Help! My adopted dog bites and barks at the vet. What should I do?

I am sorry to hear about your dog. I would recommend asking your veterinarian if there is a veterinary behaviorist near you, or consulting https://www.dacvb.org/search/custom.asp?id=4709 to find a veterinary behaviorist who may be able to help you. These vets are specially trained in behavior issues of this type and may use a combination of specialized training/behavior modification as well as medications if deemed necessary.

Good question, and I commend you for seeking the input from a behaviorist to help Barney! The main thing for you to do in the meantime is to protect him from those situations that are fearful to him. From the brief description, it sounds like you should avoid having him meet new people for now, especially men, which might mean not taking him out in as many different environments, and if new people come to the house he should be put somewhere quiet and comfortable where he can relax (probably in a familiar bedroom). The more he is in those situations that he perceives as fearful and allowed to go through his fear response, the more of a habit it becomes for him - and it will make it more challenging for you to correct the problem once the behaviorist is on board. I know it's frustrating because it sounds like you are dedicated to working on this with him - but I think it's worth protecting him in this way until you have input from the expert to help guide you. Hope this helps - good luck!

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

Aggression toward people is a very complex and serious issue so I highly recommend speaking with a veterinary behaviorists near you. A veterinary behaviorist is a vet that specializes in behavior and they are able to work with you on both a training plan, as well as prescribe medications to help with stress or anxiety during training. Most behaviorists can utilize a program such as BAT (Behavioral Adjustment Training) that helps to desensitize your dog to triggers (such as men or the mailman), accept touch or calm handling, and help reduce overall stress and anxiety. They also work with you in person which can help ensure all training is done in a safe manner for both you and your dog. You can learn more about them here: https://www.dacvb.org/page/about

Poor Bandit! It does sound like he's very fearful of new people - this is a fairly common problem in dogs, and can be due to genetics, inadequate socialization as a puppy, and/or negative experiences with strangers in the past. The good news is, most dogs with this problem are able to improve tremendously with some help from a professional. I would recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Bandit in person and help you put together a detailed treatment plan for him - this would normally include management recommendations to help keep him from being put in situations that are overwhelming for him, a training plan to teach him to associate new people with good things (usually treats!), and possibly also medication depending on the severity of his anxiety. It can be very challenging to try and do this on your own if you don't have any experience working on this problem, so I would definitely recommend having a behaviorist help you - especially since he does sometimes try to bite. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

Frankie is adorable! Thank you for posting pictures. Unfortunately, dogs can act differently in different situations. He may have been good with other dogs in a shelter or rescue situation, but doesn't do well on a leash or in a car for example. Since it sounds like the behavior is not showing any signs of improvement, I think it's time for a trainer to help you. If Frankie was adopted from a shelter or rescue, I would contact them to ask for a recommendation for a trainer. They may even have a trainer that has worked with Frankie. If they do not have a recommendation for you, I would recommend asking your vet for a recommendation for a trainer. It will be important for a trainer to see how Frankie reacts to other dogs in order to help you change that behavior. Behavioral problems can take a while to resolve, but Frankie is young, and it will certainly be worth it to resolve this problem before it gets any worse. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Dog aggression is relatively common and while there are training techniques to reduce dog aggression it can be difficult. If you can identify certain triggers: i.e. if she is only aggressive when she is at home, or when she is on a leash, it can be easier to work on training her to 'ignore' other dogs or desensitization. I would recommend seeing a behaviorist - your veterinarian would likely be able to recommend someone in your area. Until you are able to work on some training I would recommend avoiding contact with other dogs so that there are no injuries.