[kanderson37]

Hi,

I am a new member and am looking for help!! I have a 17-month old female Aussie who we got when she was 5 months old. She had already been with 2different breeders when we bought her. She is a great family dog and is great with our two boys, however, in the last few months, she has become very aggressive towards strangers and few other people whom she does not like (such as neighbor kids). She has nipped quite a few people and has most recently bit a few people. We are ready to get rid of her afraid she may really hurt someone but would like to explore our options. We love her dearly but don't know if this is something that can be fixed.
Any suggestions would be great!

[Renoman]

Have you done anything about obedience training? Aussies are smart dogs with strong herding instincts. Those instincts and their energy need to be channeled or they can become frustrated.

At the very least, I would find a professional trainer and have her evaluated.

[kanderson37]

I called my vet today and she highly recommended working with a Behaviorist and not a trainer. She thinks the problem can be solved but we need to get immediate assistance. Thanks for your input.

[seamus5]

I think a behaviorist would be your best bet as well. However, a good trainer could also do the trick. If you like your dog, giving it away may not be the best option.

[DogTip]

Hi,

I am new to this forum as only have time recently to do anything online from my busy schedules.

Well, aggressive dogs just need to be taught to behave. Please, do not give up on your dog. The fact is, it's probably wondering what to do with itself too. Giving up would be the saddest choice.

You could go the behaviourist route, but have you tried looking into some good home training courses for dogs? Sometimes, nothing beats regularly reinforcing behaviours right at home. A behaviourist can advise you what to do, but behaviours need to be inculcated which may take some time. Unless you planning to board the dog, it may really stretch your budget.

Try browsing the bookstores for a good home training programme for dogs.

A trick i always use is to show my dog that I am 'friendly' to the person it was just try to nip at. Dogs take on the likes and dislikes of owners too.

Try to see how you can get educated on home training yourself before you give up. It may save you alot of time and money, and save your dog too.

Have a nice day.