), and holler at him.
Once he accepts your dominance and disapproval of the behavior, it will cease.
Collies are stubborn. it will take a while.