My dog fights, guards food, and is aggressive with guests. What to do?

While neutering may be of some help if he is old enough for the surgery, there is no guarantee that it will solve your problem. This sounds more like an imbalance in the relationship between you and your dog. I would have him checked by the vet to be certain that this behavior is not being caused by a medical problem. If Blondi is physically healthy, you can ask for a referral to a behavior specialist (not just a dog trainer!). You are also welcome to click on the prompt to initiate a consult and I can be of assistance, though it is easier to work with the dog on site.

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/ .

I would be happy to help you - feel free to request a consultation if you want to discuss Koda's issues in more detail. For now, I can certainly give you some general information about food aggression and how to treat it :) Food aggression, like other types of resource guarding, occurs because the dog is afraid that you are going to take their food away from them. This doesn't have to be based on any negative experiences in the past - it's a hard-wired, instinctive behavior that is stronger in some dogs than others. Treatment is based on teaching the dog that good things happen when you approach his food bowl, so that over time, this doesn't make her feel threatened anymore. You can start by walking by her and dropping a treat into her food bowl while she is eating. Once she's comfortable with this, you can gradually work up to approaching her, picking up the bowl, adding a special treat of some kind, and giving it back. It's never recommended to punish this behavior, or to bother her or take away her bowl while she is eating, since this only reinforces the idea that bad things happen when you approach her and will make the problem worse over time. The book "Mine!" by Jean Donaldson gives an excellent overview of this issue, along with detailed step-by-step training instructions to address it.

As hard as it is, you must ignore bad behavior. To a dog, even negative attention is better than none, which is why scolding sometimes doesn't work. Put Tao on a leash when your friend comes over, and keep him close to you. Do not respond to the behavior in any way (warn your friend in advance that this is what you are doing). He may get worse before he gets better, as something that has always worked for him before is suddenly not working. Don't give in! This is actually a doog sign that he recognizes things are changing and he making a last-ditch effort to hang on to the old way. Always praise him if he is quiet, even for a moment or two. The same is true for begging and stealing your food. This must stop, no matter how much he begs or growls. Do not, ever, give in to that. What you describe are signs of a spoiled dog, and he needs to learn that he does not run the house. Good luck with this! If you need additional help, you can click on the prompt to start a consult, where we can discuss these problems at length.

I hate to hear this is happening. Unfortunately, it's impossible to know how best to advise you without being able to read the body language of the dogs. It's possible this is occurring because they are maturing. Both dogs also need to be spayed/neutered because this can help to decrease aggression. Intact dogs are much more likely to fight and have problems. Canine aggression is a complex behavior as it can stem from dominance, possessiveness, fear, anxiety, resource guarding or a combination. Most people are not familiar with reading canine body language and training. Because of this, I recommend to work with a professional trainer. 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.

Sorry to hear about your dog's aggressive behavior. This breed, among others, has a tendency to be protective and territorial aggressive towards people. The causes can be related to the blood line or as a result of environment. Best bet here is to consult with your local veterinarian on a plan to help alleviate the problem through behavioral modification and medical management through neutering. There are also specific medicines available to help deal with certain behavior problems. You might ask your veterinarian for a referral to a veterinary behavioralist in your area, who specializes in these kinds of problems. Together, I hope they can lend you some solid answers to this difficult but serious problem with your dog. Please feel free to reach out for a consult with me if you have further questions. All the best, Steve Popish, DVM.

I'm sorry that you're going through this difficult situation. You may be correct that Jett is territorial/resource guarding, or there may be other factors at play. He could also be anxious or fearful, leading to him acting “aggressive”. It is very important that you have Jett see a veterinarian to rule out medical causes, and to see if medical therapy is indicated for his behaviour. It is also essential to make sure he is up to date on his vaccinations, particularly his rabies vaccine, in the case of a bite. I recommend you seek the advice of a veterinary behaviorist to help curb this behavior. If left untreated, Jett and Sasha may end up in a fight, where one or both of them may be seriously injured, or worse. I’m not sure if you mean that he is barking and lunging or if he has actually tried to bite you or Sasha when you say he is aggressive, but it is important to curb his behaviour before he gets to that point. Please work with a veterinary behaviourist, or if that's not possible, a reputable dog trainer who uses positive reinforcement immediately. Hopefully he will improve with training and learn what is and is not acceptable behaviour. I would advise keeping him on a leash and away from other animals and people until you have the chance to work with a trainer or behaviourist. In the home I recommend using baby gates and dog crates to separate the dogs from each other, and alternating the areas in the home in which the dogs spend time so neither is left alone or one one side of the home for too long. The links below have some good information on how to introduce dogs to each other. If you decide to "reintroduce" them, you can try having Jett wear a basket muzzle (while supervised, of course) to help prevent injury. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=8677941 https://indoorpet.osu.edu/dogs/new_additions_dogs/dog-dog-intro Good luck, and I hope things get better soon!