[Vinniedoggy]

I went through this with my dog. He's very protective of me. One thing that helps when he gets into that protective mode is to move next to the person he is "protecting" me from. So, if he starts barking at a male friend (he hates men), I go stand next to the guy so that Vinnie is then barking at both of us. That really confuses him and he eventually just stops and walks away.