Aggression Q&As

I got Patton from a breeder when she was 11 weeks old and she was delightful - friendly to all. She went to stores with me and played at the dog park. She would go to manhattan and stay with my daughter and son in law and I would visit and she was the same - went into restaurants, stores, etc. When she turned 8 months old and was spayed, the world changed. She became very aggressive to all strangers - and she despises children. (She is fine with dogs off the leash still.) We have a very g...

I have question on whether the pup I have may be at risk of being a fear biter. The dog is a five-month-old Shar Pei male, that we have had since he was 16 weeks. The mother was outgoing, father was more standoffish, but friendly to strangers at the dog show with the owner present. The pup was/is shy, and it has taken about 6 weeks since he has been with us to approach us with a wagging tale, but still reluctant to be petting on the head and neck (backs off), but more agreeable for pets u...

I purchased a cocker spaniel for my three children this past Christmas. I read many articles about socializing, selecting the right dog, and training. I typed in family pet on the Internet and found cocker spaniel. I had many conversations with the breeder and asked all the recommended questions. He was black and tan with white markings. Everyone who saw him wanted to pet him and told us how beautiful he was. My children have been asking for a dog for a long time (10 year-old and twin 9 year-...

The problem in a nutshell is aggression towards people. I need to decide how to try to handle it, or return the dog to the breeder. About a month ago my wife and I adopted a 2 year old female bouvier. She is the 3rd bouvier we have owned, all from the same breeder, all adopted as adults. This dog was originally in a home with 3 other bouviers, and reportedly had developed aggression towards the other dogs which is why the original owner gave her up. She reportedly had never exhibit...

Dear Ed, Our family is in a terrible position and we have a very difficult decision to make. We have a 5 year old Wheaton terrier, Reilly, that is a sweet and very loving dog with our family. We have 5 children ranging from 9-19 and she has been incredibly docile with them. She was the tiny one in her litter and very scared of her siblings. In retrospect we should have known that this could become a problem. She has a very weak stomach and requires special food. We tried to board h...

Hello Mr. Frawley, I recently read your article on the web and found it very informative. I used to own a Polish Tatra and as you may know, are natural and determined guard dogs. I cannot tell you how much I miss that in an animal that offers that kind of relationship. It can be wonderful. I am writing you because I had a question about some information on your site. My wife and I have a male Great Dane/St. Bernard mix that will be 7 months on January 16th. You mentioned on ...

I have a Australian Shepard/Rottweiler mix dog, he was born without his right eye. I picked up from the pound because the previous owners other dogs were too aggressive towards him. I was married when I got him and my ex-husband was not very nice to him, I never saw him hit Jack but Jack would stay down stairs until I got home. Shortly after my husband left me Jack started nipping at peoples ankles. He would sneak up behind them nip and run with his tail between his legs. When I'm not hom...

Dear Mr. Frawley: Today I killed my dog. Abby, our sweet, bicolor GSD, lived with us for six of her eight years. I adopted her from the Humane Society. The worker there later told me Abby had been seized during a raid at a dog fighting ring. They'd tried to use her as a guard dog. They also had bred her continuously and used her pups as bait. It took her two years to learn to wag her tail. She craved attention, and I was her person of choice. Our other GSD, Griffon, d...

Sir I just recently acquired a great dane dalmatian mix. He is 9 months old and he weighs about 67 pounds. He is a very sweet dog, he likes kids and he adores me. I could do anything to my dog and he wouldn't even bat an eye lash. However, I picked him up from the pound and I believe that he either was abused by a male or he has never been around them. He wags his tail at every kid and female but he starts barking and acts like he wants to bite every guy that walks into the house o...

Hi Mr. Frawley, I could write all day, but I have made so many mistakes, that I just need some help to get me started on the right road. I have 2 dogs for 8-yr 11 yrs and blind. 1-Golden mix for 1 1/2 years that I took as so shy, couldn't be adopted. She has become a member of the family....very slow. Even now, I am trying to get a collar on her, much less in a crate. It took 4 weeks to get her to come all of the way into the house. She is 5 years old I took in 2 females Dob...

