My small dog is aggressive towards other dogs. Can she be socialized?

I would speak to your vet about a referral to a professional behavioral expert for Savannah. I never recommend owners work with aggressive dogs on their own due to safety reasons. Having her seen by a professional behavioral expert is the best way to find out if this aggression can be controlled. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Maisy may not have been properly socialized around other dogs, and if she isn't a confident dog, she will react with fear around other dogs. Unfortunately, fear in dogs can come out as aggression, so it would be a good idea to start socializing her now to prevent this from happening. You can speak to your vet about getting her enrolled with a behavioral expert to work on this behavior. The expert can introduce her to other dogs in a safe situation, working on socialization skills, and teaching her that she does not have to be afraid of them.

It sounds like Suzy is dog aggressive, and I would speak to your vet about a referral to a professional behavior expert. I never recommend owners try to train aggressive behaviors on their own because it can be dangerous and the owner can get hurt. This is something that is best left to the professionals. It is definitely something that needs to be worked on immediately with a trainer, as she could hurt another dog or get very hurt herself if she goes after a big dog. Give your vet a call today or first thing in the morning to discuss professional behavioral experts in your area. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Dog aggression is relatively common and while there are training techniques to reduce dog aggression it can be difficult. If you can identify certain triggers: i.e. if she is only aggressive when she is at home, or when she is on a leash, it can be easier to work on training her to 'ignore' other dogs or desensitization. I would recommend seeing a behaviorist - your veterinarian would likely be able to recommend someone in your area. Until you are able to work on some training I would recommend avoiding contact with other dogs so that there are no injuries.

Hi there! I'm afraid this is a really broad question for us to try and address in a forum like this :) Growling and showing teeth indicates that Penelope is uncomfortable or afraid when she's around other people and dogs, so there's no simple or easy treatment for this issue. In many cases, it is possible to help these dogs become more comfortable with people and animals over time, but you really need a professional who can work with you in person in order to do this safely without risking making things worse. I would recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer in your area who can evaluate her in person and help you put together a detailed plan to help her. You can search for a veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org or a qualified trainer here: www.ccpdt.org

Poor Panda! Unfortunately she had a very traumatizing event during a very crucial period of socialization in her life. I would not consider her a waste of money. She could be fearful reactive (I have one of these) that acts so aggressive to try to scare everyone away because she is scared to death. I don't like training at dog parks. The dogs are not controlled and it is likely to end up with her having another bad experience. Not everyone understands dog to dog behavior, so there can be fights at dog parks. I would NOT recommend a shock collar. Her response is most likely fear, and we should not punish fear. Imagine if you fell off a roller coaster (major injuries but survived) when you were a young child, would you want to ride a roller coaster again? I am sorry that you have not have luck with trainers. First, you might need to reconsider what you want Panda to do. Do you want her to go for walks where she might see another dog? Or are you wanting a dog to go to dog parks and play dates etc? I think that with a good positive reinforcement trainer coupled with a veterinarian who might prescribe a medication to ease her anxiety that you can successfully train Panda to go for walks etc. I think that we just need to help reduce her fear and create positive situations for her. It will take time and you will need to be patient with her. Thanks for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I'm sorry to hear that your dog is having this problem! Behavior issues like this are quite complex, and often very difficult to handle successfully on your own if you don't have any training experience. And particularly with an aggression problem, it may not be safe to attempt to work on this without professional assistance. If at all possible, I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate your dog in person and help you put together a detailed plan to work on the problem. Although the initial visit may be somewhat expensive, in many cases owners are able to stay in contact with the behaviorist via phone or email about how things are going without the need for repeated in-person sessions - which cuts down tremendously on the long-term cost vs. working with a trainer every week. The behaviorist may also recommend medication or other adjunct treatment options that could be helpful in addition to the training plan. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist here: www.dacvb.org If your dog is mainly aggressive to other dogs when she sees them on-leash (the most common form of this problem, in my experience), I would also suggest the short book "Feisty Fido" by PhD behaviorist Patricia McConnell - it has very sound, useful advice for dealing with this issue that may help to get you started.