My dog is too possessive

[dms]

I am struggling with my German Shepard/Rot mix dog who is 5 years old. It's just she and I that live in the house and some nasty habits have developed...she sleeps on the bed, etc. Recently, I have started to date a wonderful man and the dog starts barking and passing even he even hugs. The is a problem. I"m afraid she may bite him. She is my first dog and I never expected to keep her...I inherited her from my son. I'm hoping it isn't too late to work with some of the negative behaviors. Does anyone have suggestions?

[luvmydogs]

What do you mean about passing even when he hugs?? I can tell you I had a GSD that me and my husband both had since she was a pup and she would not like it when we hugged..She never went after him but she was very protective of me and would get in between me and him when we would hug..She doesn't understand that he is showing signs of affection but looks at it as a threat...If you just started seeing him let her get to know him so she doesn't see him as a threat..Have him give her some yummy treats so she sees him in a positive way..Try to keep the hugging at a minimum when she is around so she won't have to be on guard and protect you..Hopefully once she realizes he is a great guy she will relax...Good luck..

[dontpugme]

Wow, there are more than 5500 Positively members!

[dms]

Thanks for your insight. I'm sorry my post was so poorly written. I noticed a couple of sentences made no sense. I was exhausted and frustrated when I wrote it. Cali (my dog) gets upset whenever this man comes near me. She used to just whine a bit, but now it's a full on bark and generally very disruptive behavior. It's embarrassing but also I'm concerned she may bite him. Her behavior doesn't appear aggressive, it's seems to be more to create a distraction. I think the advice to have him make friends with her is sound. I will certainly give that a try. Thenk you for taking the time to respond to my dilemma. Sincerely, dms

[***Melissa***]

Hi,

I am in no position to give any advise, but there are experts on here who will give you great advice.

Unfortunatelly they don't have time to read all the areas on the forum, as they offer their advice for free, so you will def get more responces if you posted your question in the dog training area (where they will def see your post and reply)

Also, in your post, will you give all the info you can possibly think of about your dog? When is she fed, what is she fed on, exercise, training, if she's a rescue do you know anything about her past, etc? They basically need a run down of what her day looks like. - This will help the experts identify what the problem could be.

Good luck with your doggy

[Noobs]

To build a little on what luvmydogs said, rather than have your new man give her treats, just make her more comfortable in his presence by having him a) ignore her and b) toss treats to her from a distance. She will slowly learn that "this man = good things happen to me!" But don't push it, don't let him pet her yet, etc. When she starts to approach him and sniff him, let her do it, but he should still keep ignoring her. It could take weeks but with patience you can certainly do it. Have a read through this forum so you can read responses to other people with similar problems.

[Horace's Mum]

I don't often have people round who hug me when Horus is there too ( ) but when I do then I put him in a sit/down stay across the room or in his crate to keep us safe and him calm. It isn't a fix, it is a way of dealing with the problem while you are working on it in other ways, but I think if you do it consistently then hugs become boring because they are just a cue for him to settle down! Worth a try if you have already trained a strong stay.