[waterbuffalofarmer]

My beardie has recently started patrolling the wall outside the house and lying atop it watching over the house, is this normal for the breed? She has been socialized but is very protective of me and anyone she is with, is this normal for her as she is a working beardie? She has never really nipped anyone but she does occasionally growl, which I tell her off for and she stops immediately. Very obediant but very protective. I remember having a Komondor and he was so protective of me and my little brother, is it normal for a beardie to be like this and should I be concerned? Don't get me wrong there isn't anything wrong with her behaviour at all she is very obediant and does what she is told to do, its just lately she has developed this habit.

[nutterly_uts]

Can't comment on the breed (I have another type of collie) but I'd never tell a dog off for growling - its the first warning system you get from the dog and if you aren't careful you can lose it and that's when things get unpredictable.
I would acknowledge it and send her off to do something else "ok, thank you (meaning enough so whatever word), go lie on your bed/in the car/whatever" so you don't lose the warning but you change the situation.

[harmony]

Interesting debate on growling. I'd be thinking why is the dog growling and in that situation is it acceptable? If they growl because they see a small child and they remember a situation in which they were hurt by a small child, is it acceptable that they growl at every small child? They need to learn not all small children are a threat.
If they growl at everyone is that acceptable? I would say no again. If your dog thinks it needs to protect you as pack leader, who should be protecting them, than I would say they are showing unacceptable dominance. When is it then acceptable for them to move from warning to attack, even a small nip?


I would be working out what makes them growl and if it isn't acceptable to you then let them know that and you may need to teach them not to be afraid of something.


If we want a guard dog and they guard you fine but if you want a dog who you don't have to worry about every time someone approaches your house then you have to sort it out before something happens that is regrettable to everyone. Barking but wagging tail and alerting you to someone is one thing. Frightening everyone half to death is something else.

[Old Shep]

A neighbour has a border collie - started off a really nice dog, very obedient.  Thinking they were being good to the dog they let it have free run of their paddock for hours at a time, mostly unsupervised. The paddock had a couple of sheep and some hens. Along one side is a lane which is goes to other houses and is a footpath.  There is no shelter, kennel or hidey hole in this paddock.  So, from the dog's perspective, having been given the job of guarding the paddock and the sheep and hens, the dog began to do just that.  Over time it developed habits - it would run the fence and bark at vehicles, it would bark at people on the footpath and run alongside them, growling and barking.  It would chase the sheep round if it was stressed.  What was a nice dog became very very stressed.  The neighbours are not the sort of people I could explain to what they were doing wrong, and it upset me seeing this dog.  They would have been much better keeping the dog feeling safe and protected in the house or kennel and to exercise it by walking or playing with it in the paddock.


Not sure if this helps, but maybe your dog needs more protection from the scarey world outside?


PS neighbours are now to build on this paddock, took a perimeter fence down and got rid of the sheep but still left the dog out there unsupervised!  Guess what? it wandered off to find some more sheep to play with!  Luckily for it they were our sheep and it's still alive, had it chosen the sheep in the next field it would have been shot!

[waterbuffalofarmer]

Ohhhhh dear [member=10279]Old Shep[/member] That sounds rather bad. No she isn't very bad at all, but this latest behaviour has concerned me a little, so I will indeed be finding out what is causing it. I did read that they like to guard and protect, so it could also be a natural instinct. She is well socialized with strangers, I wouldn't trust her around people though and other dogs do scare her, as well as strangers, she lacks confidence sometimes but is willing to learn. I am starting to train her with sheep and the buffalo, she is rather good. I'm just hoping this isn't very serious at all, but if it is I will nip it in the bud.

[YorkshireLass]

If it's fear aggression then tread carefully, you don't want to intimidate her and have her completely ruined. Sounds like maybe she thinks she has to guard you but isn't confident enough to do so? I don't know how you'd approach that though.

[in the hills]

How old is she WBF?
My working line lab bitch is very sensitive and wary particularly of people.i did take her to puppy classes a few times and they described her as nervous defensive. She will bark and growl at people in certain situations. My father trained gundogs and it seems to be a fairly common trait in working labs.
I did read that you shouldn't stop them growling as it was not wise to take away their ability to warn people that a bite might follow. Initially I tried other strategies to increase her confidence around people but to be honest she is never going to be a dog that makes friends easily. It takes her a while before she can relax and trust people. I have accepted that that is just her. She has never shown any inclination to do more than growl and when at the vets etc just submits. I do now give her the command 'no' and expect her to be quiet after she has had her little grumble at people. This seems to work in her case. I'm in control and leading and she is happy to accept that. Think she feels safer that way and more secure.
I don't leave her outside unattended and if I hear her barking I always go over and intervene so that she doesn't get into a habit of barking at people.
I think that there are many different barks and growls and you have to understand your dog and what they mean. My bitch growls and barks as noisily as possible to keep people away from her. I sometimes look after my neighbours many working collies. One or two are 'beardie types' and funnily enough they are the ones that I haven't been able to completely trust. Their growl is a bit different .... a quiet warning growl and more serious I think.
I suppose you have to assess what the growling or barking means and then you can work out how to address it.

