Why does my homestay Blue Heeler growl and follow me when alone?

I strongly recommend you consult with a professional, in-home dog trainer. You need a trainer to come to your house so they can see the behavior and the interaction of all the family members with Max. This is your best bet. Aggression problems need special care and it is not recommended that you try to correct this on your own. You may give him the wrong signals and make him worse. Especially with his breed you need to do this correctly and since his life start was not good that plays into his issues. This is a situation that definitely needs professional intervention. I suggest you call your vet to get a referral for a trainer or do an online search for trainers in your area. Best wishes.

Hi there. It's common for some dogs to show this behavior as a form of resource guarding - he doesn't like people approaching you, because he sees you as a very valuable resource. Much like a special toy, or a chew item that he really likes :) It's likely that this behavior is starting to show up now because he's an adolescent, getting close to social maturity. To stop this, you want to teach Luca that good things happen when people approach you, so there's no need to bark or growl. I would recommend keeping a container of tasty dog treats handy whenever you're sitting on the couch. When someone starts to approach you, toss a treat onto the floor - this effectively gets Luca off the couch and away from you, which usually stops the guarding behavior, and also teaches him to associate people approaching with getting a reward. If the problem persists or gets worse, I would recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate him in person and help you put together a more detailed plan to work on his aggressive behavior. You can search for one in your area here, if needed: www.dacvb.org

Hi there! Alucard sure sounds like a handful! Let me see if I can help. It does sound like he may have some anxiety when you guys leave the house. You may want to try some natural supplements like Adaptil or Zylkene (which can be ordered online), to help get him to be more relaxed in general, and in turn when you leave the house. For the other things you are describing like his guarding of his toys and jealousy of your intimacy, he may have some possession issues. Since he does grow aggressive in some of these instances, it is best to find a veterinary behaviorist in your area that can help you work through these things, or they may not improve at all. There are some trainers as well that may be in your area who are qualified to deal with these types of issues, but it is always safest to seek help from a veterinary behaviorist if possible. In the meantime, warn others of his behavioral issues when they come to the house so he doesn't bite someone, and make sure his rabies vaccination is up to date! An accident involving him nipping someone can escalate very quickly, so be prepared. I hope you find this answer helpful! Best of luck!

That is quite strange. I would try to spend some time with him away from your husband to see if this helps. It is strange that he doesn't normally do this. If it continues , I would take him to the vet to ensure he isn't trying to tell y'all that something is wrong like pain somewhere. If you have to, you could try to give him some calming chews like composure or composure pro (prescription version) or a calming collar like adaptil. I hope this helps and he starts to act more normal really soon.

I imagine he feels a little like his home has been invaded by aliens that are loud and boisterous. First of all, never, EVER allow the children and your dog to be together without your direct supervision. Some signs of trouble are obvious. If a dog shows his teeth or growls at a child, he’s clearly feeling uncomfortable and aggressive. But it’s unwise to wait until you see these behaviors. It’s much safer to learn to recognize your dog’s early, subtle warnings. The first sign that a dog is getting uncomfortable is often a “freeze,” a momentary pause. The freeze is sometimes accompanied by a hard stare or “hard eye.” When a dog is giving a hard eye, you can often see the whites of his eyes. If these warnings don’t deter a child, a dog may move on to showing teeth, snarling and growling. If the child doesn’t understand the dog’s warnings or finds them amusing and continues to annoy the dog, he may move on to the next level of warning, usually a snap. (Many people assume that a snap is an unsuccessful bite. But dogs have wonderful control of their mouths, and they move a lot faster than we do. If a dog means to bite, he generally will.) If the snap doesn’t repel the child, the dog may deliver an actual bite. Some dogs inhibit their bites and don’t injure the targets of their aggression. Others deliver harder bites, like the ones they’d likely deliver to puppies in need of some discipline. Unfortunately, a bite that would just pinch a furry puppy’s rolls of fat may cause serious damage if it lands on the face of a small child. When you’re not able to supervise the interaction between your dog and the children, it’s best to confine your dog to a safe area away from the kids. If you teach your dog to be comfortable in a crate, in an exercise pen or behind a baby gate, you can easily put him there when necessary. A crate can also provide a safe place for your dog to sleep, eat or chew on things without worrying about a child bothering him. Make sure that your child can’t access your dog’s confinement area. And teach your children how to behave properly around dogs. Don't let them touch his food, toys, or bedding, not to climb on him, or get in his face. With your supervision, teach the older child to give him treats, throw the ball for him if he likes fetch, and make her a part of good things happening in his life. Reinforce the knowledge with her that the dog is to be left alone at any other time, only when she is with you or your sister should she interact with him. Hopefully she can be taught this with too much excitement that will upset your dog. And make sure you spend plenty of one on one time with him. Take him for walks, off to the park or for a ride if he likes the car, spend time with him away from the noise and commotion of the children. It may be that he needs some time to decompress away from them, plus the extra activity may make him more tired and less nervous.

I agree you should get on top of the behavior. Canine aggression is a complex behavior as it can stem from dominance, possessiveness, fear, anxiety, resource guarding or a combination. Most people are not familiar with reading canine body language and training. Because of this, I recommend to work with a professional trainer. Researching on your own will also be helpful. Familiarizing yourself with canine body language and dog training can help you to recognize what your pet is trying to say. You can find many books written on the topic and there is a trainer named Victoria Stilwell who I think is particularly helpful. You can also try to increase the bond between Harley and your GF. Have your GF be the one who feeds Harley, and plays with Harley. Have a favorite toy that Harley ONLY gets when the GF hands it to her and plays with her. This does not mean Harley will automatically correct her behavior but it can help. Best of luck.

The kind of behavior is most commonly fear-based, meaning Luca is growling because he's nervous. So it's not a matter of teaching him to behave, but rather it's helping him gain confidence and learn different emotional responses to certain situations. I would recommend avoiding the other dog (if it's one particular high energy puppy), try to anticipate when Luca might growl and give him treats right away while distancing yourself from the trigger. Since it's an emotional response, not a learned response, you'll make it better, not worse by using treats. If the behavior is getting worse, I'd recommend consulting with your veterinarian who can get a full behavior history and give you more recommendations. I hope that helps get you started on the right track. Best wishes to you and Luca!