I have an 11 week old pup and she’s growled at a couple people. I posted this on another dog forum I frequent and I was told my dog is fear aggressive. Any advice?

Hi there!

I am a stay at home mom to two young daughters, and mom/sister to my younger brother. I am also happily married to my husband for 5 years now. We deicded that we were ready for a dog. Boy, was I wrong. Lol. I am writing because I have a few concerns with our new pup, Roxy. Roxy has been a good dog. I have been doing lots of research on how I can make life most enjoyable for the both of us. She has done well with potty training, basic obedience, etc. I just found your site tonight, and tomorrow I will start implementing all of the things I have been reading about. I have NOT been my dogs pack leader, and that will change. As soon as I can, I will order the DVD pack. However, in the meantime, I have a few questions I would like set straight that I haven't quite been able to answer myself by reading your articles.

Roxy has growled at a few people. The first instance was my mother. She came to drop something off at my house, my mom approached Roxy (who was half asleep laying on my chest as I was reading about how to train her lol), and Roxy began to growl. My mom moved her hand away, and I knew enough to verbally correct Roxy. A firm "no," and the growlling ceased. However, when my mom moved her hand back in, Roxy again growled. This time when my mom moved her hand back, she began barking. A little shocked, I corrected her, and left it be. I wasn't sure how exactly to finish handling the situation and didn't want to cause more harm than good. So, I rushed to the pitbull forum I have been frequenting, posted, and a member responded by telling me that she felt Roxy had temperment issues. That she had fear aggression, and that this is a big problem. She mentioned a few techniques to get Roxy to "like" my visitors. At the time it was an isolated incident. Roxy usually greets visitors with a happy, eagar demeanor.

The second instance was with a neighborhood kid that ran up to pet Roxy. She came from around the corner, encountered my brother walking Roxy to use the restroom, and ran up to pet her. The moment she went to pet Roxy, she responded with a growl. My brother told her not to pet the dog, and continued on their walk.

So, my real question is, is this member on the forum correct? Is this a temperment issue with Roxy? Will this continue on, and will this become a larger problem regardless of training? After reading some groundwork articles on your site, I feel that Roxy growled because she felt that she needed to defend herself because her pack leader wasn't doing it for her. I failed to let her know that I was in charge, I failed to let the person know not to touch my dog. This was me, not Roxy. This is not necessarily a tempterment issue that can't be fixed with more proper socialization (which we ARE working on, however, I feel like my hands are a little tied because of the fact that her shots aren't complete yet), and me becoming the pack lead I am supposed to be.

I appreciate your time and your advice. I look forward to hearing your reply.

Thank you so much,
Amber