"Guard" Barking

"Guard" Barking

Hey everybody,
Not sure how many of you remember my dog, Bransen.

Anyways, I just wanted to post this and see if I could any input from those of you who've owned/are experienced with both ABPTs and guardian breeds, or mixes of that sort.

Let me first say that Bransen is a great dog, he's my best friend, my pillow, my protector, and so much more; I wouldn't trade him for anything.

Bransen sometimes has a guard-dog mentality and does this thing that's strikingly similar to the schutzhund "bark and hold" concept, the thing is he's never been trained/taught to do anything like that. He does this when I am walking him by myself and somebody approaches us, or when someone he doesn't know comes into our yard/house, unless it is a child or the like.

He doesn't try to bite or anything like that, I don't believe at all that he is HA. It seems more or less like he feels it is his job to keep the strange person(s) "at bay" by sitting about a foot or so in front of them and barking confidently. He will come sit/lay down beside me when I say to, but he barks the whole time if not corrected, and if I am walking him alone he doesn't stop barking at all.

He's supposedly half Rottweiler, which would definitely explain he has this guardian-type behavior.

It's not that it is really a problem or anything, I just want to understand his mentality, and maybe even embrace it with proper training.

Any input would be appreciated.

 

Re: "Guard" Barking

IMO it's the Rott side of him doing what he was bred to do..

What exactly is the point in this thread? He's half Rott which is a Gaurd dog, He's also half Pit which would make him genetically predisposed to DA? Maybe the Rott tone's down the DA in him, and the Rott is more dominate in him...

 

Re: "Guard" Barking

Ah, no DA has nothing to with it. He's very DA to other males if they're his size or bigger.

I was just wondering if anyone else had dogs that behave in the same way. A few APBT owners have told me it's unacceptable behavior, even for a mix. I totally disagree with this, and I just wanted to get third-party opinions, I guess.

 

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I wanna see a pic of this Cross. In the inner city of detroit and other citys it was a fad to cross Rotts to apbt's. Thay called them Rock dogs among other things. Thay were used to protect drug houses.

 

Re: "Guard" Barking

Yep, it's the same deal here, I assume that protecting a drug house is what Bransen was bred to do as well.
Rocks, hey?
They call them PitWeilers here. :rolleyes:
I posted some photos of Bransen here.

Here's one:

 

Re: "Guard" Barking

He is a handsom big fellow.

 

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Thank you very much!
I love him a lot.

 

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Mine does it he a mix too not rotti though he doesnt bark but does a growly thing (cant explain) it is all shit though but none the less for many has the desired effect. He will stop as soon as I talk to them. He is challenging them but for what I dont know maybe just to assess their intentions. Bark and hold ? how does he hold and not hurt or is it more like bark and mouth sorry never seen shutzhund

 

Re: "Guard" Barking

hes a good looking boy,i like that mix makes a hell of a dog Ive had the pleasure of hanging out with a few of them..it sounds like the rott in him is showing through nothing wrong with that (that is what there bred for}as long as he ant getting carried away and mauling people i wouldn't be to concerned,just keep it in check.sounds like a good guard dog.

 

Re: "Guard" Barking

Thanks to the both of you.

supertank, I am not that educated on the sport myself, but from my understanding "Bark & Hold" in shutzhund is where a dog stays a foot or so in front of the person, not letting them go anywhere while barking, but not getting too close.

spliff (I like your name, BTW) thank you!
Bransen is the only one I've ever met, but I've had the pleasure of spending the last 2 years with them and I've enjoyed every minute of it! Accept the baths. :o

haha no he doesn't try to maul anyone.

 

Re: "Guard" Barking

Ok bailing yes mine does that

 

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good looking dog...i dont think it is nothing to worry about.... sounds like you have a protective dog on your hands. my female will do that if someone eyes her down exspecially if my cousin is with us

 

Re: "Guard" Barking

Thanks for all the input guys.

"bailing" is what you call it? I haven't heard that term before.

It's pretty handy I suppose, I'm a young girl so a protective dog is good to have.

 

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It is like they have their prey bailed so thats what I call it.

 

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Makes sense.

 

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I would be correcting him as much as possible, if you want another gaurdian type dog buy a pure one, my only reasoning for this if an incident ever happens it will be an apbt that attacked and not a rott. Without knowing the dog its hard to say but at the same time if he ever needs to protect you i am sure he will its just in his nature, i dont see the need to embrace it it any way other for control.

 

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Thank you junkyard I was thinking the same thing.

 

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This bark, is a form of Defense.my corso is the same way.its just to let everyone know somethings up.thats out of the norm.if your worried about it.when it happens you have to do a proper introduction to a stanger.works best with treats. If you just correct him like that some times not always.it causes conflict and the dog doesn't really know why he's getting corrected

 

Re: "Guard" Barking

Yes, I've been working with him and he does very well.
I don't want to make him think he is bad or anything though, cause he's not, he's great.
I just have to teach him that once we tell him to stop and be "nice" he needs to calm down.

Usually, this is how it goes:
Someone knocks on the door, Bransen drops whatever he is doing, runs to the door, then starts barking.
He often gives 2-4 loud barks and then takes a big whiff from the crack of the door, if he recognizes the smell he stops barking instantly and his tail starts wagging, if not he becomes more persistent.
So I hold his collar when I open the door, and I tell him "Bransen, it's my friend, now that's enough" I use words that he knows very consistently. When he sits and calms down, I reward him with praise. The thing is, once praised, he will often start barking again. At this point, we give the guest a treat to give to him. Once he sees the treat he calms down again and sits automatically, but we tell the guest to introduce themselves further before giving the treat. Ask him to shake a paw, pet him, etc.

It's not like he's displaying an aggressive "about to attack" behavior, nor does it seem like he does it out of fear.
He's just very vocal and not just about this but about everything. He will bark/growl/snarl when playing (with us or another dog) or when he wants something. He's a very expressive, he's defiantly got the most personality of any dog I've known.

As I said it is not a big problem, and he's doing well in learning how he needs to behave.
The worst thing he's even done was actually to someone he knows/likes and happened out of sheer excitement. When he was about a year or so, he jumped up and scratched one of our guests on the eye, which was pretty gruesome but it's not like Bransen intended for it. Silly boy. :rolleyes:

 

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I dont let mine answer the door he lets me know someones there and I point him to his mat, but quite often the door is open and people just appear there this is when he stands infront of them. Out in public he only gets protective of my daughter. I really have to watch him around my daughter he does have a problem with her he is ok with kids around her but very weary of adults.