Yesterday I got a call from a client who has a 1 yr old Rott named Baxter that he has had since 8 weeks. All of a sudden Baxter started growling and nipping at him but not his teenage wife or son. They took him to an emergency Vet who did all kinds of scans and tests to make sure there was nothing physically wrong with Baxter. They could not find anything but prescribed him muscle relaxers. Dad said he was fine as long as he was on the muscle relaxers. I told him I would be too. I told them to hold off on his next dose and I would be over last night. The first time I met Baxter last October he came right up to me. This time he was standoffish and seemed like he wanted to follow him. Dad said this was the same thing he was doing to him. When he would get close to a piece of furniture or the sun he would growl. As soon as you led him away from those things he was normal. With my gloves on I pressed Baxter to see what he would do while protecting the son and he would nip at my gloves but never bite.
My conclusion was that Baxter is challenging using space. He wants us to follow him into a position he wishes to defend. Normal people like Dad respond by taking a step back when a 120 lb Rottweiler growls, so Baxter gets what he wants. Of course he only does this with people that he sees as above him like me, Frank, and his Dad. Dad was instructed to leave a 6 foot lead on him in the house for time being and to not go to Baxter or give him the chance to take up a defensive position. Instead just step on the lead, pick it up and lead Baxter to him. With consistency Baxter will realize that he does not own any space in the house and must come to the handler. Even before we left we saw improvement.
I am glad Dad called when he did. This behavior would not have gotten better by itself. I seriously doubt that Baxter would have gotten to the point of biting because he would not need to. His breed and imposing size would allow him to get almost anyone to back off with the slightest growl. He would just turn into a bully. Remember when you are with a dog, either they are responding to your behavior or you are responding to theirs. All dogs challenge using the 5 Canine Commodities of Food, Water, Space, Toys and Attention. They challenge other dogs and people and your relationship with them is dictated by how you respond to those challenges but also if you challenge them for the same things. It stands to reason that in the majority of cases whoever decides the type and time of the challenge wins. Every time you challenge your dog and win you are showing them that you deserve to be followed. The two biggest opportunities that owners pass up to show their leadership is going out the door in front of the dog, not with a dog going out at the same time but the dog yielding to you as you approach a door. The second is conditioning the dog to walk on a loose lead in the heel instead of out in front of them. The loose leash is the foundation of your relationship with your dog. It provides calm, quiet, consistent control and communication at all times.