My dog is suddenly aggressive towards my child. What can I do?

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

I am sorry you experienced this. It must have been scary. Maybe he felt he was protecting your kids? Either way it is not ok. There is no way to ever guarantee that it won’t happen again. I would recommend that he always be on leash in those situations so he is under your control. As well as a basket muzzle is a good safe guard against injury. They look dramatic, but it also keeps other people and their dogs from approaching you on a walk which is probably a good thing. Also training with a behaviorist is probably a good idea. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem with Brutus! Owner-directed aggression is a complex behavior problem that can be quite serious, especially in such a large dog. This is a more complicated issue than we can really address in this type of forum, so I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Brutus in person and help you put together a detailed treatment plan to work on the problem. This will likely include management recommendations, training exercises to work on, and possibly medication if the behaviorist feels that this would be helpful for him. In general, I can tell you that treatment for this problem normally involves identifying what situations tend to trigger the aggression (verbal corrections, collar grabs, and disturbing the dog while resting are all very common triggers), and either finding ways to avoid them, or working with Brutus to teach him to be more comfortable in these situations so that he doesn't feel the need to snarl or bite. Punishment of any kind is not recommended for this problem, as it is likely to make the issue worse over time and will greatly increase the risk of a bite. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

Hi there. The situation you describe would be a common trigger for a bite. I would recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate your dog in person to help determine the degree of risk going forward, and help you put together a training plan to work on the problem. In the meantime, no one should be allowed to bother him or approach him when he has a bone or other valuable resource. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

I can certainly understand being worried about your daughter's safety around an aggressive dog. She is not safe around him, as he could hurt her greatly, and I would speak to your parents's about your concerns over his aggression. Make a list of incidences where he has shown aggression (documented behavior) as proof of his aggression. If they still won't listen to reason, then I would consider finding alternative childcare while you are at work. If they do listen to your and your concerns, then I would take to them about having their dog start in training with a professional behavior expert ASAP. I never recommend owners try to train an aggressive dog due to safety issues, it should only be left to a professional. Their vet can give them a recommendation to one. Another thing to consider is if he isn't neutered. That can contribute to aggression, and he should be neutered as well.

Hi there. Possessive aggression (also called resource guarding) is often very treatable with a good behavior modification plan, but I'm afraid it's a bit beyond the scope of what we can help you with in an online forum like this. I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Ruby in person and help you put together a detailed plan to work on the problem. In the meantime, do your best to avoid any situations that may provoke the aggressive behavior. This may also mean keeping her separated from the other pets in the household to keep everyone safe until you're able to meet with a professional who can help. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org