How to stop my dog from being aggressive to visitors and strangers?

Aggression toward people is a very complex and serious issue so I highly recommend speaking with a veterinary behaviorists near you. A veterinary behaviorist is a vet that specializes in behavior and they are able to work with you on both a training plan, as well as prescribe medications to help with stress or anxiety during training. Most behaviorists can utilize a program such as BAT (Behavioral Adjustment Training) that helps to desensitize your dog to triggers (such as men or the mailman), accept touch or calm handling, and help reduce overall stress and anxiety. They also work with you in person which can help ensure all training is done in a safe manner for both you and your dog. You can learn more about them here: https://www.dacvb.org/page/about

While you may think he "knows he shouldn't do it" that doesn't mean he actually does, or isn't still wanting to do it. It could be that the maid coming by is extremely stressful for him, or he has fear associated with it- especially if you scold him every time. In his mind, he may think maid comes over = I get yelled at, so he tries to shoo away the maid in the hopes he won't be yelled at or scolded. Speaking with a trainer or behaviorist about BAT (Behavioral Adjustment Training) is a good idea. This can help nervous or fearful dogs desensitize to certain stimulus through positive, gradual introductions, rather than forcing him into a fearful situation. Moving him to another room or outside until you can work with a trainer can also help and can keep your maid safe from being bitten if he's actively trying to bite her. Trying to make her coming by a positive experience instead of a fearful one may also help. When she comes by, have her toss him a treat and then ignore him, or give him a special Kong or toy filled with his favorite snacks, so that he begins to associate maid coming over = fun! instead. As aggression is a very complicated issue, I highly recommend working with a trainer or behaviorist in person so that they can observe and work with you to positively change Brownie's behavior. In the US you can find a list of nearby behaviorists here: http://www.dacvb.org/about/member-directory/

Hi there! When it comes to resource guarding of a specific location or area of the house, this is a fairly complex problem that can't really be addressed properly in this type of format. I would recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer who can evaluate her in person and help you put together a detailed plan to work on this behavior. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org or a qualified trainer here: www.ccpdt.org In the meantime, if she only shows this behavior with people she doesn't know, I would recommend separating her from visitors by putting her in a crate or another room with the door closed to avoid any further problems until you're able to get some in-person assistance.

Hello, and thanks for your question. It sounds like Tikka knows where "her" property is, and is feeling the need to protect it from strangers. This definitely needs to be addressed, as it can easily escalate to a bite if Tikka feels threatened by your visitors. Even though she's used to the men in your family, that doesn't necessarily extend to an understanding that "men in general" are ok - she knows who is in her family and who is not. She doesn't know that the visitors are your welcomed guests - she sees them as intruders and threats. You need to set up a boundary to protect your visitors and keep Tikka separated from them until she relaxes and realizes they are not a threat - and I highly recommend working with a trainer or veterinary behaviorist on this behavior. Some dogs who feel very protective are never able to relax and be trusted with strangers - in which case they just need to be kept separate for the duration of the visit. She may need a fence (or invisible fence) to keep her from approaching visitors as they arrive, and/or you may need to put her in another part of the house whenever you are expecting people. This is both to protect your visitors, AND to protect Tikka and help her by removing her from an interaction that is causing her stress. Your vet should be able to direct you to a veterinary behaviorist or reputable trainer in your area, and I would touch base with them immediately. This behavior should be addressed as early as possible. I hope this helps!

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.

Hello, and thanks for your question. Most “aggression” issues in dogs are ultimately based on fear to some degree, so I would suspect this is at least partially fear based. Maggie knows that your family is her “pack”, and she’s nervous of outsiders. Every time she barks/growls at others and they end up walking away, she may be reinforcing to herself that “hey - this works! I should keep scaring strangers away!” If this is a behavior you want to work on (and I would recommend it, before it escalates to biting a visitor or stranger on the street) I highly recommend recruiting the expertise of a professional. Ideally a veterinary behaviorist, but your primary vet may be able to direct you to trainers they recommend. Behavior concerns require a lot of time, effort, patience, and consistency, and it’s important to give Maggie the right response at the right moment, before she’s too worked up to be receptive to you. A professional can help you learn how to read these subtle signs before Maggie is completely overstimulated. Here’s a link on aggression that may be helpful to you. https://www.petcoach.co/article/aggression-due-to-dominance/ Hope this helps!

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