[RiverRun]

Surprisingly, my family thinks my aussie is just the sweetest dog ever. Ugh. (she fools them all) She is more of a severely dominant and anxious/fearful dog so it makes for a bad combination. She is only aggressive if you try to make her do something she doesn't want to do. Such as, she is not allowed to hide under anything due to she will attack any dogs that come near her, but if you block her(I often just stick my hand out and tell her to go) she will normally growl or snap. She has bitten me a few times, but that's just because I don't back down to her. If she were to ever bite anyone else, I would have her euthanized. She came close one time to a child's face and I have never made the same mistake again. This dog cannot go out in public unless I have complete control of the situation, which is almost never.
Behaviorist never worked for her, but River is an extremely odd case. I wouldn't be surprised if there actually was something medically wrong with her that we haven't found yet. She is one untrustworthy dog, that is for sure......but she loves babies, go figure.

I am hoping my little man stays like he is. He is very submissive about 99% of the time and is 100% submissive to me. I can still carry him around on his back and he just flops out like a dead otter. He is just extremely focused and attentive at times.

 

[Savage Destiny]

Yeah, he's neutered. At seven weeks old. Yep, thats SEVEN weeks. I almost didn't take him because of that, but they begged me, and I'd fallen in love with the little pup by then anyway. Thats what they do with rescues in Mississippi apparently, neuter them very young before they adopt them out. To be honest, if your pup was as bad as my little Joe here, I'm sure you'd know by now.
How do the rest of your family deal with a human aggressive dog? Thats my greatest worry, that he will bite my husband.

And SD, you reckon I should just save my money huh? (joking). Must admit, after what you said I had to sit down and have a good think about it. It would be such a relief if you are right and they don't normally turn HA. I guess I'd much rather have an DA than HA dog, given a choice.

If you're worried, you can always have him checked out by the behaviorist. But I'd be very wary if they try to tell you that it's possible to train out the DA or if they tell you to worry about HA if he hasn't shown any signs.

It is possible to have a dog that is both DA and HA, but they ARE separate things. A dog that is both has both, that's all. Just like a dog can be a cat killer or have insane prey drive but still be human friendly. Dogs don't view other dogs like humans, they view them as other animals (which they are). We tend to humanize our dogs so much that DA can seem like a precursor to HA when it is not. I have met dogs that are both, as I said it's not impossible, but I have also met plenty of dogs that are downright deadly towards other dogs that are total mushes with all people.

My breed is notorious for DA, dog intolerance or reactivity. They're also known (at least by knowledgeable people) as extremely human friendly. DA and HA do not go hand in hand.

 

[rogerharris]

Don’t worry about his behavior. He wants your attention nothing else. Just ignore it.

 

[RiverRun]

Don’t worry about his behavior. He wants your attention nothing else. Just ignore it.

I have studied his behavior more and it is a guarding behavior that he is practicing; albeit, not serious or escalating at the moment. I have a tendency to own very, ah, 'strong minded' dogs; so just ignoring a questionable behavior can be very dangerous. Just ignoring a simple eye movement in my aussie could mean the difference between having a split second to redirect her attention or allowing her to lunge.
I do a lot of studying and research in canine behavior and body language though, so the little things really stand out to me

 

[LeonilCraig]

Perhaps he just wants attention?

That's right! Our dog is dominant this past few months also and she's pregnant.

 

[CesarMillan56]

I think he wants more attention thats why he behaves like this..

Thank you

 

[DwayneTaylor]

Yes, it is somewhat jealous type behavior, they do this for getting attention.

 

[DeborahJacobs]

Perhaps he just wants attention?

I think so too...

 

[Honedge]

I think he's just want your attention. I presume you seldom play with him? My dogs uesd to do that. After I bought some toys and spare half an hour per day to play with them, they return "normal".

 

[sally2021]

Depending on the breed of our dog, some tends to try to dominate. It could also be the case that that he is not properly socialized yet? Usually this kind of behavior can be corrected through obedience training. Spend more time with him to find out what could possibly triggers his aggressiveness.