Aggression Q&As

I've enjoyed your web site immensely. It's an education. If I ever think about getting another dog, I'm going to read every book you recommend and then wait a year to make sure it's not temporary insanity. Perhaps you have a moment to answer a question. We have a 4 1/2 yr old male Lab/chow from the pound. We let a lot of people handle him when he was a puppy. Nonetheless, he is an ill-bred, fearful dog. He bites people and we think it's time to put him down. We've called two vets a...

I have a two year old mix -German shepard - terrier (we think) he was rescued from a garage at the age of about 3 months. We was somewhat malnourished, but was very friendly. My problem with this dog is aggression. He has attacked three times. First was by a friend who took his treasured stick from him. The friend was told not to take anything from this dog. Second was another friend who took a piece of pizza from the dog. He also was told not to. I have been working with a training school th...

I am desperate for some advice and found your web site very interesting and I am hoping you can give some guidance.... We got our dog at 8 weeks of age from a reputable local breeder. He is now 15 months old. He was socialized very well - loves kids and people in general. We were first time dog owners so at the vet's suggestions attended obedience school at 6 months (6 weeks). He was friendly with all participants in the class - both dogs and owners. The instructor of these classes...

My husband and I just had to have our 3 yr old English Springer Spaniel put to sleep. This was one of the hardest things that we have ever had to do, but for the safely of our grandchildren and other family members it was necessary. Our dog was purchased at 8 weeks old and was a loved member of our family. As a young puppy he displayed a fear of the dark that we could not comprehend. I have never had a dog that was afraid of the dark. He also would aggressively attack the vacuum cl...

I am a novice dog trainer (3yrs.) and have a client that has a dog who is very territorial and overprotective of her. Obviously, like in many other cases, the owner cannot give the dog the correction it needs to extinguish the behavior. I suggested an electric collar and she got one. My concern is this: I know that if the dog is at the height of its frenzy and gets a big correction, it will probably redirect at her. The dog cannot be muzzled at all times and I don't want them to get hurt but ...

I know you probably don't hear a lot about these dogs, but here goes: I purchased him from a private breeder (mother very sweet, siblings all looked fine-clean home, etc - husband and wife stays home with dogs. We brought him home and everything was fine. He would play bite was the only major thing I noticed in like the first month. About a month after we got him, some relatives came to stay for 6 weeks temporarily with us. They have 2 children, ages 2 and a half and 6. Both of the childre...

I am a Police Dog Handler and have recently picked up a new, black haired German Shepherd. He (Sam) came from a handler that recently left the dog section and is already trained in all aspects of Police work. He is a very hard and dominant dog. I have had him for 6 weeks and in this time I have been bitten by him on 2 occasions. The first was putting on the tracking harness, which got caught in his mouth. The bite put me off work for 10 days. The second time wa...

I am the owner of an 11-year old female Springer spaniel who we have had since she was 6 weeks. Approximately 2 years ago we bought another Springer male. Although the older Spaniel has always nipped, she has now become more aggressive. My daughter who is 24 was just hospitalized for an infected bite and I myself was out of work last year for a week from a bite from the older Spaniel. There have been several other bites in the last few years. We have been to a doggy psychiatrist and have ...

I have visited your web site, and found some very interesting book/videos/equipment, but I am not sure what knowledge/equipment I need to make my dog behave. Can you recommend some training equipment for me ? Here is my story: My problem is this- I have a Male Springer Spaniel who is NOT neutered, I am unable to muzzle him or clean his ears, or pick him up. He will bite if this is attempted. I want to get the dog neutered, but I am unable to get the muzzle on him in fear of being b...

Brutus, our 2 ? year old male mixed breed dog (he weighs about 30 lbs and looks somewhat like a coonhound) is quickly becoming a problem with his growling and snapping. He is neutered. If he is in bed or resting and someone comes up to pet him he may growl or snap. He has growled at me while I was sleeping with him for moving and or petting him. He is growling at my husband frequently for petting him while he is resting. Last night my husband walked into the bedroom where Brutus was sleep...

