What Can I do for my puppy that is showing signs of aggressiveness?

Our question this week was:

My 9 mo. old Maltese is a precious puppy. Then out of the blue she changed and is very aggressive. We have to muzzle her to bathe. Any suggestions?

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Johanna S.

Answer

Thanks for your email and question. I’m sorry to hear about your puppy’s aggression. And she is only 9 months old. This is a problem and has the potential to be a BIG problem.

I’d recommend that you talk to your vet, get her spayed and consider seeing a behaviorist and doing obedience training. Your puppy needs to understand that YOU are the pack leader.

A couple articles that might be helpful to you are Aggression in Dogs and 12 General Rules for Training Dogs.

Dr. Debra

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