My horse is aggressive, kicking and biting. How can I handle him safely?

Hello. Your colt may allow you to touch him, but he may already consider you either a threat or a playmate. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference. Foals are incredibly capable of learning & being trained, even within the first weeks after birth. I do not see a halter on him, so this is the first thing you need to do. He needs handling several times a day, learning especially to walk quietly with you. Carry a crop or whip & use it only defensively if he strikes at you. The earlier training begins in the life of a horse, the more effective it will be, providing it is done properly. Always keep an eye on this guy & expect him to take shots at you. Use your voice & the crop if he looks like he is up to mischief because he is not too young to learn that you are the boss. Horses learn by reinforcement, so be consistent & he will learn. I've been kicked by a few foals in my life, too. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Oh dear! That is a worry for sure! It's really important that you don't get hurt, because dog bites can be pretty serious. I would suggest making an appointment with your vet to talk about possibilities. They might be able to link you up with a behaviorist, or dog trainer that could help a lot. There also could be medications that might help. Or, like you said, there could be a medical problem that is upsetting him.

Oh dear! This is potentially a very dangerous situation for your cat, so I would definitely recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist if you want to keep both pets - he/she can evaluate your dog in person to help determine the level of risk involved, and will put together a detailed training plan to work on the problem. Generally, treatment for this problem would involve rewarding the dog for calm behavior around the cat, while also managing the situation carefully to ensure that there are no injuries - this may mean that the dog needs to be on-leash at all times around the cat, or they should be separated using a baby gate or some other physical barrier during training sessions until things are calmer. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

Hi there! I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem with Buffy. It's not unusual for behavioral issues to take a few weeks to show up in a newly adopted dog - there is often a "honeymoon period" while they're still getting comfortable and adjusting to their new home, before these issues start to emerge. Aggression towards other dogs and humans is a complex behavioral issue that's difficult to address properly in a forum like this, but I can try to give you some general information that may be helpful. Treatment for aggression issues is generally based on identifying what situations tend to trigger the aggressive behavior - then either finding ways to avoid them, or working with the dog to teach her to respond differently using reward-based training techniques. If this is something you want to work on, I would recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Buffy in person and help you put together a detailed treatment plan to address her aggressive behavior. For now, if the aggression only happens with dogs and people she doesn't know, I would recommend keeping her separated from visitors for now until you are able to get a more detailed plan in place to work on the problem. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

Poor Rocky! I'm sorry to hear that he has this problem. To get a veterinary check-up, I would recommend calling your vet to discuss your concerns and make a plan for how to have him seen safely. This may involve having you train him to wear a muzzle at home, so that you can put this on before he arrives at the veterinary clinic. The veterinarian may prescribe some anti-anxiety medication for you to give prior to coming in, and he may also need injectable sedation once he arrives at the clinic so that he can be handled safely. For the future, I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can help you put together a detailed training plan to work on his aggressive behavior. Most aggression towards strangers is fear-based, so this normally includes using positive reinforcement (food rewards, etc.) to help the dog learn to be more comfortable with the things that scare him. Punishment-based training (prong or choke collars, shock collars, etc.) are NEVER recommended for the treatment of aggression issues, as this does not address the underlying problem and has a high risk of making the aggression worse over time. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org or ask your regular veterinarian where the nearest one is located.

I can certainly understand being worried about your daughter's safety around an aggressive dog. She is not safe around him, as he could hurt her greatly, and I would speak to your parents's about your concerns over his aggression. Make a list of incidences where he has shown aggression (documented behavior) as proof of his aggression. If they still won't listen to reason, then I would consider finding alternative childcare while you are at work. If they do listen to your and your concerns, then I would take to them about having their dog start in training with a professional behavior expert ASAP. I never recommend owners try to train an aggressive dog due to safety issues, it should only be left to a professional. Their vet can give them a recommendation to one. Another thing to consider is if he isn't neutered. That can contribute to aggression, and he should be neutered as well.

Oh dear, Zed is really quite aggressive! Aggression is very dangerous behavior to work with it, and it's best left to a professional. I would speak to your vet about a referral to a professional behavioral expert, who can work with him on his aggression. I never recommend having an owner train an aggressive dog themselves due to the danger. If Zed isn't neutered, I would have him neutered as soon as possible, as that may help decrease any aggressive behaviors that are hormonally related.