My dog is overly friendly with strangers. How can I manage this?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Aggression like this is serious. Dogs reach their social/behavioral maturity around 2-3 years of age. This is when a dogs behavior can change. Since he wants to bite and attack I recommend a trainer or a veterinary behaviorist. They may want to start a behavioral modification drug while you start trainer. You will need to put in the effort and also make realistic expectations for how Pablo will be. He may never be a dog that strangers can walk up to and pet. You need to learn his triggers and learn to avoid situations where someone could be hurt or negative behaviors are initiated. I hope this helps and I wish you and Pablo the best!

Poor Milo! He is afraid for certain. Don't panic; this is a very common problem I see every day in practice. If you're willing to work at it, you can change his response to being afraid. It is never to late to help him be better socialized with new people. Please go to this fantastic veterinary behavior website www.dogstardaily.com for really great free techniques to get your dog over his fear of strangers. Hope that helps!

I would have Harley seen by a professional behavioral expert. Aggressive dogs can be very difficult and dangerous to work with, and I never recommend owners take their training upon themselves. There's too much of a risk the owner could be hurt, especially with a dog as large as him. The trainer can work with you and Harley on his aggressive behaviors. I would speak to your vet about a referral to a behavioral expert.

Oh dear! If Yogy is becoming aggressive and trying to bite people when he meets them, he is telling you that he's not comfortable meeting strangers at this point. This is something that can often be improved over time, but it's important to go slowly - I would strongly recommend working with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer who can help you in person. The training plan will likely involve starting at a distance from strangers where Yogy is comfortable, and feeding him treats to help him associate good things with seeing new people. As long as he's doing well, you can gradually move closer over time until eventually, he may be comfortable saying hello to a stranger. It's very important not to put him in situations where he is afraid or uncomfortable, so I would stop trying to introduce him to strangers for now - this will only make things worse. It's also important not to punish him for showing aggression, since this will only make him more afraid and worsen the problem over time. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here (www.dacvb.org) or a qualified trainer here (www.ccpdt.org).

Aggression toward people is a very serious and complicated topic, and one that should be worked with by a local animal behaviorist or trainer in person. It is best to work together to address the root cause behind the biting (fear, uncomfortable in new home, undersocialized, etc) and then work on a training plan together than can ensure both Okami and any visitors remain safe. In the meantime, moving Okami to another room and not having visitors approach, or just tossing a treat if they walk past where he is is best to avoid direct contact and anyone getting hurt. In the US, this site is useful for finding a certified behaviorist near you that can get you started on resolving the issue: http://www.dacvb.org/about/member-directory/

It is likely that he is being territorial and trying to gaurd the house. It is very diffucult to break such behavioural habits and to be honest he would need to be assessed in his home environment to understand exactly what his triggers are. Because this is such a serious issue in would recommend contacting a pet behaviour specialist asap to come to your house and work with him. In the mean time you may need to consider putting a humane Baskerville muzzle on him to protect your guests.

Aggression toward people is a very complex and serious issue so I highly recommend speaking with a veterinary behaviorists near you. A veterinary behaviorist is a vet that specializes in behavior and they are able to work with you on both a training plan, as well as prescribe medications to help with stress or anxiety during training. Most behaviorists can utilize a program such as BAT (Behavioral Adjustment Training) that helps to desensitize your dog to triggers (such as men or the mailman), accept touch or calm handling, and help reduce overall stress and anxiety. They also work with you in person which can help ensure all training is done in a safe manner for both you and your dog. You can learn more about them here: https://www.dacvb.org/page/about