Below I have put my thoughts in email after reading your section on dominant dogs. I would appreciate your thoughts and ideas. I broke my comments into sections. My dominant dog: 1. Bedroom: My dog slept in the bedroom for first 6 months She is now 18 months and has been sleeping kenneled for the last 12 months downstairs away from master bedroom. She is not allowed to be in our bedroom. 2. Toys: She will 'drop' a toy if I command her to. She used to fight for it. This seems...

A friend of mine has a 2 year old cocker. He is a smart dog, but you can?t trust him. He growls and barks when someone comes to the office, has bitten the owner quite a few times and she has always been so good to him. He was never hit, so there hasn?t always been a lack of discipline. The dog hates other dogs and can't be trusted with kids - takes 4 sedatives and also wears a muzzle in order to be groomed by a groomer. Is there good training to shape this dog up with? He is a lovable dog mos...

We have a Lab dog around 18 months old. We had a problem with her being aggressive around her food dish so we contacted a trainer. He told us to put a pinch collar on the dog and correct her hard. The situation got worse. We then contacted another trainer who told us that we must take an obedience course (one on one) and teach the dog what we expect from it. He also stated that the first trainer should not be training dogs because the dog must know what no means first before we give a hard co...

I really hope you can answer my question, as I am very concerned about a potentially injurious situation involving my brother and wife's newborn baby and an alpha female German Shepherd (age 6). I've read through your site but didn't find anything that COMBINES dog aggression with people aggression. Does a dog aggressive dog imply a people aggressive dog? Do they distinguish between the two? Could there be a problem if a new baby is seen as a threat? What would make this happen? Please he...

A situation happened to me and my family a couple of weeks ago that has me puzzled about law enforcement. It started with my wife my, two children, and myself walking our 2 GSDs. We live in a small town and about 1 block from our house our neighbors 2 labs rushed us. They were both snarling with their hair raised up on their backs. We were on a public sidewalk and I grabbed my kids and put them behind myself and my big male GSD. My male did not growl or snarl and the hair never did raise ...

I have just perused your web site for the article on dog aggression and have a few questions that I wonder if you could answer. Some of the previously answered questions were close to mine, but they just did not seem to fit the situation exactly. I have a one year old female Germ. Shepherd. She appears perfectly calm around my girlfriend and myself. However, she raises her hair and growls at almost any dog she sees no matter the size. Other dogs cause her to tear into a frenzy. Also, she ...

I have 7 dogs. Two chows both females & 5 Keeshonden 1 is a female. The youngest Keeshond, 1.5 yrs. old, is going after the 2.5 yr. old male all the time. He goes after him if he picks up a toy, a treat or just for the heck of it. He does it going down the stairs & in & out the doors also. Last week he sat on the edge of the bed & stared at me with scary eyes. I wasn't quite sure how to handle this. I did the wrong thing I'm told to stare him down. He jumped off the bed & came to m...

I have read your web site carefully but I am still at a loss. My 3 yr. old male basset has been with us since he was 11-12 weeks old. His mother died giving birth and he and his litter mates were bottle fed. He was neutered at about 5 months. He is a wonderful, affectionate dog most of the time, but under certain circumstances he will attack. Usually the attack occurs when he is with me, is relaxing, and someone comes into the room. This could be any member of our family... he will growl, cha...

I have a 5 year old chow/sharpei-mix male dog. My wife and I enrolled him in a obedience school when he was 2 years because he bit someone in the hand. Since then he has bitten three people in the arm or the hand. These people have always been over at the house. He is now serving his third quarantine. We have decided to put him down, even though it is very hard. The trainer told us that maybe we can medicate the dog to eliminate the aggression. Have you heard of this med. and what do you think?

Hi my name is Lisa and I live in Brooklyn. I have an intense situation that I would like your feedback on. I currently living in a household with a dog that I am fearful of. Let me give you some history. About 9 years ago my then boyfriend (Joe) purchased a male/American pit bull terrier (Gus). For 11 months before he matured I would walk Gus, feed him to help Joe out and even bring Gus up to my house where he socialized with other people. One day my grandmother approached Gus as h...