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Why is my dog overprotective and growling? How can I stop it?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Dachshund | Male | neutered | 6 years and 9 months old | 16 lbs

My dog can be overprotective of me. When somone approaches me or touches me he growls and tries to stop them. Why is he so protective of me and how can I stop this behavior?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

Published on March 12th, 2019

Aggression is a complex behavior because it can be due to dominance, fear, anxiety or possessive behavior. Unless you are very familiar with identifying canine body language as well as training, it may be difficult for you to train him without assistance. You need to know the reason why he is doing it in order to adjust your own behavior. Your best option is to work with a trainer who can teach you to recognize the body language and then how to modify your behavior to change Oscar's behavior. You should also read some books about dog body language and also training. Victoria Stilwell is a great trainer with several published books. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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    Answered By Stacey Anstaett, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 28th, 2019

    I am sorry you are having this problem, I know it is frustrating. As you know, working with a trainer would be the best approach by far, so if you are able to find a way to squeeze that into the budget that would be ideal. This article has some information and resources you may find helpful: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/common-dog-behavior-issues/aggression Paul Owens is a really good trainer whose methods are very good. His website has some really good advice and info as well: https://originaldogwhisperer.com/ This youtube trainer is good as well and has some videos you may find helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOfNPODse0E Thank you for asking PetCoach, best of luck with Oscar!

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I am sorry you are having this problem, I know it is frustrating. As you know, working with a trainer would be the best approach by far, so if you are able to find a way to squeeze that into the budget that would be ideal. This article has some information and resources you may find helpful: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/common-dog-behavior-issues/aggression Paul Owens is a really good trainer whose methods are very good. His website has some really good advice and info as well: https://originaldogwhisperer.com/ This youtube trainer is good as well and has some videos you may find helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOfNPODse0E Thank you for asking PetCoach, best of luck with Oscar!
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