My dog is aggressive, food protective, and unneutered. What to do?

If this is a new behavior, have him checked by the vet to rule out any medical cause. If he is physically healthy, he needs some serious obedience training. He will need to learn to be respectful of your other dog's food and guests in your home. It sounds as if he may have been the king of the hill, but now he needs to have his place in the household redefined. I can help with this, but it is not an issue that can be resolved in a few sentences here. You can click on the prompt to initiate a consult, where we can discuss this at length.

This is a very dangerous situation and depending on the trigger for the aggresion neutering may or may not help. I would not recommend this without an individual visit from a certified behaviorist to explore the triggers and patterns of behavior. Please ensure he is not unsupervised, particularly around children until he can be fully assessed

Sorry to hear about your dog's aggressive behavior. This breed, among others, has a tendency to be protective and territorial aggressive towards people. The causes can be related to the blood line or as a result of environment. Best bet here is to consult with your local veterinarian on a plan to help alleviate the problem through behavioral modification and medical management through neutering. There are also specific medicines available to help deal with certain behavior problems. You might ask your veterinarian for a referral to a veterinary behavioralist in your area, who specializes in these kinds of problems. Together, I hope they can lend you some solid answers to this difficult but serious problem with your dog. Please feel free to reach out for a consult with me if you have further questions. All the best, Steve Popish, DVM.

First, neutering Freckles can help. I do recommend having that done. Then I would put him in with a professional behavioral expert for training. I never recommend owners work on aggressive issues by themselves due to safety issues. Your vet can make a referral to one for you. Best of luck.

Hi, it is a tricky and difficult situation. First neutering is not advisable at this stage as it could make the situation precipitate further. My advice is to seek help from a professional before the issues become established and get too difficult to tackle. The best person would be a certified behaviourist to whom your vet can refer you to. I know, I wish I could give you clear instructions on the forum and that everything could get better. The reality is you need someone on the ball, someone who goes through a lot of details and information about your pets and home and people in the household and formulate a personalised plan to tackle this issue. They are going to be there to support you along the way, and trust me it will be worthy ! Please don’t let this slip out of your hand, you can’t do everything on your own. I have witnessed several exasperated owners coming in on Sundays asking to have their pets euthanised because they could not cope with constantly having to monitor them or to keep them separated, there are options out there. It takes some work and commitment but they will pay back, in the interest of everyone involved. Thank you very much for reaching out and let us know how you get on !

Canine aggression is a complex behavior as it can stem from dominance, possessiveness, fear, anxiety, resource guarding or a combination. Most people are not familiar with reading canine body language and training. Because of this, I recommend to work with a professional trainer. Researching on your own will also be helpful. Familiarizing yourself with canine body language and dog training can help you to recognize what your pet is trying to say. You can find many books written on the topic and there is a trainer named Victoria Stilwell who I think is particularly helpful. Certainly male dogs who are not neutered are more prone to fighting and aggression. Neutering him may help but it will not likely solve all the problems. Best of luck.

Neutering Bruce would be the first step. I would also speak to his vet about getting him into professional behavioral training. I never recommend owners work with aggressive dogs on their own due to safety issues. I would be fearful for you and your children as well, and do not allow him alone with them for now.