My new dog bites visitors. How can I stop his aggressive biting?

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/

Oh dear! If Yogy is becoming aggressive and trying to bite people when he meets them, he is telling you that he's not comfortable meeting strangers at this point. This is something that can often be improved over time, but it's important to go slowly - I would strongly recommend working with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer who can help you in person. The training plan will likely involve starting at a distance from strangers where Yogy is comfortable, and feeding him treats to help him associate good things with seeing new people. As long as he's doing well, you can gradually move closer over time until eventually, he may be comfortable saying hello to a stranger. It's very important not to put him in situations where he is afraid or uncomfortable, so I would stop trying to introduce him to strangers for now - this will only make things worse. It's also important not to punish him for showing aggression, since this will only make him more afraid and worsen the problem over time. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here (www.dacvb.org) or a qualified trainer here (www.ccpdt.org).

Aggression is a very complex issue that is a bit more to handle than the scope of questions on here! If Rocky is being aggressive toward people that come to visit, and is growling, attempting to bite them, etc, I highly recommend seeking out a trainer or animal behaviorist near you that can help. Usually, aggression and other issues where the dog is very reactive require the supervision of a professional to create a tailored training plan to help desensitize your dog to the trigger in a safe manner for both your dog and you and your guests. (Behavioral Adjustment Training, or BAT is one technique used.) In the meantime, separating Rocky from your guests if he does attempt to bite, or having your guests ignore him completely to prevent stressing him out further may help until you can see a trainer.

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! 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.

I am sorry to hear about Haku. This is concerning behavior and I would highly recommend talking to Haku's veterinarian about getting a referral to a veterinary behaviorist https://www.dacvb.org/search/custom.asp?id=4709 or a reliable trainer in your area if a behaviorist is not available. This is very concerning behavior and once a dog bites someone we need to be aggressive in our action taken to prevent future incidents. The change could be due to changes in his living situaiton making him uncomfortable, hormonal changes as he reaches sexual maturity and is not neutered, or we can see aggression if a dog is feeling unwell due to illness or pain.

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