# Suddenly Territorial Dog



## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

I think you should give it a week or two and see how things are once you've settled back into your normal routine for a while. A lot of the time possessiveness and grumpy behavior can be a reaction to stress. 

Wilby may have been unsettled to be away for so long and then come back to find another dog in "his" space. Or maybe he was stressed in general from the trip, and Licorice just made a good outlet (sort of like when you pick a fight with your sister because you had a bad day at work). My two live together full-time, but they'll also get snark at each other over toys or laps if enough of their routine gets disrupted. It's like they suddenly get unsure about whether they'll really have access to these toys later, so they'd better make sure they've got them now.

Once you spend some time going about your normal routine, Wilby should realize that nothing about his home life has changed, so he doesn't need to be so defensive.

If that doesn't resolve it, then I'd consider talking to a trainer. It's easy to accidentally make territorial behavior worse if you intervene in the wrong way. The goal should be to make the dog feel secure and like he doesn't have to keep an eye on things around you, not just get him in trouble every time he acts out.


----------



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I completely agree with everything lisasgirl said.


----------



## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

I think Licorice being already in his home when he got there may be a big part of the problem. A much better way is for the two dogs to meet outside of Wilby's territory in a neutral area and then for the two of them to go back into Wilby's home together. Also be very careful of giving Wilby signals that Licorice is getting more attention from you, or that he will get priveleges before Wilby. When the two of them are in Wilby's home Wilby is number one. He gets petted first, fed first, goes out the door before Licorice.

He needs to be reassured that Licorice is not displacing him. Wilby is King, Licorice is a distant Prince. Of course that would be reversed if Wilby goes to Licorice's home.


----------



## Markbthompson (May 24, 2012)

reraven123 said:


> I think Licorice being already in his home when he got there may be a big part of the problem. A much better way is for the two dogs to meet outside of Wilby's territory in a neutral area and then for the two of them to go back into Wilby's home together. Also be very careful of giving Wilby signals that Licorice is getting more attention from you, or that he will get priveleges before Wilby. When the two of them are in Wilby's home Wilby is number one. He gets petted first, fed first, goes out the door before Licorice.
> 
> He needs to be reassured that Licorice is not displacing him. Wilby is King, Licorice is a distant Prince. Of course that would be reversed if Wilby goes to Licorice's home.


I agree, it would be like a man coming home and another man was there. Like it or not, dogs are territorial and by the dog being in his house before he could come in and reestablish his territory caused it. It's one thing to allow a dog into an established home but to the dog he has lost his area and belongings to this intruder. Without the dog there he can reestablish his domain. I'd give him his home back for a week or two and plan a 1 day play date to see how things go once he owns his space again.

Sent from my Lenovo TB-8504F using Tapatalk


----------



## Toy Mama (Feb 11, 2017)

Thank you all for your wise advice. I'll give Wilby a couple of weeks to settle in and then I'll try the dogs together again in a neutral location.


----------

