I have a 2 year old shep mix. No one is sure exactly what he is mixed with some have said a rott. My problem is that we have just moved from a house that had a huge garden to a house with no garden(not by choice we are military)and so without his running space my dog has become very aggressive. I understand that a move can be traumatic to a dog. When i try to walk him if he see's someone 100 yards away and lunges and pulls and barks and makes all sorts of noise. If anyone comes into our house he snaps as if to bite if he got close enough. He is a big dog so he is very intimidating and has really scared a few people. I can't control him on a leash right now so its near impossible to walk him. He is very protective of me and my children but he is getting too protective. I have made a point of showing him everything is fine when someone comes to the house but i have to keep him on a leash for fear of him attacking someone so i am not sure if i am making his aggression worse. I would really appreciate some advice please.

Hello Sarah and welcome to the Forum.

Do you take your dog to training classes at all?

Melody :)

Hi,

Just to be clear, you say the dog changed as you moved house and he now has no garden. This could well be part of the problem but are you sure it is the reason? You know your dog and it may well be pent up energy and frustration causing this, but I would also suggest a vet check up as a sudden change in behaviour can be due to medical reasons.

I get the feeling your new home is quite different to the old one, presumably you had visitors etc before, how did your dog react then?

If it is impossible to walk him and he is very protective, my suggestion would be to ask the vet for referral to someone who has a proven record with this kind of behaviour. It will be very difficult to sort out without help, if not impossible. If he is insured, usually behavioural consultations will be covered.

Just my two pence worth - good luck :)

Lindsay