Why does my dog lunge at people on walks? Is it breed-related?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

• Answered By Menolly Cote, DVM, CVA

  Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

  Published on August 31st, 2017

  I'm sorry to hear of your problems with Bruno. Behavior issues can be very frustrating to deal with. It is possible that Bruno is still lunging at people when with you because he feels safer with you than when he is with the trainer. He feels like he has back-up if something scary happens so he feels more comfortable being proactive about keeping people away by acting scary. All dog breeds can exhibit this behavior though some breeds are more prone to fear based aggression such as this. Continuing to teach Bruno emotional control and calmness in quiet, non-stimulating situations such as your backyard or living room is a good place to start. Once he has mastered this behavior in safe environments, working with him in increasingly more difficult areas such as your front yard will allow him to improve his control. It is important to keep up with this work. It takes time, but is more than worth it in the end.

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

• Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

  Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

  Published on June 17th, 2019

  Hi there. It's often very possible to improve this behavior through training, but I would strongly recommend working with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer who can help you with this in person, as it's generally difficult to treat effectively on your own. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org or a qualified trainer here: www.ccpdt.org
  
  In the meantime, I would recommend walking Bruno in areas where you are likely to run into other people, and putting him in another room when you have visitors to keep him from continuing to practice the unwanted behavior, as this will only make it worse. When you do walk him, a Gentle Leader head halter would give you better control and make it easier to prevent lunging at pulling vs. using a regular collar.
  
  The trainer or behaviorist you work with can give you more specific instructions on how to change this behavior over time once you've met with them for an initial assessment.

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful