[e1buckle]

I have a 2 year old lab mix names Madison. I recently moved out of my boyfriends house and Madison came with. I have noticed that my sweet girl is now extremley aggressive around visitors in my new home. She very rarely barked before and now she is growling and/or barking at every neighbor that walks by. Also, she used to be scared of men but even then would simply hunker down and growl. Now its both men and women and she barks aggresively at anyone that comes in the house besides myself and my sister (who is my roomate). She even snapped at a girlfriend that stopped by.
I'm pretty sure that most of the is caused by the stress of moving and also a new protectiveness that she has for me since my exboyfriend isn't around anymore...but how do I correct this? She is such a sweet girl and I hate that people are afraid of her. I also don't want people to not want to come over to my house. Getting rid of her is comepletly out of the question! Help!

[Yogi]

Sounds like you have covered it. New surroundings can create a sense of insecurity. With this the dog is in a new surrounding where all it knows from where ti came from to where it is now is you. Everything else is somewhat threatening. In time the dog should start to relax and become more acclimated with her surroundings and in turn start to return to herself. Emphasis on socializing to get her back to being comfortable with people. Good Luck.

[Todd]

i agree with yogi, however could it possibly have something to do with lack of exercise or boredom? Maybe try to give her some run time to calm her down. you'd be surprised how effective this method can be supplemented with the training methods yogi mentioned.

[Yogi]

Originally Posted by Todd

i agree with yogi, however could it possibly have something to do with lack of exercise or boredom? Maybe try to give her some run time to calm her down. you'd be surprised how effective this method can be supplemented with the training methods yogi mentioned.

Todd, good catch. Especially at her age. Exercise is important.

[Bacis Dad]

Todd and Yogi are right on!
This probably exasperated due to the change in environment.
Lack of exercise is the number one cause of behavioral problems.
Just be sure you are not doing anything to encourage or heighten her reactivity. You need to make experiences around other people a positive one! You dont want to "correct" the behavior, you want to train her out of it...

What I would recommend, when someone comes over, i would leash her up to something in the house she cant move... You want it to be out of the way but where she can still see and hear everything. When you leash her give her, her favorite treats then answer the door. Completely ignore her if she is growling or barking when shes quiet and calm throw treats to her. If she calms down you can try letting her come out, but keep the leash on her.
Through time when someone comes to the door, you will know you are having a positive impact if she starts to run to her Leash area (hopefully with tail wagging cuz she gets great treats there! ...

Good luck!

[Lara's mom]

I had a sort of similar problem with Bailey when we moved away from where she had grown up. She became very protective of me, particularly at night when we were outside. She would growl whenever anyone came near me unless she knew the person. She's fine during the day now but she still "watches me like a hawk" when we're out at night. If there is anybody in the park that she doesn't know, she won't leave my side.

[Bacis Dad]

My dog is like that too Laras Mom! But its something that I dont want to train out of her! If my Girlfriend walks her, I'd rather a dog like that then one that'll lick someone to death!

[Lara's mom]

I agree with you 100%. I live in a big city and knowing "she has my back" makes me feel safe when we're out at night.