Agressive growling/snapping

Question
Hi Charlote I saw somebody else asked you about their St. Brenard and therefore I wanted to ask you about mine.  His name is Dante he is about 18 mo. and I have owned him since he was 10 wks old.   Up until recently he has been very friendly and still is 90% of the time. When he was a baby he injured his leg and it has bothered him off and on.  In the past month he has started to growl seemingly for no reason even snapping in a non lunging fashion at a friend of mine (hoping in defense).  The other night my sister or her boyfriend (who he loves) could not even go into my room without him growling (no contact made except verbal).  I realize his testicles add to his aggression and he is in pain (and on pain medicine he is the same old dante) and is being neutered this week; however, this will help but not solve my problem.  Who or what can I do to solve or keep the problem in check without repercussions he needs to understand who is the boss  

Answer
Hi Matt;
First, you need a good basic obedience class.
Petsmart and Petco have weekend group classes. These are best, in my opinion.
I prefer to train in a group class, rather than one on one training.
In a group class, the owner handles the dog st the instruction of a qualified trainer.
TYyhe mster and dog bond better, and the dog learns the master is the alpha, and he/she ( the dog) has to be obedient.

Secondly, nimal massage will help you with the pain, and recovery of his injury, and getting him bact to full mobility and ease.
I have used the Tellington_Touch for years with very satisfying results, for a training aid, and especially for problem behaviors such as nerves, excessive barking, aggressiveness and fears.
Go to this website and read what can ge accomplished with the massages, and you can order a video from there to learn to give the different mnassages properly.
  www.lindatellington-jones.com

This should help a lot wioth the growling and barking.
Now, dogs know more about people than we know about ourselves, and if there is any part of a person that there is harm in, they know it.
Also, when they are injured the become more defensive.
Saints are born t be protectors, and his own injury would accent his need to assert his ability to protect you.
It has probably worn some on his nerves to have to deal with pain, and that can make them a little testy.
With all these possibilities in play,with the neutering, a good obedience class to establish who is the parent and who is the lil kid, and some massages to help with the nerves and pain, I am sure you can soon hqve a well mannered, and pleasant buddy and companion.
Charlotte