My dog is suddenly aggressive towards my child. What can I do?

Question

My dog exhibits aggression to one person in my house and it’s a small child. I believe it’s anxiety based but it’s still troublesome when he barks at the sight of her and has pounced at her in multiple occasions. It’s weird because he really liked her before and something just switched in him he also doesn’t do it to anyone else not even strangers and he is always friendly to new dogs and people. Is there anything I can do for this behavior? Pet's info: Dog | Yorkshire Terrier | Male | neutered | 5 years and 5 months old | 5 lbs

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

Hi there. Aggressive behavior towards small children in the home is always very concerning, so I would definitely recommend getting a professional on-board who can help you determine what is causing this behavior and put together a detailed plan to work on things. I can't really give any specific advice without being able to evaluate Kiwi in person and get a much more detailed behavioral history, so the best thing I can tell you for now is to keep him separated from the child until you're able to get an appointment with someone who can work with you on changing his behavior. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here, which would be the best options: www.dacvb.org. If you don't have a VB nearby, you could also search for a trainer here: www.ccpdt.org

My dog is suddenly aggressive towards my child. What can I do?

Most Helpful Answer

Share