Hello Mr. Frawley, I read through your questions and answers on fear aggression but still had some questions; I hope you do not mind that I am e-mailing you. You are doubtless busy, but I would appreciate a reply if you have the time. My family purchased a Kuvasz puppy, our first, about four months ago, and she is now six months old. This female, named Sapphire, seems to be very territorial inside the house and in our backyard, which is somewhat normal for the breed, except ...

Ed, My family just recently got a 1 1/2 year old Sharpie/Retriever. He knows me very well because I'm home all day and we are constantly together, but now he is very protective with me. He will not let me out of his sight and is always keeping guard of the house. Now he tends to bark at my father who also lives with me but is gone most of the day, he doesn't like it when dad comes near me and always stands between us. He has never tried to bite or charge, if he thinks that dad is g...

I found some useful information on your site re fear biters. Our Aussi is 8 years old and has always been fearful of loud noises, thunder storms etc., she is also very territorial of her house and car. That said if a person with a dog comes to visit she is very accepting, if they come without a dog she barks, and will try to nip ankles and on several occasions when people have tried to calm her she has nipped an arm. Lately she has been going under our bed and won't come out even for treats a...

Dear Ed, One month ago my husband and I adopted a spayed female 13 year old husky/shepard mix named Cassie. We adopted her from a rescue society who pulled her from a high kill shelter. In her foster home where she was for 5 days, she co-existed with 2 other dogs and 2 young children. She has been cleared by our Vet of any physical problems other than cataracts and some arthritis. After 2 weeks of being with us she clearly bonded and now is showing signs of fear aggression. ...

I have a three year old male doberman that is a fear biter. Not only that but he has always exhibited crazy behaviors. I love him to death but he is making life difficult. First of all he cries all the time and if he isn't he's barking. He hasn't been properly socialized. I thought that it meant that I didn't socialize him but from reading the different messages on your site I realize that the people we bought him from didn't socialize him. We have always had the crying prob...

Dear Ed, We got a 4 year old Great Dane/Boxer cross a year ago from a lady who rescued him from the SPCA. She and her 7 year old son had him for about two weeks. She claims the Dane attacked her dog, but we feel it wasn't an attack but probably just some barking, etc. As a result, she felt she had to give up the Dane. We took the Dane from her last year. The first two weeks we had him, he was around two small children in our home, without incident. Since then we have noticed...

Dear Sir, Last year we had to put our beloved German Shepherd female down. She was 11 and had cancer. I bought her when she was a 9 week old puppy and trained her myself. She always came when I called and the only 2 problems I was never able to correct, due to lack of knowledge on my part and her personality, were to "go" where I wanted her to go and separation anxiety. Right after we put her to sleep, I bought another female German Shepherd. My first was American this one w...

Hi. I am not sure if this is the right format to ask you a question, but...it is all I see on your web site. If you might be able to help, please read on. If not, could you pass this on to the correct person (if there is such a person). My husband and I have read quite a bit of your information about aggressive dogs, and we are faced with a dilemma with our own dog. Boomerang, a neutered two-year old Australian Shepherd, appears to be "territorial" but also exhibits a few of...

Hi I came across your web site while looking for information on prong collars. I actually have a question for you, if you have the time to answer it sometime it would be greatly appreciated. I will give you a little overview on her first and I do apologize if I ramble I am at work and writing this between calls so I keep losing my train of thought. I have a 5 month old american pit bull terrier named Loki. Sweetest dog and VERY obedient. I got her when she was 3 months old. The breeder ...

Hi Ed, First, I want to thank you for having such a wonderful site. I have read it frequently and learned a great deal. It is the first place I go when I have a question. I just read your section on Q&A on Fear Biters, and either I missed it or it did not address the situation I have. I have an 11-month old AKC male Rottweiler named Roark. We got Roark from my brother 2.5 months ago, just before my brother committed suicide. While I know that Roark was never mistreated, he d...