My Rottweiler is scared of the vet. How can I help her anxiety?

Poor Rocky! I'm sorry to hear that he has this problem. To get a veterinary check-up, I would recommend calling your vet to discuss your concerns and make a plan for how to have him seen safely. This may involve having you train him to wear a muzzle at home, so that you can put this on before he arrives at the veterinary clinic. The veterinarian may prescribe some anti-anxiety medication for you to give prior to coming in, and he may also need injectable sedation once he arrives at the clinic so that he can be handled safely. For the future, I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can help you put together a detailed training plan to work on his aggressive behavior. Most aggression towards strangers is fear-based, so this normally includes using positive reinforcement (food rewards, etc.) to help the dog learn to be more comfortable with the things that scare him. Punishment-based training (prong or choke collars, shock collars, etc.) are NEVER recommended for the treatment of aggression issues, as this does not address the underlying problem and has a high risk of making the aggression worse over time. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org or ask your regular veterinarian where the nearest one is located.

Unfortunately, it's relatively common for behavior issues like this to develop between 1 and 2 years of age - this is the period when dogs reach social maturity. Often, they may have been fearful or nervous about many things when they were puppies, but don't start to act out aggressively until they are a bit older. Aggressive behavior in a large dog like this can be a serious problem, and is best treated by a professional who can work with you and Molly in person. I would recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate her and put together a treatment plan to work on the problem. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist here: www.dacvb.org In the meantime, I would recommend keeping her away from people and dogs as much as possible for safety reasons, and to avoid making the problem worse. Treatment for this problem is generally based on teaching the dog to associate good things (such as treats) with seeing people or other dogs, starting at a distance where they are comfortable and gradually working close from there. The behaviorist can help you with this, since it can be hard to do on your own! Punishment of any kind for this behavior (including verbal scolding, leash corrections, shock collar corrections, etc.) is not recommended, as it tends to make the dog more fearful and has a high risk of worsening the aggression over time.

I strongly recommend that you have your dog examined by a vet since she is considered an old dog and very heavy and therefore could be suffering from painful arthritis which in turn may make her aggressive. If pain is the culprit, then NSAIDs given regularly will help control that pain and the aggression may stop. I would be worried that she will hurt your other pets and ultimately the humans in the house (not just your brother). Best keep her separated from the cats until you take her to the vet.

I strongly recommend you consult with a professional, in-home dog trainer. You need a trainer to come to your house and see the behavior and how you are reacting to the situation. This is your best bet. Aggression problems need special care and it is not recommended that you try to correct this on your own. You may give him the wrong signals and make him worse. Especially with his breed combination and size, you need to do this right. I like this company Bark Busters. It appears as though they have a trainer in your area. I suggest you call them. I'm pretty sure the initial consult is free. ( https://www.barkbusters.com/dog-training-baltimore-northeast )

First, be careful that Rolo does not lash out and hurt you. It does not mean she doesn't like you. It means she is very stressed. There are two things you can do: 1) Call her vet and get a sedative for her. Long term, this would not be a bad idea. When you know storms are coming, you give this two her before they hit so that she does not get so worked up. 2) try to distract her. If she will let you, take her for a hard walk or a game of fetch until she is tired. A dog who is physically tired has less energy for anxiety. Then try to bring her inside and play classical music to drown out the sounds. Classical music has been shown to calm pets down. Other ways you may be able to refocus her attention include a training session or a longer lasting food treat like a Kong toy stuffed with Peanut Butter (make sure Xylitol is not found in the ingredients). They do make recordings of scary sounds for dogs. Look online. The idea is that you play it as background noise. Every few days you gradually increase the sound. The idea is that it desensitizes the brain to the noise. This may also help long term. A thunder jacket for dogs can also help some pets immensely. I hope this helps to point you in the right direction. Please feel free to post any further questions!

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!

Poor Sadie! Behavior problems like this are quite complex, so I can't really give you a good "easy" solution over the internet. Since this has been going on for quite a while and sounds fairly severe, I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Sadie in person and help you put together a detailed plan to work on her behavior issues. You can search for one in your area here: www.dacvb.org