My dog is aggressive towards my puppy and me. What should I do?

I'm sorry to hear that you're having this issues! It sounds like there are a few different things going on here with both dogs, which definitely makes the situation more complicated. From your description, I can't quite tell if your male dog's crate aggression issues are directed at the puppy only, or if this is more of a general problem and he also snarls and runs from the puppy at other times as well. This is important information to help determine what may be going on so that we can make suggestions. I'm not sure how old your new puppy is, but if she is younger than six months, aggression at this age is quite uncommon and very concerning. Possessive aggression (also called resource guarding) over owners is a relatively common problem that can often be successfully treated, but you would really need an expert who can help you in person. Particularly in a young puppy, a veterinary behaviorist would be your best bet to evaluate the pup and put together a detailed plan to start working on this problem ASAP. If you want to keep both dogs, this will definitely require some professional assistance and quite a bit of time and effort for training. I would recommend asking your veterinarian to refer you to a board-certified veterinary behaviorist for some hands-on guidance.

I personally would not recommend getting another dog for the house just yet. I'm quite concerned that Crosby is aggressive at the dog park and when you went to see a puppy. I would be very worried that he would attack a new puppy, causing it serious harm. The best thing to do is get him into a professional behavioral expert to work on his aggression. I never recommend owners try to deal with aggressive dogs on their own due to safety risks, it's best left to a professional. The professional can work with him and you on his aggression issues, and they can give their opinion as to whether or not another puppy would be safe in your home. Unfortunately some dogs are meant to be only dogs due to these issues, but certainly work with a trainer first before coming to that conclusion. You can ask your vet for a recommendation to one. I hope this helps!

I would speak to your vet about a referral to a professional behavioral expert for Savannah. I never recommend owners work with aggressive dogs on their own due to safety reasons. Having her seen by a professional behavioral expert is the best way to find out if this aggression can be controlled. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

I am very sorry to hear about your problems with Caleb. I would recommend discussing his problems with his regular veterinarian to determine if he is having hyper/playful behavior or true aggression. If he is exhibiting true aggression at this young age he needs to see a veterinary behaviorist ASAP because he is going to be a large dog and could be very dangerous. Your vet can guide you as far as where to find the veterinary behaviorist or if there is a special dog trainer in your area that may be helpful. Best of luck to you and Caleb.

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.

If your dog does not get along with other dogs it was probably a very bad idea (and a very stressful one) to bring a new puppy into the house. A new puppy can also be hard around a newborn as they aren't yet sure how to interact with each other. You can try to continue to get the two to get along by starting with limited introductions that are supervised, however if a fight breaks out the interaction should be stopped immediately and started again later. Never leave the two unsupervised together as even a good play sessions can cause accidental injury. You can also use baby gates as a way for the two to "meet" each other without being able to physically be together. If fights are continually breaking out, talking to a trainer or behaviorist that can observe within the home is best.

Yes it can be normal at this age, but you have to stop the behavior now or it will get worse as Capi gets older. Unfortunately, this is a serious problem - aggressive behavior like this (assuming it's true aggression and not rough play) is very abnormal in such a young puppy. To have the best chance of growing up to be relatively normal, puppies like this need early behavioral intervention from a professional. I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist as soon as possible for a in-person evaluation of your puppy. He/she can give you a much better idea of whether this issue is "fixable", in the sense of having a relatively normal dog when he grows up. They will also help you put together a step-by-step training plan to work on the problem, and give you very specific management instructions to make sure everyone stays safe. You can search for a behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org