Aggressive behaviour

Question
QUESTION: My 2 year old,neutered, male labradoodle has started showing aggressive behaviour towards people and dogs he is meeting for the first time. He's healthy and gentle with those he knows but sometimes acts hostile towards unknown dogs and people.  What is the best way to reprimand this
action and change this behaviour.  Note that he has always been well socialized and plays well with most dogs & people.

ANSWER: There's really not enough information to even hazard a guess. I am not even sure what you mean by aggression. Growling? Barking? Lunging? Biting? Any time a dog is showing aggression towards humans, it's time for in-person professional help. The sooner the better. If the behavior is just starting, your chances of changing it are much better than if this is allowed to continue. Many of aggressive behaviors are in fact fear based, and the best way to address them is not to repremand the behavior but to change the meaning of the interaction for the dog. So it's important to find a trainer/behaviorist who addresses the issues without punishing the behavior. You want to reframe the situation for him so that these interactions become a good thing. Sandy Case MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com

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QUESTION: To clarify, once in a while (every 20 dogs) he growls and lunges at them usually trying to pin them down with his mouth.  He has never injured another dog but we have intervened before its escalated any more.  This has be observed only off leash.  His aggression with people is been both on and off leash.  2 examples: He's on leash and we are stopped on the sidewalk.  A stranger puts out his hand to touch the dog and he growls and jumps back.  
He's at home and a neighbor comes to the house.  (He barks and growls).  Once the neighbor is inside, and the dog has laid down, the neighbor walks to the kitchen - the dog jumps up and growls and barks, lunging at the neighbor.  Again, he has never bitten a person.

Up to now we have yelled at him and given him a time out. What we would like to know is how we discourage this behavior and train him to not be aggressive.

Answer
Sometimes with other dogs, displays can look scary but it may just be that his social skills are lacking (or his social skills aren't the problem - the other dog is being rude.) To me,growling and jumping back when a stranger reaches for him is more of a fear reaction than aggression. I still think he needs a good positive trainer, not being yelled at. I'd be looking at ways to build his confidence, and lower his level of arousal by not asking him to cope with situations which are beyond his skill. A lot of this is management. He doesn't have to be allowed with strange dogs until he's feeling calmer around dogs he knows, and has enough obedience that you can call him away from a touchy situation. You don't have to allow strangers to reach towards your dogs (and I'd suggest you strongly stop them from doing so). He can be leashed when the neighbor is in the house, and kept far enough away that he can observe but doesn't feel the need to lunge. In addition to good management, and protecting him from situations he can't handle, he needs good leadership. If you make good clear rules, create routine and expectations, and ask him to work for what he wants, he'll learn that you are capable of handling things and making decisions about whether a situation is safe or not - relieving him of the responsibility of trying to enforce his own rules.  Dogs are more comfortable and relaxed if they know what to expect and what to do. Relieving general anxieties makes specific anxieties less severe. A good positive trainer can help you re-frame scary situations for the dog, so he doesn't feel the need to react. If you simply punish the symptoms of his anxiety, you may make some things less likely but you still have a dog who is feeling extremely uncomfortable. And sometimes by taking away warning signals like a bark or a growl, you create a dog who has to resort to more drastic measures like biting, because he doesn't have any other way to warn people how uncomfortable he really is. Sandy Case MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com