my overly protective Scottie

Question
Hi Kristin,  

About 6 months ago I adopted a 4 month old Scottish Terrier from my local pet store (he is 10 months now).  He lived with my parents, grandmother and I for those 6 months and now the scottie and I have recently moved to the city.  

At some point he became overly protective of me while walking him and now he is going after people.  He even bit my neighbor next door! He snarles and yelps and barks at people and I have a hard time keeping him preoccupied when people walk by me on the street.  

We have tried harnesses, which only allow him to pull more, and even a thicker collar and shorter leash, nothing seems to be working!  I need some advice on what to do to keep him from nipping at people.  He is a big hearted doggy and loves me so much, I would hate to have to give him up.

Thanks!

Tori

Answer
If he's not neatured,getting him will greatly reduce agression-and often stops it all together.This is around the age when hormones kcik in

The second thing to do would be to enroll him in obedience classes,a trainer can show you how to correct such problems,and how to prevent them from returning.Trainers are the best bet,as they can see what is going on and they can show you how to correct it.And by going to classes,it's often about training the owner as much as it is the dog-and will prevent you from giving him up