Does your dog have a split personality?

Does it sometimes seem like your dog is Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde? Are you never sure how your dog will react in certain situations as sometimes things are fine and others they act totally opposite? Is your dog "great at home" but different when out of the house?  

These alternate behaviours can make it seem like your dog has two (or more) different personalities and can make it difficult for us as dog owners to predict how our dogs will react at any given time. 

I have worked with many dogs who act completely differently when at home compared to when out on a walk and I can't count the number of times I've heard from dog owners that their dog "doesn't do this at home!"

I will explain some of the reasons why dogs can seem so different in different when out compared to when at home.

This is Tess a blue heeler that showed extreme aggressive behaviour when in her home and turned timid when outside the gate. These photo's show her general body language in the back yard vs. outside the front gate.