I have a problem, can you please help me. We have a 2 years old german sheperd. He has some moments when he growls on us. It happens at random times, usually when someone approaches him when he is lying. Then he stands up and growls and then he goes into his cage, after that he hides his head into a corner of a cage. Then he stays in the cage for a while and if we pass by he beggins hiding and growling. He never attacked anyone, he neither shows his teeth, just growls and hide.

We cannot figure out what does he connect in that moment when he starts growling.
We were at the dog pshylogoie that adviced that we arent allowed to play violent games with him and he also adviced that when he growls we turn away but we still stay there.

It is very unpleasant when this happens because we do not know when he could attack someone.

Many people advices us to hit him hard but I do not agree with that. My housband already beat him up hard but it didnt help and nothing has changed. Please give me a good advice on what should I do when this happens and how can I figure out the cause of growling.

When he was young nothing bad happened to him. Most of the times he usualy growls on our daughter ( 13 years) when she wants to aproach him and also when she comes home instead of greeting her he hides in his cage. He is very nice dog, we all love him very much, he is smart and usualy kindly to all of us. But I would like to solve this problem, because many people says: give him away, before it isnt too late 

First: Cesar Where were you in 1964 when I needed you ;-}

Cesar's Comment on how to react (respond) to an aggressive dog is on the money. Unfortunatly or maybe fortunately I learned this the hard way.

At age 11, while walking my bike past the house of the owner of a Great Dane, it came up behind me and bit me in the rear end. Reason for walking my bike was because he always tried to chase me when riding by. Thus began my fear of dogs.

From Age 11 to around age 15 I feard most dogs. Especially big ones.

At age 15, in order to get to my best friends house I had to go past a house that had an unleashed, what I would think of now is Black Lab, but for some reason the big black dog had a breed name with the word BOSTON in it.

It would always chase me down, bit at me peddeling feet, grab onto my pant leg and scare the H**L out of me.

Being a Soda Lover (addict) I always had a can of soda with me. Also note at age 15 I was about 6' 3" and my bike was small, so that sudden changes in directions where accomplished by putting my feet down, picking up my bike by the handle bars and flipping it around and jumping on and going on.

On this one particular day I was in a hurry, and in no mood for this dog attack. I alos had an empty can of Moutain Dew in my hand. As us usual the attempted attack occured. (Not don't try this, but it worked for me). Upon the attack, while he was grabbing my pant leg I took the empty can of soda, hit him in the head with it, put my feet down, turned my bike around and chased him back to his porch.

Not sure what effect my emotions and actions had on the dog, but the next day when I drove my bike by his home, He was on the porch with the empty can of soda. HE saw me, looked at the soda can, and just laid there. That was the end of my fear of dogs.

What works works. Good methods of getting the same results are preferred, but the bottome line, I believe, in this circumstance was not the soda can as much as it was the difference in the emotional response that I was emitting. Fear...Then....Control.

So Cesar everything you do and say about dogs, I have expereinced in one way or another. They all make sense, they all work, and your manner and methods may help to save a dog from wearing Mountain Dew or worse Hording Soda Cans!

Steve

Dear Cesar,

My Grandfather's Westie is EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE. I can't even get through my back door to go outside. He attacks me through the door or fences around our house. He draws blood most of the time. He's unpredictable no one can trust him. He will rip off you face if you pet him in the wrong direction it seems. He has bitten my Grandmother many times drawing a lot of blood, he has even bitten down to the bone on her arm to wear you could see it. He hasn't yet drawn blood on me but has come close. I try to stay away from him so I avoid getting bitten and bleeding. If you have anything in your hands he will attack and attack he wont stop until he dies basically. My grandparents think I did something to him and its sad because I use to let him sleep with me. When he was sick I would pet him for hours and made sure he got his medicine and took good care of him. We picked him up off the street and gave him a home and care and love. And this is how he repays us? Unfortunate. My Grandfather loves him even though the dog would gladly tear him to shreds.

How can I try to fix this?

Sincerely,

Katrina

Dear Cesar,
I own a 2 year old Siberian Husky, she's a female and she is not fixed. When she was a puppy, she was fine with others, and seemed to pass up leader of the pack to whomever demanded it. However, about a year ago, my dog encountered another, who attacked her after going after a toy. Since then, my Husky has been very aggresive, and possesive, whenever anyone approaches her toys, bones, or even food. When we so much as enter a room, she crouches low and defensively over a toy, and if we get closer to her, she will growl, and bares her teeth. Even worse, if we touch her, she nips and bites, sometimes hard. When eating, it is the same exact thing.
But, I can also say that my parents are not helping this either. My mother insists on feeding table scrabs during breakfast, lunch,and dinner. She will allow the dog to lay her head on her lap, and beg. Many other "babying" actions take place other than those, it just depends on the events throughout the day. My stepfather is no better. I have tried everything I could to point out the mistakes they continue to do. To no avail. My uncle, (his dog well trained) knows how to handle situations. Unfortunately, whenever my dog is challenged for dominance, she howls, and growls, and is aggressive.
Why i wrote you today, is because I had a friend over, and this friend has a dog of her own. She is in love with huskys. My husky recently obtained a new toy from my mother, and was gaurding it. My friend, only wanting to pet the dog reaches out, and was bitten. Not extremely hard, but hard enough to scare her. My uncle happened to be there, and with his affirmative command, immediately took action and the dog stopped biting, only to growl at this new authoritive figure.
Cesar, this brought about a "great awakening" in my household, as my parents are now worrying about our dog's worsening aggressiveness. I do not agree with the slow approach they are taking, so I decided to find answers myself. I also want to add that my dog pulls everyone on the leash while out on walks, and when introducing her to another dog, we have to physically push her down to keep her from biting. We have a huge problem, and all 5 people in this house(including myself) do not know what to do. Please help, we're at our whits end!
Sincerly,
Gwendolyn

When it comes to a unknown dog is it best to always avoid the eye contact even when putting my body language in a dominant position?