My dog bites strangers who pet him. How to manage his aggression?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry you are experiencing this with Bongo, but this is a serious matter. He is not even a year old and what you are describing is very worrisome. A veterinary Behaviorist is the best thing for you and Bongo as you will get the best outcome. Just having him on Prozac is not enough, you need to work and train him daily. Biting your owner, even TRYING to, is unacceptable behavior. I don't think it is territorial aggression that is causing him to not want to go in his sleep area. It could be fear or not wanting to do what you ask. I would suggest, for your safety that you lure him in the sleep area with a special toy, treat, or Kong stuffed with food. Or attach his leash and walk him in to the room after his final walk of the night. If these things do not work, place a basket muzzle on him before forcing him in the room and then remove it. Bongo is not an easy behavior case and there is no easy fix. A behaviorist is your best option so you can manage his behavior in a safe way. I wish you the best!

If Bruno is aggressive he needs to be confined to the backyard or be walked on a leash. I would get a trainer to work with him and help with the aggression. This is a concern since you are liable if he bites someone. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The best thing is to have Rafiki seen by a Veterinary behaviorist. Biting people is serious and an unacceptable behavior. Depending on where you live and who he bites he could be reported as an "aggressive" dog and the SPCA monitors these animals. Be sure he is up to date on his rabies vaccine. In the meantime he should be walked outside with a basket muzzle and he should be crated or put in a separate room when people are over. And he should never be around children. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Bruno. When a puppy shows aggression, I immediately advise neutering him to remove the male hormone-driven behaviors. I would advise taking him to your veterinarian for their opinion also. He may have some medical reason for his sudden onset of aggression. Your vet can gather a history, perform an exam and then offer a diagnostic/treatment plan based on their findings. Possible tests include fecal/blood/urine tests and x-rays to look for underlying medical problems that could cause aggression. If a behavioral problem is suspected, then neutering, behavior modification, and drug therapy can be tried. I wish you good luck with Bruno

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. My advice is to get professional help sooner rather than later. This type of behavior is often due to anxiety. I would strongly recommend talking to your vet about anti-anxiety/ behavior modification medication which can make a huge difference! Once the medication is on board, the fear-threshold is lowered, and learning can occur. At that point, working with a reputable trainer in your area is a must. Best wishes to you and Cooper.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Mickey. Sounds like you have tried almost about everything. Unfortunately, some dogs never make good pets due to underlying problems that lead to bad behaviors. I would advise working one on one with a certified canine behaviorist or trainer and placing Mickey on a drug trial. There are many drugs to try to affect his abnormal behavior while working with a trainer to modify his behavior. I would advise taking him to your vet. Your vet can gather a history, perform an exam and then advise you on any diagnostics/treatments that they feel is appropriate. Some bad behaviors could be caused or made worse by medical problems so ruling them out is important. A minimum database would be fecal/blood/urine tests and possibly some imaging studies such as x-ray. Once a medical problem is ruled out, a sound treatment plan can be implemented with drugs and effective training. Good luck with Mickey.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry you are going through this. To be brutally honest, this is NOT acceptable behavior from a pet. Regardless of his previous back ground, biting is serious and indicates a serious behavioral problem. Some breeds are more anxious (sadly both husky's and German Shepherds are in that group) and that can lead to aggressiveness. Also dogs reach their social/behavioral maturity around 2-3 years of age. You need professional help if you want to keep this dog and not have an injury happen to you or someone else. He is a liability at this point. I recommend a boarded veterinary behaviorist. Your Vet will likely know ones near you. I wish you the best!