Why does my dog bark and pull at other dogs? Is it aggression or play?

It's likely that Darby is frustrated about not being able to get somewhere that she wants to go - you can help this problem by calling her name and encouraging her to go in a different direction, and rewarding with a treat when she follows you. Biting and mouthing is very normal behavior for a puppy this age - this is how puppies explore the world, and how they instinctively want to play. Make sure that she has a variety of different toys to provide an appropriate outlet for this behavior - long floppy rope or fleece toys for tugging, plush toys for biting and carrying, and smaller toys or balls for chasing and fetching. She should also have lots of different things to lay and chew on, such as bully sticks, rawhide chews, cow or pig ears, and puzzle toys such as a Kong stuffed with peanut butter. She will grow out of this behavior on her own as she gets older, but in the meantime, just redirect her to one of her own toys and use that to play with her instead. If she continues to get overly excited and try to bite, give her something to chew on (such as one of the options I mentioned above) to encourage her to settle down and relax for a while.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I agree with you, the discipline has not been handled correctly. There are other, better ways to discipline a dog but at this time it is going to be difficult to correct without a professional trainer. Does she have fear aggression? I don't know because I have not witnessed the behavior myself so I can't say for sure. You need a professional dog trainer to come to your house and see the dog's behavior and how the dog interacts with everyone in the house. Only then can they make recommendations on how to correct the problem. Sometimes you need to work concurrently with a veterinarian as behavior modification medications may be needed in the beginning of the re-training. I'm sorry I do not know where you are located so I can't really recommend a trainer. I suggest you call your vet for a recommendation. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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!

Hazel is adorable! As she is such a big dog and young I recommend you take her to a group obedience class. Then she can learn to behave with you on a leash with other people and dogs around. An experienced dog trainer can help you work with her to have her pay attention to you and ignore other dogs. As she is large and could hurt someone or another dog I would not take her to the dog park at this time. Also when walking make sure you use a no pull harness or pinch collar so you have control. I take many tasty treats and ask her to sit and look at you to get a treat when there are other dogs in the area. Offering her another behavior that you can reward is more effective instead of always saying no or correcting her. I'm sure you want a well socialized companion so please look into some dog training classes in your area. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Hazel.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Usually these behaviors can be corrected but this usually requires in person training by a qualified dog trainer. I recommend you consider contacting a qualified dog trainer to work with you in person. Good luck and have a good day!

Penny is adorable! I suggest getting her into an obedience class or consulting with a trainer. She may be feeling protective of you, which is a good thing, but she needs to learn how and when to be protective. Obedience training is a great first step. Ask your veterinarian if they offer or know of obedience classes, call pet stores like PetsMart or Petco and ask who they recommend.

Hello, and thanks for your question. Most “aggression” issues in dogs are ultimately based on fear to some degree, so I would suspect this is at least partially fear based. Maggie knows that your family is her “pack”, and she’s nervous of outsiders. Every time she barks/growls at others and they end up walking away, she may be reinforcing to herself that “hey - this works! I should keep scaring strangers away!” If this is a behavior you want to work on (and I would recommend it, before it escalates to biting a visitor or stranger on the street) I highly recommend recruiting the expertise of a professional. Ideally a veterinary behaviorist, but your primary vet may be able to direct you to trainers they recommend. Behavior concerns require a lot of time, effort, patience, and consistency, and it’s important to give Maggie the right response at the right moment, before she’s too worked up to be receptive to you. A professional can help you learn how to read these subtle signs before Maggie is completely overstimulated. Here’s a link on aggression that may be helpful to you. https://www.petcoach.co/article/aggression-due-to-dominance/ Hope this helps!