[AnnS]

Hi, there's a facebook group for working beardies, you'll get advice on there.

[Marches Farmer]

She deals with livestock and horses but Temple Grandin's work may be pertinent in some cases.  If a car backfires as a horse is walking past a yellow garage door then it will associate every yellow garage door with being frightened and react accordingly. 

[waterbuffalofarmer]

she is coming up to 24 months. I think she has gotten it off her mother, as her mother could be a little nouty.I do what you do [member=24384]in the hills[/member]  I dont let her bite. I think she growls possibly because of warning, she also growls whenever I start giving my other dog attention when she wants the attention, so for that I tell her off. I think it could be fear of strangers that she has, no idea why though because she has been socislized. I think I am going to have to work harder with her to let her get to know people even more and when people come up put her on a lead to meet them and let them fuss over her a bit, me being there to reassure her. Dont get me wrong she is a lovely wellbehaved very obediant dog, but I think I may need to train her a bit more. I might try the beardie group on facebook thanks for that

[harmony]

She deals with livestock and horses but Temple Grandin's work may be pertinent in some cases.  If a car backfires as a horse is walking past a yellow garage door then it will associate every yellow garage door with being frightened and react accordingly.

Why the yellow door? Why not the planter in front of it? Was it the noise, was it the yellow door (it is not certain what colour a horse sees) or was it the rider's reaction? So often we decide that an animal doesn't like something and then we actually condition that dislike into them.


There is nothing wrong with going back to basics and starting again.

[Foobar]

Agree with others, go back to basics and re-do the socialising.  I took my welsh and stood down the road from the school at home time a few times. Armed with plenty of treats he got rewarded when he sat calmly and was discouraged from barking or lunching in excitement etc.  I bet I looked a right idiot, but it certainly helped.  Also did things like standing around in busy car parks, and at level crossings etc - oh yes, I have mastered looking like a right plonker in public places .

[doganjo]

she is coming up to 24 months. I think she has gotten it off her mother, as her mother could be a little nouty.I do what you do [member=24384]in the hills[/member]  I dont let her bite. I think she growls possibly because of warning, she also growls whenever I start giving my other dog attention when she wants the attention, so for that I tell her off. I think it could be fear of strangers that she has, no idea why though because she has been socislized. I think I am going to have to work harder with her to let her get to know people even more and when people come up put her on a lead to meet them and let them fuss over her a bit, me being there to reassure her. Dont get me wrong she is a lovely wellbehaved very obediant dog, but I think I may need to train her a bit more. I might try the beardie group on facebook thanks for that

This sounds like possessiveness and protecting of you to me.  Have you had a period lately when you needed protecting?  Somehow you need to let her know that you are fine now and that you can protect her.  Saying 'no', telling her off etc isn't the way to do it. 

My dogs bark if anyone comes in, and try to jump all over them, they absolutely adore people - they don't have a life you see  , no-one takes any notice of them here  , I don't feed them properly    I don't cuddle them enough  - so they need everyone else to do it.   

My friends all know the routine. Come in, say 'hi dogs', turn their back on them and speak to me. at the same time I look at them and say quietly, 'thank you that's fine'.  Then we both hand out small treats and they all then go and lie down.  Positive thinking wins every time. 

[waterbuffalofarmer]

Thanks for that [member=26320]doganjo[/member]  I think I will definately try that. I don't think I have gone through a period of needing protection, she has always been like that towards me as I am her master and she is very possessive, but lovely. Could it be because I used to lavish her with attention when she was a puppy? I used to spend hrs with her asleep on my lap and she used to always see my lap as her territory, she is a bit heavy to sit on it now but insists on putting her paws over my lap, the darling of her It just concerns me that she could become agressive to friends, not that she has ben as they give her treats so she is good, but if I wanted to start a relationship she might be a bit protective.

[shygirl]

wbf, have you not been poorly recently? ur dog knows this.
my gsd is very tuned in to my emotions, if i cry she is there like a shot.

can we see pictures of ur beardie - im a beardie addict!