Territorial Aggression is motivated by a need to protect resources. Territorial aggression causes problems when dogs threaten people or get into dog fights. In some cases, a dog will guard you, making it difficult to take the dog to public places.

Rule out the possibility that the dog's behavior is motivated by something other than guarding territory. If you are unsure, go back one page for links to these other types of aggression. Both male and female dogs, puppies and adults may guard territory. If your dog barks to protect your yard and home, you probably don't consider this a problem but allowing your dog to bark at passersby or wildlife is not going to protect you and it will annoy your neighbors.  Even behavior you accept, should stop at your request. If you are having difficulty with this, see the leadership program for developing better control over your dog's behavior.

DURING THE TRAINING PERIOD: 
During a two month training period, territorial dogs should be prevented from urinating outside your property at all times. If your dog learned not to urinate in the house, there is no reason you can't use the same methods to teach your dog not to urinate around the neighborhood. The easiest way to accomplish this is to teach the dog to eliminate at your request, in a certain part of the yard. Avoid giving the command away from home unless you are traveling.

Prevent your dog from having access to the targets of his aggression during the training period unless you have set them up for training sessions. This means the dog can not be left out in your yard unattended for about 6-8 weeks. This will prevent any need to reprimand or punish him in the presence of the targets of his aggression (no yelling or grabbing), which makes territorial behavior worse. Barricade your door with a scat mat or baby gate to prevent drama when greeting unexpected guests. Require the dog to wear a leash indoors (whenever you are home to supervise) so that he can be managed at a moment's notice. Simply pick up the leash, and secure your dog in another room if you need to answer the door outside of a training session. 

To manage a territorial dog when out walking, do not pull on the leash while he or she strains to reach another dog. Straining against the leash mimics a threatening posture and may cause another dog to fight. If the other dog is leashed, walk so that your dog has to face away from the other dog. If the other dog is not leashed, avoid turning your back on the unleashed dog. Move perpendicularly to the other dog steadily away. Do not yell at either dog. 

If your dog becomes involved in a fight, do not yell, hit or kick either dog. This may escalate the aggression and cause injury to you or the dogs. The best way to end a dog fight is with a bucket or stream of water. If the dogs are leashed, you may be able to separate them with assistance by using the leashes to move the dogs apart. If you cannot do this safely, a very loud sound, such as an air horn or banging a metal trash can,  will often distract the dogs long enough to end the fight. 

DESENSITIZING YOUR TERRITORIAL DOG: For desensitizing a dog to strangers or other dogs, set up some training sessions during which strangers or other dogs appear at a distance that does NOT trigger barking or lunging in your dog. When your dog notices the trigger, drop a treat where he is sure to notice and have the trigger leave the area as soon as he is engaged with the treat. The more sessions you arrange the better.

The goal is to wait until the sight of the trigger causes your dog to look at you for a treat! Bingo. Now we are in business. Because some day you may want your dog to protect you. If he looks to you when he sees an intruder and you do not offer a treat, you can count on his old behavior to prevail. But until then, you are going to reward your dog for checking with you first.

Now every time your dog sees the offending trespasser, you’ll say, “Thanks. I’ll take care of it” while you give him his treat. Gradually, you’lll experiment with the triggers closer and louder and variably moving around. Anytime your dog over-reacts just fail to deliver the treat, wait for him to calm down and start again at a greater distance. Be sure not to have the trigger run away when he over-reacts, just act casual until he’s over it. Eventually, you’ll have a dog who reliably sees a trigger, checks with you, and reacts as you see fit. Problem solved.

To desensitize your dog to strangers at the door, have family members ring your doorbell and knock on walls for no reason to help your dog stop focusing on these sounds as signals for aggression. Set up visitors to work on the same attention game described above to people coming over. You can also use the Target training on the predatory behavior page if you like.  

Give the mailman a box of dog treats to drop through the mail slot or leave with the letters each day. This will help reduce your dog's feeling that strangers are a threat to his resources. You need not worry about your dog's ability to protect your home after training. All you are teaching your dog is that strangers who come in the door while you are home are not a threat. Your dog will still bark when you are not home and when strangers are not invited in by you.