Dog showing dominance

My Coton de Tulear is 8 months old. He is extremely protective of me. He does love my husband and my two sons. However, he seems to get jealous when, for example, my niece comes over and I have my dog on my lap. She wants to sit on my lap and attempts to remove the dog. He goes nuts; he'll growl and show teeth. Sometimes it gets real scary.

I know I am babying him too much but I can't help it. I adore him. I never leave him alone. I take him to work with me and he sleeps in our bed. Is this affecting his behavior? I'm sure that it is.

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Oct 08, 2010
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aggression towards other people
by: Iris Miller

I also love and baby my dog but we have had professional training, I use the loud "eh-Eh!!" to stop Tuffy from doing that.I advise you put him down and not make your niece challenge him for the territory and dominance of you and your lap. If my dog get's bossy like that I also remove him, not to let him go after anyone, ask them to stop moving so I can take him away, otherwise he paws at their legs and does not want them to leave him. Tuffy thinks the world of humans is his extended pack. It is mostly not cute and always embarrassing when my dog acts that way.The trainer told me to turn around and walk him a different direction, distract him, and also to make him sit, as that expends some of the nervous energy. Unfortunately, I am physically slow and can't always keep up with him. Gale's advice for training is the best advice.

Oct 08, 2010
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Who is in charge?
by: Gale

Funny - you answered your own question. To me, it's a lot like raising children. Having a child and loving it is not enough; you have to teach your children how to behave in a way that will keep them safe and happy. It's the same with our dogs - it's very important to socialize them early and often so they feel happy and safe in every situation they encounter and with every person they come in contact with.

It's also important to be the leader. You can be loving and affectionate and spend lots of time with your dog AND STILL show him that you are in charge and making the decisions so he doesn't have to always be in fierce protection mode.

I would suggest seeking out training to help with this aggressive behavior and until then, make sure any visitors (especially children) understand that they need to use caution when approaching.

There are so many good training options available - you can hire a professional trainer, take classes in your community, take out books from your library, or use some of the do it yourself training that's available on the web. Here are some of my dog training reviews if you need some suggestions.

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