A new side to my dog...

I don't know what to think here. My Bella is a perfect dog.
She is Staffy x Mastiff. She'd be 2.5 - 3 now. We've had her since she was about 4 months old.

Over my pregnancy with DD3 & after she was born, poor Bella didn't get much attention :( I was too sick, or busy & x didn't care. She was going through typical puppy jumping stage then & was a bit big for the kids, so they refused to go into the back yard with her during that time. Though I did try to love her when I could. It still wasn't anywhere near what she needed.

Then we moved into mum & dad's. Bella was suddenly tied up alot :( & dad would bring out the whip if she barked :( He wouldn't hit her, but would scare her. My ****ing dog, who I WANTED to bark! I have her for a reason!!!

Anyway, while we were there, her relationship with the kids finally changed. They loved her & she loved them. DD3 hand feeds her & climbs all over her now. DS used to always be found sitting behind her in her kennel.

She's perfect, except her habit to still chew when bored. Barks when needed, but not nasty.

Today something happened. I think I need to know what...
Someone came to fix my door & I asked him to check my clothes line. He went the side gate, I went through the house (raining, muddy boots etc). He asked about her, I said the usual lick you to death...

She turned on him. Not straight away... I don't know if it was a male thing (x treated her really bad on occasion, then dad & the whip). This is the first time she's had her own turf in 6 months. So I don't know if it was all that... she didn't really care that he came into the yard to start with.

It wasn't til he went to look at the back door. DD3 was asleep inside. He was between me & DD... Thats when she went off. She didn't try to bite at all, but it was that attack bark.

She's never done that before. I held her & she was ok, but still made it clear she didn't like him. Even when he went away from the house again.

I feel like maybe I can be safe, that she won't let anyone in the yard, but at the same time I do want people around!! Maybe it was just coz he didn't come out with me that he posed a threat. He didn't come through the door like we do, so he hadn't really been ok'd by me?

I've honestly never seen that side of her before. Do dogs sense things? Like, that I feel unsafe? Does she get that I need protecting right now? Or is it just life circumstances? She didn't have a problem with my brother... but then this wasn't 'her' yard yet. He hasn't been round since we moved in.

I'll have to make sure every one comes through the door from now on, just to be safe. Like I said, she wasn't going to bite, but she wasn't letting him past her either. I had to hug/hold/calm her til he left...

This is my mums experience, so I'll rehash it as best as I can. She had a black labarador, placid, friendly etc... the dog used to travel with her in the car alot & I think it stayed inside alot. One day she picked up a hitch hiker and I think he was in the back seat of the car with the dog either in the front or back (can't remember). Anyway, he went to lean forward to talk to my mum and put his hand on the seat & the dog went nuts at him - very unusual for her. Each time he leant forward or touched the front seat, she'd go nuts again. Mum just put it down to her being protective & I think this is what your dog is doing. Protecting 'her' house.

That sounds like pretty expected behaviour given the history you described. The biggest thing is to not hug, cuddle or pat her when she's doing this, it will encourage the behaviour. You need to distract her from this, the best tactics i found were a sharp noise and a poke in the ribs or jerk her collar.

I really would address it because it's ok to protect territory when you are not there but if you are there, your the boss so it's your call not hers iykwim? My greatest fear would be what if it was one of the kids friends and it escalated cos they were running around the yard doing completely normal kid stuff like roughhousing and squealing? Would she feel the need to protect them then?
Sorry to be a bit negative but I have seen the negative outcomes of this behaviour several times and its some thing you want to address early.

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Our two family dogs did this in their lives too. First was an old English sheepdog. Mum was pg with me and he was sitting beside her in the backyard. Someone came around to do some work and ended up between the dog and mum. Dog went bananas. He never did it again (he was about 4 at that point). Second time it happened was with a golden retriever. Someone came to mum's door that she didn't know and asked to come inside to use the phone. Mum was really spooked and the dog stood beside her and growled. Again, never happened before or since. This dog was also viciously attacked by another dog years later and she didn't fight back, just lay on the ground, so not a mean bone in her body.

I think that your dog obviously felt threatened somewhat by this man and felt it was her job to protect you. I have a feeling that if he had come in with you, she may have reacted differently but they do pick up a certain vibe from the way you're feeling.

Agree with AngelPants. If it is unwanted behaviour then you are only rewarding and reinforcing the behaviour by cuddling/patting her. It might feel like you are calming her down, but it is really only rewarding her for doing that, and it may cause the behaviour to escalate.
She needs to know that you are the dominant one in the household and she takes her cues from you. If you were feeling a bit nervous or unsettled about his visit (or just feeling that way at the time of his visit) then she would have picked up on that and reacted in a way so that she was the protector and taking charge of the situation (because the vibe you may have been giving her was that you weren't in control yourself). She may feel unsettled herself due to all the changes she has had to go through recently.
If you are concerned about it happening again maybe have a read up on some training techniques, Cesar Millan has some great techniques to establish your role as the 'pack leader', or seek assistance from an accredited dog trainer.

Thanks ss-storm you explained it so much better than I did!

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Thanks for the replies.

I'm not too worried about her getting confused about who's boss. & TBH, I don't really want to discourage the behaviour, as long as I can control it if she does it again. I have an abusive ex who could show up here at any time & she was always the one he threatened.
If he was to come here when I'm home I wouldn't stop her scaring the crap out of him. So I didn't want her to think she can't do it at all IYKWIM.

She's an outside dog, who's always fed by me or the kids. DD3 can take food out of her mouth, because thats the way I raised her. I still watch & would watch at all times when she's around kids, just because thats what I do.

I trust my dog, but I also know there are risks. If she starts to play up when others are here, she gets tied up. Again, she's never done THIS before, but if she's running with the kids or something & they're a bit worried, she'll go on the chain til they're done.
Usually though, she hides in her corner, or on her lounge when the kids are all out there.

Thanks again :)
I'll keep a close eye on her & see what happens.

If she barks, she will stop as long as I go outside & tell her its ok, & enough. But she likes me to go out & see for myself :lol: