I have a boxer who is pretty aggressive. It all started around when he was 4 months old when he was roughed up by a off leash pit bull at the park (my boxer was on leash but some stupid owner decided it would be a good idea to let their untrained pitbull run around the park off leash), right after the incident he became aggressive and would growl at other dogs he didn't know. He was socialized before-hand so this was new behavior. The problem quickly escalated and he started to growl at people he did not know as well, then once again the problem escalated to insane barking, lunging, trying to bite everything and everyone he did not know. We knew this was a big, big problem so we hired a behavioral specialist when he was 5 months old. He's almost a year old now and the problem has not gotten any better and I'm seriously worried. When he sees a dog he does not know, even if the dog doesn't even look at him he gets vicious. He will lunge and try to attack the other dog, When he sees a person he does not know he automatically resorts to attack mode as well. We have worked with the behavioral specialist and have been religious about doing everything we're supposed to do but it does not seem to get any better. I do not believe in putting him to sleep, i believe that he deserves a long and happy life just like any other dog but I also question if I'm being selfish putting other people's/dog's safety on the line. Does anyone else here have an aggressive dog and how do they deal with it?
@ladystang: Of course I discipline him when he does something I do not like. And I have tried all of those but those are just quick fixes.
@Bells: I talked to many professional trainers who recommended me to contact a behavioral specialist because my dog is so aggressive. My behavioral specialist has a doctorates in psychology studying wolf behavior and she has been in the field for over 20 years, is also a PROFESSIONAL TRAINER, has a ton of referrals, etc. I'm sure she's a better choice than most professional trainers.
@ladystang: Of course I discipline him when he does something I do not like. And I have tried all of those but those are just quick fixes.
@Bells: I talked to many professional trainers who recommended me to contact a behavioral specialist because my dog is so aggressive. My behavioral specialist has a doctorates in psychology studying wolf behavior and she has been in the field for over 20 years, is also a PROFESSIONAL TRAINER, has a ton of referrals, etc. I'm sure she's a better choice than most professional trainers.