My dog is aggressive towards men. Do I need a behavior expert?

If you would like to keep Max, I strongly urge you to get him into a professional behavioral expert to work on his aggression. German Shepherds are very strong willed dogs, and need extensive training. Do not allow him alone at all with your chihuahuas for their safety. I would not pass him onto another family without training first, as if he's this aggressive with his possessions, I would be quite concerned this aggression could be directed toward a child that may try to touch one of his toys. Speak to his vet now about a referral to a professional behavioral expert.

I strongly recommend you consult with a professional, in-home dog trainer. You need a trainer to come to your house so they can see the behavior and the interaction of all the family members with Max. This is your best bet. Aggression problems need special care and it is not recommended that you try to correct this on your own. You may give him the wrong signals and make him worse. Especially with his breed you need to do this correctly and since his life start was not good that plays into his issues. This is a situation that definitely needs professional intervention. I suggest you call your vet to get a referral for a trainer or do an online search for trainers in your area. Best wishes.

You need to get him into a professional behavior expert for training. Aggression is very serious, and Bodie could hurt you. Do not deal with this on your own, it's not safe. Speak to his vet to get a referral to a behavioral expert as soon as possible. For your safety, keep him away from other people for now as much as you can. Best of luck.

Oh no, that's not good that Ziggy bit your friend's dog. I would immediately get him into a professional behavioral expert, which can be recommended by your vet. I never recommend that owners work with their dog's on their aggressive behavior due to safely issues. It's best left to the professionals. The behavioral expert can help identify what triggered your dog to be aggressive, and work with him on preventing it from occurring again. I would keep Ziggy separated from your friend's dog for now to be safe.

Poor Mina! I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem. It sounds like you've been doing some good things to try and help her with her reactivity and aggression issues - but unfortunately, sometimes this behavior can be very hard to get a handle on without professional help. At this point, since things are getting worse in spite of your training class, I would recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist. He/she can evaluate Mina in person and put together a more detailed treatment plan to address her issues. The behaviorist should be able to help you trouble-shoot why your training is not always working as well as you would like, and may also recommend medication as part of her overall plan. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

I would speak to your vet about a referral to a professional behavioral expert for Dexter. Aggression is a very dangerous behavior to work with in dogs, and it's best left up to an expert due to safety reasons. I never recommend owners try to train this behavior on their own due to this, and good on you for wanting to correct this behavior! Getting Dexter into a professional behavior expert is the best option for fixing this behavior.

Hi! Sounds like Max really needs to see someone. What we usually do at our clinic is this: as long as a pet comes in with a well fitted muzzle, we can usually help. Max will need to be sedated, to be treated. So, call ahead to your vet clinic, and let them know that Max needs help. They are under no obligation to treat him if he is truly dangerous. But, if he is able to wear a muzzle, that should be a big help to the staff.