My dog is aggressive to a new dog in the house. What should I do?

Question

My dog Sasha and I just moved in with my friend and her dog, Jett. Sasha is calm and friendly while Jett is aggressive. I feel like he thinks we're invading his home, which I understand, but my friend and I don't know what to do. Pet's info: Dog | Black Mouth Cur | Female | spayed | 2 years and 1 month old | 50 lbs

Shaneez Wallani, DVM · Accepted Answer

I'm sorry that you're going through this difficult situation. You may be correct that Jett is territorial/resource guarding, or there may be other factors at play. He could also be anxious or fearful, leading to him acting “aggressive”. It is very important that you have Jett see a veterinarian to rule out medical causes, and to see if medical therapy is indicated for his behaviour. It is also essential to make sure he is up to date on his vaccinations, particularly his rabies vaccine, in the case of a bite. I recommend you seek the advice of a veterinary behaviorist to help curb this behavior. If left untreated, Jett and Sasha may end up in a fight, where one or both of them may be seriously injured, or worse. I’m not sure if you mean that he is barking and lunging or if he has actually tried to bite you or Sasha when you say he is aggressive, but it is important to curb his behaviour before he gets to that point. Please work with a veterinary behaviourist, or if that's not possible, a reputable dog trainer who uses positive reinforcement immediately. Hopefully he will improve with training and learn what is and is not acceptable behaviour. I would advise keeping him on a leash and away from other animals and people until you have the chance to work with a trainer or behaviourist. In the home I recommend using baby gates and dog crates to separate the dogs from each other, and alternating the areas in the home in which the dogs spend time so neither is left alone or one one side of the home for too long. The links below have some good information on how to introduce dogs to each other. If you decide to "reintroduce" them, you can try having Jett wear a basket muzzle (while supervised, of course) to help prevent injury. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=8677941 https://indoorpet.osu.edu/dogs/new_additions_dogs/dog-dog-intro Good luck, and I hope things get better soon!

My dog is aggressive to a new dog in the house. What should I do?

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