Expert: Alan J Turner, SATS LL1 - 11/14/2007

Question
i have a female mix(was told she was 1/2 husky 1/2 lab)her back reaches my knees and she is done. we got her when she was a puppy(about 10 weeks old)and we have had her for about 3 years. she is quick to learn and can do all kinds of tricks even say i love you. i think she knows im alpha female and she listens to me the most. she's my husbands sook and my 6 yr old son treats her like a sister.she's a big part of or family but my only problem is her barking and in certain circumstances can seem aggresive. sometimes i think it's because she wants to protect us but i still wonder. when my son and i are home but my husband isn't and someone comes to the door she barks and growls loudly esply if ts a male. once they come in the house she's mostly ok and trying to lick them and such.on one occasion tho a man i had never met but my husband knew came while my son and i were asleep on the couch. he knocked and came on in but she wouldn't let him in any further than the porch (she showed her teeth and almost bit him)but once my husband came home she was licking him.to me she was protecting me and my son when my hubby wasn't home.but also when we have her in the van (she goes just about everywhere with us) whether we are in the van or not if anyone comes by she goes ballistic, she barks,growls,snarls and jumps everywhere trying to get at the person.if she sees another dog outside she starts huffing too. anyone that doesnt know her would think shes a beast.is this something i should worry about?she does bark alot wherever shes to(except when i walk her..she'a a well behaved dog then.she justs sniffs and goes right up to people as friendly as could be). i am in the process of telling her "quiet" when she barks,followed by praise and attention when she stops and shes starting to listen which is good.could you tell me why she acts this way when shes inside or in the van?it makes me nervous too when i take her for walks because i'm afraid if another dog got too close she would snap or something.but i have to tell you that she does have dog friends (a female maltese thats stayed overnite on occasion,shes spent nites with us at our friends house whom has 2 male danish poodles and shes met a female shittzu..all done,spayed or neutered)that she gets along great with..now sometimes she plays a bit rough but she is bigger and i don't think she means to cause harm(just stuff like running around and bumping into each other when excited).any insight to why she behaves like this would be greatly appreciated!

Answer
Dear Alice,
Does this represent a change in behavior or has she been like this for some time?

Without seeing the dog, I can't really say if this is a problem. My thinking is this. I like a dog to let me know when someone is coming - that's one reason some of us have dogs. I also want to be able to tell my dog to relax, "I've got the situation under control".  

If your dog barks and lunges even after you've told her to relax, then you should hire a trainer to help you teach her how to disengage and relax.  

Good Luck.