My dog is aggressive to guests at home. Sweet at vet. What to do?

Oh wow, that is tough. It sounds like Chester is being protective of his home. I never recommend owners work with aggressive dogs on their own due to safety reasons. I would speak to his vet for a referral to a professional behavior expert to deal with this behavior. I hope this helps.

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.

Hi there! I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem with Hanna. Most aggression towards strangers in the situations you describe are a result of fear and anxiety - Hanna may not be comfortable around people she doesn't know, and barks and growls to try and get them to go away. Treatment for this problem is based on teaching her to associate good things (usually treats) with seeing new people, along with making sure that she always has plenty of space and is never forced to interact if she doesn't want to. A basket muzzle can certainly be used to help keep everyone safe, if needed, but it shouldn't be used to put her in uncomfortable situations. Aggression issues in dogs are complex and can be difficult to work on safely without help, so I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can work with you in person. He/she can evaluate Hanna to help determine what is causing her aggressive behavior, and will help you put together a detailed training plan to work on the problem. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

Hi there, sorry to hear of your situation. It sounds a lot like Dakota had become very anxious and most likely dead aggressive due to a bad experience that she had before. This is actually quite common, escpeically amongst several female animals. My best advice if you are a guest here is to completely separate your pet from the others for the duration of the stay-for the safety of all pets involved. Most issues like this require lengthy training and re-programming to decrease fear and anxiety in your pet. She is also older and will likely take longer. Depending on the length of your stay-it will probably not be possible to do the necessary re-training whilst you are there. There are medications to lessen anxiety for a short time-but would require a visit to your local vet for an exam and likely blood work to make sure they medications would be safe for Dakota to take. If this persists and you are interested in a behavior consult, please let me know and I'd be happy to help if and when you have the time.

Hello, and thanks for your question. It sounds like Tikka knows where "her" property is, and is feeling the need to protect it from strangers. This definitely needs to be addressed, as it can easily escalate to a bite if Tikka feels threatened by your visitors. Even though she's used to the men in your family, that doesn't necessarily extend to an understanding that "men in general" are ok - she knows who is in her family and who is not. She doesn't know that the visitors are your welcomed guests - she sees them as intruders and threats. You need to set up a boundary to protect your visitors and keep Tikka separated from them until she relaxes and realizes they are not a threat - and I highly recommend working with a trainer or veterinary behaviorist on this behavior. Some dogs who feel very protective are never able to relax and be trusted with strangers - in which case they just need to be kept separate for the duration of the visit. She may need a fence (or invisible fence) to keep her from approaching visitors as they arrive, and/or you may need to put her in another part of the house whenever you are expecting people. This is both to protect your visitors, AND to protect Tikka and help her by removing her from an interaction that is causing her stress. Your vet should be able to direct you to a veterinary behaviorist or reputable trainer in your area, and I would touch base with them immediately. This behavior should be addressed as early as possible. I hope this helps!

Canine aggression is a complex behavior as it can stem from dominance, possessiveness, fear, anxiety, resource guarding or a combination. Aggression towards people is serious. It can result in injuries to humans and can end in euthanasia for the dog. I recommend to work with a professional trainer and get this problem solved quickly. Roscoe should also be neutered. It may not stop the aggression but intact males are proven to be more aggressive than neutered males. 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. Best of luck.

It is likely that he is being territorial and trying to gaurd the house. It is very diffucult to break such behavioural habits and to be honest he would need to be assessed in his home environment to understand exactly what his triggers are. Because this is such a serious issue in would recommend contacting a pet behaviour specialist asap to come to your house and work with him. In the mean time you may need to consider putting a humane Baskerville muzzle on him to protect your guests.