so weary of fear aggression
i just cant understand why our dog is so highly strung! he was anxious at 8 weeks old when we got him & now at 16 months old it still hasn't gone away. he is dog & stranger aggressive. anyone coming into the house is readily accepted. anyone outside the house, excluding most people at dog school, are considered threats if they look at, speak to or try to touch him. if we walk past someone he is wary but generally ok. i just made the mistake of letting our neighbour try to pet him out the front of the house & he grabbed his hand firmly enough to scratch it. i feel absolutely terrible and am almost at wits end.
our trainers say avoid confronting situations but how will he ever get over his fears if he is not exposed to his triggers? or will he just grow out of it? this has been an issue ever since he was 4 months old & doesnt seem to be improving much at all. he has become somewhat more tolerant of other dogs due to weekly training but will still bite if they get too close. i understand its a "fear period", im just really hoping its not forever... it saddens me that he feels so threatened by the world & i cant seem to do anything to help.