Rescue dog bit a child when eating. What to do about fear aggression?

Oh no, I'm so sorry this happened! When dogs who are fearful, this can be a common reaction, as having a human lean over them can be scary and they react by biting. In the future, when giving Toby affection, get down onto his level first. I would recommend having him seen by a professional behavioral expert. This type of fear aggression may be improved with training, and because aggression is a dangerous behavior to work with, it's best left to the professionals. Your vet can give you a recommendation to one. I hope your friend's nose is ok!

Hi there! I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem with Buffy. It's not unusual for behavioral issues to take a few weeks to show up in a newly adopted dog - there is often a "honeymoon period" while they're still getting comfortable and adjusting to their new home, before these issues start to emerge. Aggression towards other dogs and humans is a complex behavioral issue that's difficult to address properly in a forum like this, but I can try to give you some general information that may be helpful. Treatment for aggression issues is generally based on identifying what situations tend to trigger the aggressive behavior - then either finding ways to avoid them, or working with the dog to teach her to respond differently using reward-based training techniques. If this is something you want to work on, I would recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Buffy in person and help you put together a detailed treatment plan to address her aggressive behavior. For now, if the aggression only happens with dogs and people she doesn't know, I would recommend keeping her separated from visitors for now until you are able to get a more detailed plan in place to work on the problem. 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

Aggression and fear are complicated. Some dogs can make some progress with appropriate guidance and consistency. For such guidance you will need to work with a trainer or a behaviorist. They must show you how to read his body language and how to respond in a fashion to modify their behavior. Certainly you can read many books about training and canine behavior as it is all helpful but likely you will still need professional assistance. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Oh dear! This is potentially a very dangerous situation for your cat, so I would definitely recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist if you want to keep both pets - he/she can evaluate your dog in person to help determine the level of risk involved, and will put together a detailed training plan to work on the problem. Generally, treatment for this problem would involve rewarding the dog for calm behavior around the cat, while also managing the situation carefully to ensure that there are no injuries - this may mean that the dog needs to be on-leash at all times around the cat, or they should be separated using a baby gate or some other physical barrier during training sessions until things are calmer. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem with Alfie! Owner-directed aggression is a complex behavior issue that really needs in-person guidance. In general, I can tell you that treatment for this problem typically involves identifying situations that tend to trigger the aggression - then either finding ways to avoid them, or working with Alfie to teach him to be more comfortable with these situations so that he doesn't feel the need to bite. All training should be positive and reward-based, as punishment often makes things worse over time and greatly increases the risk of being bitten. I would recommend asking your vet for referral to a board-certified veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Alfie in person, and help you put together a detailed plan to work on his aggression issues.

Desensitization and counterconditioning Desensitization is the process of taking a fearful stimulus and slowly exposing your dog to it. You have to start slowly and gradually increase the amount of stimulus that your dog is exposed to, until she is no longer responding negatively to the stimulus. Counterconditioning should be used in conjunction with desensitization. This is the process of pairing the fearful stimulus with a reward, such as praise or a treat. Your dog thus begins to associate the previously feared stimulus with positive emotions. An Example of Desensitization and Counterconditioning: Dog Afraid of Men In a spacious, neutral environment, like a park or large fenced yard, start with a man at a distance from your leashed dog where she does not cower, growl, try to run away or otherwise appear fearful. Make sure you have a good amount of high value treats to work with, which may be hot dog pieces, cheese, etc. Small treats given fairly constantly with proper behavior are a great tool. Adjustments to distance from the stimulus should be gradual and paired with constant treating while the proper behavior (i.e. lack of fearful behavior as described above) is maintained. Your dog may reach a point where she feels threatened and may display signs of fear toward the man, possibly even aggression. If this occurs, expand the distance and repeat the process. This technique can be adjusted and applied to most situations that cause your dog to be fearful. Conclusion Keep in mind that this is a process and will take some time. Have reasonable expectations of your dog and what is acceptable behavior within your family unit. Each fear will likely have to be addressed separately and may never be abolished completely. And as with any training exercise, it should be fun and a great way for you and your dog to bond! Adding obedience training or agility classes may make the process smoother and ultimately more enjoyable for everyone involved. For further information and help, especially with working with specific triggers, please contact your veterinarian.