My 9-year-old dog is suddenly aggressive towards other dogs.

Question

My fem Aussie has started becoming aggressive towards other dogs since we got bit by a yorkie. She's 9 and used to be fine with other dogs. We are staying with a friend that has 2 fem dogs and mine is so aggressive (growling and air snapping) that I have to keep them separate. The other dogs have submitted to her, but she still growls. Her ears are up mostly and her tail wags but she still maintains a constant growl. Please help, we are guests here and it's unfair to the hosts and their dogs. Pet's info: Dog | Australian Shepherd | Female | spayed | 53 lbs

Mirissa Duncil, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hi there, sorry to hear of your situation. It sounds a lot like Dakota had become very anxious and most likely dead aggressive due to a bad experience that she had before. This is actually quite common, escpeically amongst several female animals. My best advice if you are a guest here is to completely separate your pet from the others for the duration of the stay-for the safety of all pets involved. Most issues like this require lengthy training and re-programming to decrease fear and anxiety in your pet. She is also older and will likely take longer. Depending on the length of your stay-it will probably not be possible to do the necessary re-training whilst you are there. There are medications to lessen anxiety for a short time-but would require a visit to your local vet for an exam and likely blood work to make sure they medications would be safe for Dakota to take. If this persists and you are interested in a behavior consult, please let me know and I'd be happy to help if and when you have the time.

My 9-year-old dog is suddenly aggressive towards other dogs.

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