I recently adopted a 2 year old black lab, named Reagan, from the local animal
shelter. Everything has gone very well (with the exception of a little Kennel
Cough). I was able to quickly train him to walk on a short leash, and I was
able to build on previous training of sit, shake, down, and come. Reagan still
wants to chase some things outside of the yard, however, with a quick stop
command he obeys. Altogether, I believe that our relationship has progressed
remarkably well and relatively quickly.

All that being said, last night we were in the front yard (without a leash),
when the Pizza man came. It was dark and I was talking to the delivery man
before he came into the yard. However, when the delivery man came within arms
reach of me, Reagan let loose with a series of deep barks and began posturing
around the two of us. Reagan did not calm down until after I escorted the guy
back to his car.

Obviously, we will be using a leash until this behavior has been addressed and
shaped. Reagan is not a barker; only at the animal shelter and in a kennel at
the vets office have I ever heard him bark. Nor is he aggressive. Even with
the confrontation last night, he did not bite or lung at the terrified delivery
man. Was this an attempt to protect me from the strange man he did not know?
Did the fact that it was dark outside have something to do with it? Any
thoughts on the matter would be appreciated.

Trey

"Rherroniii" wrote in message
...

Obviously, we will be using a leash until this behavior has been addressed
and
shaped. Reagan is not a barker; only at the animal shelter and in a
kennel at
the vets office have I ever heard him bark. Nor is he aggressive. Even
with
the confrontation last night, he did not bite or lung at the terrified
delivery
man. Was this an attempt to protect me from the strange man he did not
know?
Did the fact that it was dark outside have something to do with it? Any
thoughts on the matter would be appreciated.

Probably both. Something I've noticed in many rescue dogs is unexpected,
seemingly unprovoked, displays of aggressive behavior born of uncertainty.
In other words, my assumption of this kind of initial behavior (in total
absence of the dog actually biting), is that due to everything in the dog's
world being uncertain at the moment, he is not sure how to react to new
people so he falls back on his defense mechanism.

With his prior home gone, having stayed in a shelter environment, now moved
into a new home, he's still trying to get his bearings. To put a human spin
on it, I think of it like "ok, I know this is my new person and I like this
person, I *don't* know this other person and whether or not I should like
him so I'm going to warn him off and play it safe."

This behavior diminishes and also completely disappears in alot dogs after
they've settled in well. For some dogs it doesn't and its more a set part
of the dog's reaction response. You'll just have to figure out which one it
is as time goes by. I've known several Labs who were very aggressive
reacting to strangers, particularly delivery men, but then I've known
several who weren't.

--
Tara

Thanks to those that responded with sincerity. I plan on working more
distractions and "strangers" into the training environment as Reagan settles in
more. The thoughts and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Trey

On 2004-11-22 15:27:19 -0500, (Rherroniii) said:

Was this an attempt to protect me from the strange man he did not know?
Did the fact that it was dark outside have something to do with it? Any
thoughts on the matter would be appreciated.

We had a big black Lab mix who was quite protective. He had a very big,
deep bark and you could clearly see his teeth against that fur when he
barked. He would raise his hackles, puff himself up and really look
like he meant business. In some respects, he probably did. Our boy was
all bark & no bite when it came to humans. He could (and would) scare
people and go into a protective posture and I was always extremely
grateful that he felt that way towards me. He was doing his job. He was
very good about standing down if I told him everything was ok. He could
go from fearsome beast to propeller tail in about five seconds. He also
was only protective around adult males.

I'd work on the stand down part of his behavior.

Of course, he may just have wanted the pizza.

He was
very good about standing down if I told him everything was ok. He could
go from fearsome beast to propeller tail in about five seconds. He also
was only protective around adult males.

I'd work on the stand down part of his behavior.


Could you go into detail as to how you trained your dog to 'stand down'. I
want to be able to let my dog know when it's okay to watch out for
strangers and when it's okay for her to relax.


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You mentioned "last night". Was it dark out when the Pizza guy came? My 18
week old lab X (SPCA rescue) is good with people and very calm in nature.
The other night, when it was dark, we had just returned from a walk and a
neighbor suddenly came around the side of our house (shortcut to walking
trail is via our back yard) My pup took one look and let out a huge yelp and
ran for the door, tail between the legs. The only other time he has done
this was also at night, when I startled him by stepping out from behind a
tree.

I know that a dog's eyesight is not the best and I think he was frightened
by an unidentifiable looming presence in a place he usually felt quite safe.

"Rherroniii" wrote in message
...
I recently adopted a 2 year old black lab, named Reagan, from the local
animal
shelter. Everything has gone very well (with the exception of a little
Kennel
Cough). I was able to quickly train him to walk on a short leash, and I
was
able to build on previous training of sit, shake, down, and come. Reagan
still
wants to chase some things outside of the yard, however, with a quick stop
command he obeys. Altogether, I believe that our relationship has
progressed
remarkably well and relatively quickly.

All that being said, last night we were in the front yard (without a
leash),
when the Pizza man came. It was dark and I was talking to the delivery
man
before he came into the yard. However, when the delivery man came within
arms
reach of me, Reagan let loose with a series of deep barks and began
posturing
around the two of us. Reagan did not calm down until after I escorted the
guy
back to his car.

Obviously, we will be using a leash until this behavior has been addressed
and
shaped. Reagan is not a barker; only at the animal shelter and in a
kennel at
the vets office have I ever heard him bark. Nor is he aggressive. Even
with
the confrontation last night, he did not bite or lung at the terrified
delivery
man. Was this an attempt to protect me from the strange man he did not
know?
Did the fact that it was dark outside have something to do with it? Any
thoughts on the matter would be appreciated.

Trey

"Tee" wrote:
To put a human spin
on it, I think of it like "ok, I know this is my new person and I like this
person, I *don't* know this other person and whether or not I should like
him so I'm going to warn him off and play it safe."

Yup. Plus, "It's dark and I can't see this guy's eyes, he's wearing a hat, and
walking right towards us with something in his hands."

Best case scenario, the OP and delivery man responded calmly and didn't further
alarm the dog by yelling, jumping, or grabbing at him.

I'd suggest keeping special treats around for strangers to give the dog. Help
assure him that strange people are a good thing.

---
Canine Action Dog Trainer
http://www.canineaction.com
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"Pam" wrote in message
...


Could you go into detail as to how you trained your dog to 'stand down'. I
want to be able to let my dog know when it's okay to watch out for
strangers and when it's okay for her to relax.

i taught my dog to "stand down" by standing next to him, looking at what he
was barking at, and saying, "thank you, good boy". at first, i'd have him
follow me to the kitchen for a treat. after a while, i stopped having to be
next to him or look at what he was so excited about. now i can usually just
say, "thank you", and he'll stop.

if his excitement is predatory, rather than protective. it's pretty hard to
get him to be quiet if he sees a rabbit in the yard. :-)

-kelly