My dog gets aggressive on laps. How to stop barking & showing teeth?

While you may think he "knows he shouldn't do it" that doesn't mean he actually does, or isn't still wanting to do it. It could be that the maid coming by is extremely stressful for him, or he has fear associated with it- especially if you scold him every time. In his mind, he may think maid comes over = I get yelled at, so he tries to shoo away the maid in the hopes he won't be yelled at or scolded. Speaking with a trainer or behaviorist about BAT (Behavioral Adjustment Training) is a good idea. This can help nervous or fearful dogs desensitize to certain stimulus through positive, gradual introductions, rather than forcing him into a fearful situation. Moving him to another room or outside until you can work with a trainer can also help and can keep your maid safe from being bitten if he's actively trying to bite her. Trying to make her coming by a positive experience instead of a fearful one may also help. When she comes by, have her toss him a treat and then ignore him, or give him a special Kong or toy filled with his favorite snacks, so that he begins to associate maid coming over = fun! instead. As aggression is a very complicated issue, I highly recommend working with a trainer or behaviorist in person so that they can observe and work with you to positively change Brownie's behavior. In the US you can find a list of nearby behaviorists here: http://www.dacvb.org/about/member-directory/

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. It sounds as though Luna is showing some aggression when you try to assert dominance. I would recommend getting her leash on when she does this and make her perform some obedience commands for you such as sit, stay, down, etc. An obedience class would certainly help as well. She is trying to establish dominance over you. An obedience training class would certainly help. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Most puppies go through a stage where they become very mouthy and try and bite everything. This is a very different situation to an aggressive dog that is not being playful but is trying to inflict damage. I assume your dog is just being mouthy but if it is aggressive then you should contact a professional behaviourist asap. Mouthy puppies are best handled with consistency. When the pup bites firmly say no and put it on the floor and ignore it for a minute or 2. Resume play and repeat when the pup bites. Give the puppy plenty of toys which it can bite but never encourage it to see your hand as a toy.

Hi there. It's common for some dogs to show this behavior as a form of resource guarding - he doesn't like people approaching you, because he sees you as a very valuable resource. Much like a special toy, or a chew item that he really likes :) It's likely that this behavior is starting to show up now because he's an adolescent, getting close to social maturity. To stop this, you want to teach Luca that good things happen when people approach you, so there's no need to bark or growl. I would recommend keeping a container of tasty dog treats handy whenever you're sitting on the couch. When someone starts to approach you, toss a treat onto the floor - this effectively gets Luca off the couch and away from you, which usually stops the guarding behavior, and also teaches him to associate people approaching with getting a reward. If the problem persists or gets worse, I would recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate him in person and help you put together a more detailed plan to work on his aggressive behavior. You can search for one in your area here, if needed: www.dacvb.org

The answer very much depends on why he's aggressive (fear-based, territorial, play-based, etc) but my general recommendations are to stop ALL punishments, avoid anything that is causing aggression, and never allow him around children. Then you need to find a veterinary behaviorist to work with who can go over a detailed history and diagnosis and treat his issues. If you are unable to find a veterinary behaviorist, your vet may be able to start him on medications and talk about some behavior modification.

I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem with Champ! Unfortunately, aggression towards humans and other dogs is a complex behavior issue that can be caused by many different things. In most cases, it's related to stress or anxiety - treatment is usually based on trying to identify what situations trigger the aggression, then either avoiding them or teaching the dog to be more comfortable in these situations through reward-based training. It would be best for you to find someone who can work with you in person on this problem, so I would recommend asking your veterinarian if they can refer you to a good behaviorist or trainer in your area. Ideally, try to make sure that the trainer does not use any type of punishment - aggressive dogs should be handled with reward-based techniques only, as corrections tend to make this behavior worse over time.

This is a hard question to answer without really knowing what is going on. If Max is becoming aggressive, growling, snarling, attempting to bite, etc, then this is a very complex and worrisome issue that should be worked with by a professional in your area. A trainer coming by in person can help observe what is going on, and provide more tailored training plans to address the issue. If Max seems nervous when you approach, you can work on getting him more comfortable with you by tossing a favorite treat to him every time you approach. Over time, he'll start to associate you with with something positive (the treat) instead of something negative. If he does growl or become agitated, moving away and giving him some time to relax before trying again is best to avoid escalation of any behaviors. If he is acting aggressively toward other dogs, separating him if things get too rough or a fight breaks out, and then reintroducing both dogs again slowly can help. Removing items of contention such as toys, bedding, bones, etc can also help reduce the possibility of a fight over these items.