Fear aggression

[Ilovehistory]

Any tips on getting CrazyBitch to not lunge and bark at visitors? She is usually quite submissive but for some reason goes for visitors rather than backing away..She is a cross breed rescue (not sure what!) and 15 months old.

anyone?

Can you manage the situation and put her behind a stair gate with a lovely filled kong when visitors are expected?

I've no real experience of it with fear aggression toward humans, so someone may come along with much better advice, but this is how I've dealt with fear aggression toward dogs.

This works for me when outside in woods/fields, I've tried to convert it to an indoor situation; but there may be some trial and error required...

As soon as you're aware that there's a visitor (either before they knock on the door, or when the door knock has happened) call your dog to you, ask them to sit (if already sitting but barking/focussed on the door then the 'watch' command is pretty good) and give a high value treat. Continue to praise and treat whilst the visitor is welcomed to the house. It would probably work better with two people; one handling the dog and the other handling the visitors.

If the visitors are people you know and are going to be staying a while, could they be asked to throw treats from wherever they're sitting to just in front of the dog - whilst getting on with conversation etc, to help the dog create positive associations?

Well I've just paid a shed load of money to a behaviourist professor for a fear aggressive dog so let me impart some of their wisdom. Though my disclaimer is your dog may be different, are you sure its fear aggression/not been territorial, etc?

Anyway I was told that (our dog is fear aggressive to dh), that when dh comes in the room/house he has to have a high value treat(s) with him - cheese for us. He is to throw a bit of cheese in the direction of the dog as soon as he enters the room/house. Ideally prior to any aggression.

If aggression occurs he's to take a step(s) backwards until dog stops, avoiding eye contact. Dog is to be given treats/praise for stopping barking/growling but mustn't be told off for barking/growling.

Telling off will reinforce the dog's view that strangers are bad as it will associate strangers with a bad thing happening to the dog.

Get visitors to randomly throw treats during their visit so dog keeps associating strangers with nice things.