My dog attacks new puppy and strangers. Can her aggression be fixed?

Maggie may be acting protective, she could be anxious or fearful, leading to her acting aggressive, or she may be displaying territorial behaviour. It is very important that you seek the advice of a veterinary behaviorist to help curb this behavior. If left untreated, Maggie may learn to think it is ok to act this way towards humans and animals in general, and could then potentially bite and injure someone. Please work with a veterinary behaviourist immediately. Hopefully she will improve with training and learn what is and is not acceptable behaviour. I would advise keeping her on a leash and away from other animals and people until you have the chance to work with a behaviourist. If you do not see signs of improvement, see a veterinarian to rule out medical causes, and to see if medical therapy is indicated for her behaviour. It is also essential to make sure she is up to date on her vaccinations, particularly her rabies vaccine. Visit https://www.dacvb.org/ and www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/behavioral-help-your-pet for information on how to find behaviour help near you.

This behavior can be hard to correct especially since she is an adult. I would talk to your vet about getting her started on an anti-anxiety medicine like fluoxetine or trazadone. These will help to calm her nerves, but you will also need to start a training program. This would be best started with an behaviorist or dog trainer. This will be a long road and unfortunately, there is no easy fix. I hope this helps and she starts to improve.

Unfortunately aggression is a very complex topic and one not likely to be fixed without a trainer. Because it is multifactoral- Dobby’s temperament, your temperament, Dobby’s experiences, your experiences, the environment- your surest, fastest and safest bet is to work with a trainer or behaviorist. Basically, the trainer will watch you and Dobby’s, paying attention to how you react to each other and the environmental stimulus. The trainer will then work with both of you to modify both of your behaviors to meet a common goal. The humane society can often recommend a trainer/behaviorist. Otherwise go online and read ratings and reviews. There are several different training methods so you will need to find the one that works best for you and your pup. You should also pick up a book about canine behavior and training so that you can learn to read his body language. I hope this at least points you in the right direction. Please post again with any further questions.

Yes, all dogs can be trained. It's important to focus on daily exercise and training. Some dogs will have a very high exercise requirement and may require 1-2 hours a day. A tired dog is generally a better behaved dog. Also, you need to figure out if this is true aggression or simply mouthy play. Some dogs like to play rough and if they are not taught appropriate boundaries, they can accidentally hurt their humans. True aggression is more worrisome. Canine aggression is a complex behavior as it can stem from dominance, possessiveness, fear, anxiety, resource guarding or a combination. Most people are not familiar with reading canine body language and training. Because of this, I recommend to work with a professional trainer. Researching on your own will also be helpful. Familiarizing yourself with canine body language and dog training can help you to recognize what your pet is trying to say. You can find many books written on the topic and there is a trainer named Victoria Stilwell who I think is particularly helpful. Best of luck.

I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem with Champ! Unfortunately, aggression towards humans and other dogs is a complex behavior issue that can be caused by many different things. In most cases, it's related to stress or anxiety - treatment is usually based on trying to identify what situations trigger the aggression, then either avoiding them or teaching the dog to be more comfortable in these situations through reward-based training. It would be best for you to find someone who can work with you in person on this problem, so I would recommend asking your veterinarian if they can refer you to a good behaviorist or trainer in your area. Ideally, try to make sure that the trainer does not use any type of punishment - aggressive dogs should be handled with reward-based techniques only, as corrections tend to make this behavior worse over time.

Training is essential to control Brownie as much as possible and give him fixed and safe rules to avoid aggressive episodes. Reducing aggression would start from understanding what is the reason for these episodes first (so please try to define them better) and then addressing them. An example would be territorial aggression or aggression against other dogs or humans. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

The best place to get Lana used to new people and dogs in a controlled environment is at a dog obedience class, There will be an instructor to observe her interactions and help her work out her behavior issues, building confidence as the classes progress. (By the way, I have your National Dog . . . the Finnish Spitz!)