Molly has always been a bit timid and nervous and I've had a behaviourist out on the recommendation of a trainer. She's always been ok out though, staying with me or hiding in the bushes if she feels uncomfortable. Today however she showed signs of aggression towards people for the first time. We were somewhere unfamiliar and she spotted a boy of about 10, he was running and hiding in the trees, she was not happy and stood towards him with her hackles up and did some gruff barking. Not to bad but later we were sitting in a church yard and a man walked up to us and Molly really growled at him, I'd have been scared if a dog did that to me. Its never happened before and I'm not quite sure how to res so any advice appreciated. She's 5 months..
Hi there , a lot of aggression stems from fear . To me it sounds like she was in a new place & could see something ( the child) darting about and wasn't sure how to deal with it . The man later , was likely just the icing on the cake for her today . Maybe chat with the behaviourist about the best way to manage this . They will be able to advise you on the best way to support her as the behaviourist is already familiar with Molly & her timid personality. Xx
She was scared and frightened that's what some dogs do when they are fearful. Think about it from her point of view. You are small and there's something rushing about in the trees making noises and she's in a place she doesn't know its frightening. She already been scared so is unsettled and and a big scary man comes over and she terrifred again. Unsure dogs can react by growling it looks fierce but is fear. It can be worked and I'm sure many Me included have been in you situation. I tried to improve my dogs confidence and consulted a behaviours. Perhaps you could speak to yours again and they can give you some ideas to help her. She's not a monster just a scared little pup.try not to get too stressed it is something you can work on. All my dogs are a work in progress too.to be honest a someone in the bushes and someone sitting next to me I didn't know would worry me.
I agree that it sounds like she was scared. I've had to deal with this with my two, because of where we live (very, very quiet most of the time). I use a technique called "Look at That!" from Control Unleashed by Lesley McDevitt. If you don't have the book, I highly recommend it. The LAT game has made a big impact on my two for their different issues, and quickly, too.
