My Cocker Spaniel is suddenly aggressive and biting. What can I do?

I'm sorry to hear that! Owner-directed aggression is a complex behavior issue that's difficult to address succinctly in this format. It would help to have more information about what kinds of situations cause her to snap or bite, as well as additional details about her personality overall, how she acts with family vs. visitors, etc. If you want to request a one-on-one consultation to discuss the situation in more depth, I would be glad to try and make more specific suggestions. If you prefer not to do that, I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist for an in-person evaluation of Fern - he/she can help you understand why this behavior is happening and set up a step-by-step treatment plan to help you address it. In general, I can tell you that treatment for this type of aggression issue is based on identifying triggers for the snapping and biting, and using positive reinforcement to change how Fern feels about these situations over time. Outside of training sessions where you are specifically working on the problem, it's important to avoid these situations as much as possible to avoid continuing to provoke the aggression and make things worse. Punishment of any kind is not recommended for this behavior, since this also tends to make things worse over time by making the dog more anxious and defensive.

Castration can help with aggressive behavior, and I would schedule that surgery with Murphy's vet. He also needs to see a professional behavioral expert. He is dog aggressive, and this is something that needs to be worked with as soon as possible before he really hurts another dog. He also has the potential to hurt another human being. I never recommend that owners work with aggressive dogs on their for their safety, so speak to your vet about a recommendation to a professional behavioral expert. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

I'm sorry to hear Cooper has been acting this way. If this behavior is sudden and new, a good first step is to schedule a visit with your veterinarian. In some cases, underlying pain or illness can cause a dog to change behavior and suddenly lash out when otherwise they were sweet or friendly. Your vet can help determine if this may be the case. If Cooper checks out healthy, I then recommend talking with a trainer or veterinary behaviorist in person as aggression toward people is a very complex and serious issue which requires professional help in person. You can learn more about veterinary behaviorists and find one in your area with this link: https://www.dacvb.org/page/about

I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem! If this has been a fairly sudden behavior change for Elsa, the first thing I would suggest would be to have her examined by a vet to see if there may be a medial reason for the aggression - many illnesses including thyroid problems and neurologic issues can cause sudden mood swings and behavior changes like this, as well as anything that may be painful such as an injury of some kind, arthritis, etc. If your vet determines that Elsa is healthy, then I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist as the next step. Aggression towards humans is a serious and complex behavior issue that needs to be handled by a professional who can work with your dog in person. The behaviorist will evaluate your dog and help you determine what is triggering the aggression, then put together a detailed training plan to work on the problem. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

Oh dear! That is a worry for sure! It's really important that you don't get hurt, because dog bites can be pretty serious. I would suggest making an appointment with your vet to talk about possibilities. They might be able to link you up with a behaviorist, or dog trainer that could help a lot. There also could be medications that might help. Or, like you said, there could be a medical problem that is upsetting him.

Hi there. It's unusual to see aggression issues suddenly start in a dog this age without any history of aggression, so I would be suspicious that Danny may have a medical problem causing this. He may be painful or uncomfortable for some reason, or may have a hormonal problem such as hypothyroidism or Cushing's disease causing him to be more irritable. I would recommend taking him to the vet for an exam and possibly lab work to see if an underlying cause can be found.

Biting aggressively is a serious concern and a very complicated thing to deal with. Leash aggression can sometimes manifest and be redirected toward the person putting on the leash, however if this suddenly happened out of the blue I'd be concerned. A good first step with any behavioral issues that comes on suddenly is to schedule a vet visit to rule out any issues such as pain or illness. Something wrong such as a slipped disk causing pain in the neck or shoulders may make having Griffy's collar or neck handled painful, causing him to bite. If he checks out healthy, talking with a trainer or behaviorist in person is a good next step. They can work with you on a plan to gradually reintroduce the leash to Griffy through positive experiences (such as giving a treat when you bring out the leash, gradually getting him used to it again, etc) and can observe in person what exactly is going on to better tailor the plan. A veterinary behaviorist can also work on both medical treatment and behavioral treatment at the same time to make things less stressful for both you and Griffy. If he is attempting to break the skin while you put the leash on, refraining from doing so until you've talked to a trainer or behaviorist in person is best. You can find a list of local behaviorists in your area by checking out this link: http://www.dacvb.org/about/member-directory/