Why is my dog aggressive with other dogs on leash and around food?

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear that Darby is having some problems around other dogs. I would advise that you get her enrolled in a good obedience class or work privately with a recommended dog trainer in your area. Sounds like she needs to be socialized towards other dogs and that would be a great starting point. The other possibility would be to take her to a recommended doggie day care center and let the staff evaluate her for possible inclusion in the day care. She would get introduced to other dogs and hopefully this would help when you encounter dogs while walking her. This doesn't sound like aggression to me. More of a curiosity and that she wants to play with the other dogs. I hope this helps and that Darby becomes better accustomed around other dogs.

Some of this may be curiosity and not knowing manners on how to act around new dogs. Some dogs have a different personality and manners on a leash vs. off a leash. She is young enough that seeking a trainer to help socialize her both on and off leash, in new settings, and around new and familiar animals will help her behavior. The more interactions at a young age, the better as long as they are controlled and the proper behavior rewarded

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! This is tough! He sure is cute! I recommend using the gentle leader head collar for better control and asking for sedatives like trazadone from your Vet. Do not take him to these places until you train him to look at you (with treats) in social situations. This will take some time. You may want to pay for private training lessons so you can focus on this one behavior. There is no instant fix but being proactive, like you are, is a good step! He is young still. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/petsafe-gentle-leader-dog-headcollar Good luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. This is undesired behavior and it is ideal to correct now while she is young and small. I would recommend leash training her and using treats as positive reinforcement for good behavior. If she stops biting you when you say "off" or "no" then you should reward her with a treat. Another training method is negative reinforcement. When she does the undesired behavior, a spray bottle filled with water is used to spritz her in the face while saying "off" or "no". If training is unsuccessful you might want to consider contacting a trainer for advice and for puppy training classes. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi there! Aggression issues in dogs can be really frustrating. One of my dogs sounds pretty similar to Sammi, so I sympathize. Many dogs that are showing signs of aggression are truly anxious and unable to control their emotions. Anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications can be used both long and short term to help them learn to process their emotions while in a calmer state. Commonly used drugs for this purpose are Prozac, Trazodone, and Gabapentin. I would recommend calling your vet and asking if they see behavior consultations or if they have any recommendations for a board certified veterinary behaviorist (someone who goes to three more years of school after vet school just to study behavior). I would also encourage you to use only trainers that focus on positive reinforcement learning. Fear tactic training can make aggressive dogs much worse. A good trainer can talk to you about helping your dog learn to focus on you during stressful situations and better their impulse control, to minimize these situations in the future. I hope this helps! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

This can be a problem that is difficult to stop. I recommend taking Sparx to obedience training so she learns to listen and obey you with other people and dogs present. Then if she knows the command sit I have treats and ask her to sit and take treats when other small dogs are around. You can say no, ask her to sit and reward her when she focuses on you and not the other dog and person. This will take time and patience, continued training, and usually this type of behavior can improve as they get older. Also often having her spayed will mellow out her personality as there are less hormone swings and usually less protective behavior. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Sparx.

I do not think it is anything you are specifically doing wrong. As dogs age they can have a change in personality but it is important to start training to turn this behavior around. IT sounds like she is scared and having some anxiety. I would recommend starting with basic commands like sit, stay and come. I also would recommend getting her in training classes so you can start to redirect her behavior. Once she starts feeling more confident it most likely will help with her behavior around other dogs. i hope that helps