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Recent Agression In 8 Month Old Mini

by Lauren
(Philaelphia, PA)

We have recently moved to Philadelphia and my 8 month old male Mini Aussie has gotten more and more aggressive towards other dogs when on a leash.

He was exposed to dogs of all sizes when he was very young and would play for hours in the dog park.

But now we are extremely embarrassed by his recent behavior (excessive barking) and want to know what could cause this all of a sudden!?

Any ideas and/or suggestions of how to get our old dog-friendly pup back?

Thank you!

Comments for Recent Agression In 8 Month Old Mini

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Going through the same thing!
by: Rhonda

I wish I had an answere to help you as we have and are going through the same exact thing! We got Amber when she was 4 months old and was as friendly as friendly could be and as she has gotten older, now 2 years old she is very aggressive towards other dogs and people. We have socialized her from day one and always took her places but she still nipped and barked at everyone and other dogs. I think as she became older she took on her role as guardian of our family. I have to be very careful with her now and we are getting ready to have a prof trainer assess her so we can help her. She also has an extreme high instinct for herding and chasing cars :( Good Luck!

Recent aggression in 8 mo old mini aussie
by: Anonymous

We experienced leash-reactive aggression in our mini at about 11 months old. I felt that some was fear-based; and other times, frustration with the leash holding her back from meeting/playing with another dog that caused pain and anxiety, resulting in anger directed toward the other dog. I would suggest getting Patricia McConnell's small book, Cautious Canine. It turned our mini around within 2 weeks. The idea is to "grab" your dog's attention just prior to the "danger" with its most favorite, irresistible treats, calming and reassuring at the same time. Continue treating until "danger" has passed. Then, carry on. Ms McConnell describes it better, of course. At first you'll feel like you're going to end up with a butterball at the end of the leash, but you may find that it won't take long to train your buddy to be calm and confident.

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