Expert: Cassie - 1/21/2008

Question
Hi Cassie,

My dog is a year and a half old. 3 Months ago i made a new girlfriend and we are moving in together at the end on the month. In the last 3 months we have tried to have the dogs (because she has one too) to socialize which was not a problem. We had a problem with having my dog to sleep during the night this was also solve.
The main problem is that he always played with his teeth. He never bit but i let it go since he always did that. But in the last week he started to become aggressive first towards my girlfriend by showing his teeth in an aggressive stance and Saturday when i was punishing him for running away he tried to bite me so i grabbed his face like i usually do. after i got him on his mattress and when i forced him to go down because he wouldn't he started barking at me (something he never does) and he was showing his teeth an this lasted a good 10 seconds. I got scared and stepped back i was fearing he would injure me.   ----- I called some trainers but they are all expensive and would require me to give more time to my dog which i can't really because of school and work. Also they were telling me that even with the training it might not change much because of his age. The dog now scares me and i really don't think i am able to take proper care of him. Do you think it is possible to give him away or it would be dangerous and i should have him put to sleep??

Answer
Hold off on moving in with your girlfriend (You shouldn't move in with her if you're not married anyway). Your dog needs some time to adjust to the changes. Everytime a new person comes into a dog's life, the dog needs some time to get used to them. Give your dog at least 6 months of your girlfriend visiting you both. Read this book as well. It's a must-have for all dog owners! It can be purchased here, on the author's official website: www.cesarmillaninc.com/products/cesarsway.php