DEAR JOAN: We are having trouble with our rat terrier-Chihuahua mix. Literally days before the pandemic stopped the entire world, we adopted our dog.

The two main reasons we adopted GiGi LaRue is because she was such a sweet, friendly, 6-pound ball of cuteness, and we wanted a dog from the SPCA. She was perfect, only about 2 years old and already spayed. She even does a little dance in circles when it is time to eat.

We wanted a dog that would be a 50/50, meaning that she would love both myself and my other half, which she did. From the start she was in my lap then his lap. When we are together on the couch, she will lie with him, then with me. I feed her her meals, he feeds her her snacks, plus he sneaks in a few later in the evening. When we are in bed, she will be very excited and want him to pet her.

The problem is if I am in bed before him, which is almost always the case, when my boyfriend comes in the bedroom GiGi LaRue starts barking her head off at him. She comes flying across the bed in full-on aggressive protection mode. When she gets to the edge of the bed, she dead stops and is all happy to see him.

She also does it if I am sitting on the sofa and he comes over to me. She is very aggressive, but once he gets closer, she stops.

Can you give me some suggestions how to stop this behavior? I feel bad for my boyfriend because he really does love her.

Deborah, Watsonville

DEAR DEBORAH: I’m not sure that the behavior you describe is aggression. It sounds more like she is very happy to see him and that joy is showing itself in exuberant barking.

Dogs that are trying to protect their human would, generally speaking, show more aggression the closer the interloper gets. There might be snarling and biting. But Gigi LaRue — love that name, by the way — shows immediate affection for your boyfriend when he gets closer to her and you.

There are several reasons that dogs bark. Sometimes that barking can be a sign of aggression, and other times it’s a sign of happiness or greeting.

We sort of have to read the other end of the dog in determining what’s what. Excited barking is often accompanied by tail wagging, jumping and wiggling. Aggressive barking can be marked by the hackles on the neck standing up, the teeth might be bared, the ears might flatten, and the dog might assume a slightly crouched position.

Because Gigi LaRue so loves your boyfriend, as witnessed by her other behaviors, it doesn’t seem likely that she would be acting aggressively toward him in these other circumstances.

You might, however, want to take her to the vet to have her eyes checked. If she’s barking aggressively when he enters a room, she might not be able to see who exactly is approaching, triggering a defensive posture.

If the barking is bothersome, keep your car keys handy and the moment she starts, jingle them to get her attention. Tell her to be quiet, and when she is, reward her with a treat.

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