Expert: Delores Beck - 12/17/2009

Question
We have a 6 yr old cocker spaniel - (american) pet store bought, we have always had a problem with her being overly protective of my husband and I . Sometimes she will get aggressive and growl and nip at anyone who tries to come too close to us including kids. Its hard to predict what will set her off. If she is in our room under our bed, she will not leave until we do, and she will attack anyone who tries to remove her from room. She follows us everywhere. She barks a lot at strangers that visit our home until we can get her to settle down, sometimes she growls and attempts to bite people she doesn't know. She would never bite me or my husband. She can be so loving, but does have this side to her. We could never give her away, she's become a part of our family but these issues seem to be getting worse as she gets older. We dont walk her, she goes outside (we have a large yard) and wanders around (not fenced in) she never runs away and always stays on our property.   My Vet has suggested prozac. What do you think?  

Answer
One of the reasons she behaves this way is because she's not very socialized.  I strongly suggest starting to walk her daily (on leash, of course).  Also - to have her in an unfenced yard where anyone could wander in (especially a child) is asking for huge trouble when you have an aggressive dog.

So basically I'm unsure whether you want to try and fix things or just want my opinion on Prozac?

With the information I have, I'd say this is fear-aggression and it has nothing to do with her being protective of you.  Can it be fixed?  Yes.  The key to training is to anticipate behavior and correct before it happens.

For instance, you know how she's going to react to a visitor.  When the doorbell rings and she's now poised to get "upset" - snap her short leash on her.  Tell the guest not to talk to her or even look at her.  You have her on leash which means two things - she's 100% under control AND being on leash makes her feel safe.  (The leash is a powerful tool).

Go sit with your friend - she's with you and if she growls, give her a calm but firm NO and a leash correction.  The message to the dog is:  I've got this - everything is okay so chill out!
Other than that - ignore her.  No chat - no petting - no soothing.

Once the visit ends - release her with praise and a reward.

But Ann - you can't just let her be there knowing full well she "could" bite someone and just hoping it won't happen.  That's playing Russian Roulette.

There are also training techniques for "the walk" and she does need an on-leash walk daily for both her physical and mental health.  Roaming the backyard isn't enough.  Dogs need to "travel" and be stimulated.  A whole lot of behavioral issues are due to pent up energy and boredom.

I'm happy to offer on-going support.
Delores