HI, as some of you know, we have our little bitch border collie-Tess, who is now getting on fine with the yorkie-Sparky.

My question is, and i know quite a bit from watching the dog training programmes on sky, however want some more personal advice. Tess keeps barking at the gate when the house at the bottom go into their house, now my next door neighbour has a westie, and she had problems with these neighbours, as their kids were winding her dog up constantly and even tho her dog is friendly and normally really well behaved, one day, it must of snapped and now she has to keep her on a lead in her own garden as the police were called at the time... basically, i dont want them getting my dogs into any trouble for barking at the gate, they are friendly dogs, not vicious, just barking to protect their teratory i guess.. sparky just yaps/barks and darts to the gate and tess barks loud, but seems to growel also (which sounds viscious, even tho i know she isnt being) - how can i stop this, will just taking them straight in as soon as they bark and shutting the door work?

To be honest, its the yorkie who is harder i think to knock it into his head, as they are stubbern big dogs in little bodies!!

My other concern is similar, but in the house, everytime a guest comes, or for example the sky man this morning, they run and tess growels and sparky barks, and she looks quite scary, it shocked me (i think she is following suit from Sparky, as she never did this when we first got her) and even tho i always say to people, dont worry, she is friendly, just stroke her and she will be fine, and explain the situation, it must still be unnerving-would be to me! So how can i stop this, she also jumps up and goes mad for attention, so am trying to make her sit, stay calm, then allow her to go to the visiter... is this good?

Hope you can help, can only access this until 4pm today, as leave work and not got the internet set up at home yet... so hope you can help and im not being rude my not replying after that time until Tuesday when i can get back on...

also just to add, she also does it when we are out on our walks, she is fine with dogs, growels at first, then is fine, but grumbles at humans walking up to us or past us....

Anybody help? lol not sure if my post has been seen, but basically i have been calling them back in now if they bark or growel, and making them wait, also with the door, i am trying to make them both sit (collie is already trained, but yorkie proving hard task to teach this new trick!!) however when he finally does, ill be making them both sit at the door, and staying whilst people walk in and only stroking them on their terms... think that should work? this should also stop the jumping up too i hope anyway :-)

I hope someone comes up with a suggestion for you soon.  Is your gate a solid one or can the dogs/people see through it?  A solid gate might make you all feel a little more secure from unwanted kids putting their hands through etc and you'll know that neither dog could possibly bite anyone then.  I'm not suggesting your dogs would actually bite but you know what some vindictive people can be like.

sorry,im not much help,but there are some lovely people on here and im sure you l soon get some replies.good luck.

Sounds as though you have a 'guard dog' in your family
My boy does this too!
We have a lane behind the houses, with a back gate.
He just lets me know if there are people out there.
It's a pack thing! ok?
He's now 9 and a bit so I just call him in and say he's a 'good boy'  and thanks!
x