How to train my aggressive, barking, jumping dog without a trainer?

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.

Increased exercise can help. Walking (not running in a park or yard) for at least 30 minutes twice a day (some dogs need much more), doing basic training to give her mental stimulation, using puzzle toys to feed her meals, and scheduling 10 minutes of cuddling/grooming time a day can all help. You can also check out some general pet behavior books - Decoding Your Dog and anything from Sophia Yin are some of my favorites. If you're not having success on your own, i recommended getting a positive reenforcement only trainer or a veterinary behaviorist to help you out. Good luck!

I am afraid that unless Murphy is properly assessed and trained, he is a bomb waiting to go off and very likely will hurt someone. I suggest you make an appointment with your vet to have him examined in order to rule out any physical or health reasons that feed his aggression. Then get a recommendation for a veterinary behavior specialist (or you can find one here: https://www.dacvb.org/ ) and have Murphy assessed and then the behaviorist will work with you to alleviate the aggression, and the urinating issue (which is likely a dominance issue). It is best to deal with this while he is a puppy.

Hi there Yes, neutering will help alot. Aggression and wild behavior can be linked to testosterone. Keep in mind that after his neuter it could take 60 days for the hormones to clear his system. I would start there and also get some help from a trainer to manage his behavior which a dog trainer or behaviorist can help with. Neutering will help a lot but you also need some tools to manage him. Best wishes to you and Damon and thanks for using Pet Coach.

Hi there! Aggression issues in dogs can be really frustrating. One of my dogs sounds pretty similar to Sammi, so I sympathize. Many dogs that are showing signs of aggression are truly anxious and unable to control their emotions. Anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications can be used both long and short term to help them learn to process their emotions while in a calmer state. Commonly used drugs for this purpose are Prozac, Trazodone, and Gabapentin. I would recommend calling your vet and asking if they see behavior consultations or if they have any recommendations for a board certified veterinary behaviorist (someone who goes to three more years of school after vet school just to study behavior). I would also encourage you to use only trainers that focus on positive reinforcement learning. Fear tactic training can make aggressive dogs much worse. A good trainer can talk to you about helping your dog learn to focus on you during stressful situations and better their impulse control, to minimize these situations in the future. I hope this helps! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

This is really tricky. Many training groups offer classes for Reactive Dogs that can help. Make sure they use positive only training, no force or punishments. The basic steps to working on this are minimizing chances for an encounter, teaching him a behavior that is incompatible with going nuts (such as watching you and eating a treat), and then SLOWLY SLOWLY SLOWLY introducing him to other dogs (you really need a good trainer to help with this portion, you have to go so slow it's painful). I would recommend not allowing him to be outside by himself so that you can remove him if he starts to bark - you may even need to keep a leash on him so you can easily get him and calmly go inside. In short, this is a common and real, but very hard to resolve issue, so I'd encourage you to find an amazing trainer or even have a consultation with a veterinary behaviorist.

Aggression is complicated because it can be playful aggression, dominance, possessive or anxiety. Unless you are very familiar with canine behavior, training and body language, this is a situation that requires a dog trainer. The trainer will watch Trevor’s behavior and then will teach you how to modify your behavior to change his. You should also get a few books about dog behavior and training so that you can learn how to recognize the body language as this will help. Neutering Trevor can also help to decrease unwanted behavior. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.