Selective Aggresion

by Sheila
(Zephyrhills, Fl)

I have a 3 year old male red nose pit mixed with a staffordshire terrier. He is my best friend, I got him when he was about 4-5 months old. He has never shown any aggression towards me, children, or my diabled mother and father but towards meeting new people, the vet, and my boyfriend.

The first time i took him to the vet as a pup was the first time i had ever heard of him being aggresive was when they gave him his rabies shot he growled and tried to bite them and ive had to keep him muzzled everytime i go back and the vet has to hold him down to do anything with him.

He has always gotten along well with kids and played with them and he has always been a big baby around me and my parents but when someone new comes over he snaps at them. I think he might be very jealous of my boyfriend because whenever he sees him he goes into a rage and starts barking and trying to bite him, that is the only person hes ever done that to. I have even tried muzzling him when he is around my boyfriend but he just goes into this rage and tried to claw him to death.

i dont really understand what the problem could be besides jealousy maybe? He snaps at people once in a while but i dont see any intentions to bite them like i do when he is around my boyfriend, its like hes a completly different dog. He is my best friend and nothing in the world would make me get rid of him no matter the opinions of other people. But its very difficult to keep him when he is acting this way. Any suggestions would be nice.

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Feb 13, 2014
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thank you
by: Sheila

thank you very much i think you hit it right on! i think that may be the problem as well thanks for your advice i appreciate it very much. I love my boy so much i would never dream of giving him up but that behavior has got to stop!

Feb 02, 2014
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Does the dog understand...
by: Adam G. Katz

Hi, Sheila:

You'll need to start by asking yourself two questions:

1. Does the dog understand that the dog aggression is unwanted behavior?

and

2. If he understands that he shouldn't be aggressive, then he's choosing to ignore me. In which case, you have a respect issue.

Get a prong collar and a six foot leather leash and learn how to correct your dog in a safe and humane manner. I can guarantee that you'll see an almost immediate, dramatic improvement. Check out DogProblems.com to learn more. (You can click on the banner, at right).

And finally: Employ the "Nothing In Life Is Free" approach, so that your dog starts to view you as the "pack leader." If your dog doesn't see you as the leader, then your corrections will be meaningless. So, if you're doing subtle things (inadvertently) to undermine your leadership role around the house-- it will be counter-productive.

Be sure to sign up for our free:

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All the best,
Adam

Adam G. Katz is the author of, "Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!" -- which you can find at DogProblems.com.

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