We adopted an approx. 2 yr old American Eskimo/Pomeranian mix named Lizzie from a rescue org. We've had her for just over a week. She was fearful, nervous, and submissive, especially towards me, rolling over when I approach. She has shown improvement every day in this area, and we are now seeing her playful and happy personality emerge. She still rolls over when I approach, but not as frequently.
Yesterday we had our first visitors. My daughter was taking her out as we'd been gone for a few hours. Lizzie saw our visitors on the driveway and immediately cowered. As they approached she peed on the porch. My daughter took her on out into the yard and I took them into the house. As soon as Lizzie was in the house she became extremely possessive towards me and aggressive towards our guests. Jumping in the chair with me, growling, snarling, barking at my guest. After she calmed down some, my guest reached out and touched my arm while telling a story and Lizzie went ballistic, lunging, growling, and snarling. We were both fearful that she was about to bite, so I removed Lizzie from the room, and put her in the room where her crate is kept. She continued to bark frantically through the closed door and did not calm completely down until our visitors left.
I was reading Secrets to Becoming the Alpha Dog and the last tip was that asserting yourself and family as alpha dog can be detrimental to a submissive dog. If this is the case, how do we overcome Lizzie's aggression towards guests? Lizzie sends such mixed signals between dominance and submission. Perhaps I'm reading her dominance incorrectly, and it is a matter of training. She had few skills other than sit and that has been inconsistent, but becoming better.
Do I follow the advice in Secrets of Dog Training beginning with social isolation and proceeding from there, or do I do need to do things differently? Any any insight into how I handle the aggression would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks -- Michaela
