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My dog is suddenly aggressive to other dogs and resource guarding.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Female | spayed | 3 years and 11 months old | 67 lbs

I have a 4 year old Akita lab mix, she is super happy always and loves people and usually other dogs but since I moved to a different city she has started to be aggressive towards others dogs and has become a lot more food and toy aggressive to my 7 year old Rottweiler (her brother) whom she loves. She has always had a little food and toy aggression towards other dogs but it has increased drastically, so much that she has attacked my Rot a couple times (he never fights back). How to stop this?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Shaneez Wallani, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on March 5th, 2019

Please have Lady seen by a vet to help rule out a possible medical cause for her behaviour. If nothing is found to be physically wrong, seek the advice of a dog trainer who uses positive reinforcement techniques, or a veterinary behaviorist, to help curb this behavior. If left untreated, Lady may injure our other dog, a person or another animal. I would advise keeping her on a leash and away from other animals and people until you have the chance to work with a trainer or behaviourist, and keep her in a separate room from your other dog. You may need to muzzle her to prevent injury. Visit the following link for more information on dog behaviour issues.
http://www.dacvb.org/resources/for-the-public/ .

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Jessica Keay, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on October 2nd, 2017
I am sorry to hear about Lola! Many people assume a dog who acts scared or aggressive was previously abused, but actually the most common cause for this type of behavior is that she was not socialized appropriately when she was a young puppy- if dogs aren't exposed to certain situations when they are very young (such as being around men/a variety of people) then they can become fearful of these situations and can react by being aggressive due to their fear. I would recommend consulting your veterinarian to find out if there is a veterinary behaviorist or a trainer they recommend (be sure it is a trainer your vet recommends as not all dog trainers are created equal) . In the meantime, please ensure your dog is not around any children she doesn't know and is never left alone with children as we do not want to risk anyone being bitten!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Jessica Desrosiers
Veterinary Technician
Published on December 12th, 2016
Not every dog likes another, but they shouldn't immediately attack when coming into contact with another dog. Dogs can be aggressive for a number of reasons including territorial aggression, aggression over puppies, aggression over resources (including people), and communication mismatches.

While she's been with trainers, that doesn't mean she's been socialized properly. Many trainers are great at teaching the basics of obedience, but may not know how to handle aggression behaviors or socialization experiences. It would be in your dog's best interest to get into contact with a certified veterinary behaviorist who can work on behavioral modification in conjunction with health care and medication treatment to try and get her at least ignoring other dogs. In cases where aggression is bad, the end-goal is usually a dog that will ignore other pets on walks, rather than one that is at the park playing.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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