A pack of dogs is a scary thing. One of the reasons I avoid dog parks is because I have seen multiple large dogs gang up on another dog.

SO many people have multiple dog households without good structure .

THANK YOU FOR mentioning testing for thyroid imbalance as cause of aggression.

Why does any average person need 5 dogs??????

I like this guy and I really enjoy his talks.

Did you have this letter on your website years ago? Sounds so familiar. I’ve been a fan since 2005 and appreciate all the information you’ve provided for years. Thanks Ed!

I, of course, new the title of this video. Then heard you read “fur kids” and immediately thought: oh no, honey! You are might just not be the right human for this dog. I think some dogs do OK with all of the cuddles and dress up, though they probably are just tolerating it. But a dog like that, you need somebody who is willing to build a relationship built on dog mentality. There is so much emotional baggage that comes with treating our dogs like our kids and it’s not fair to a dog like that. I am not saying that dogs like that are right for everybody but looking for somebody that can put in trying time, relationship building time and a lot of emotional work before a dog like that turns on you or your pack shows a respect for dogs as a whole. I got a GSD from the shelter who turned out to be fear reactive to people and animals. I have spent more money and time in trading on her than anything else in my life and would not trade the relationship that we have now for anything in the world. More than other dogs I have had in my life. Thanks for your videos. You really helped me when I didn’t know what to do with her when I first got her.

Some dogs are really difficult. My niece rescued a blue heeler and worked with him for 5 years. He had been previously returned to the shelter because of aggression to other dogs and some people (males). She was amazingly devoted to saving him and it was all OK until they had a baby. The dog was so attached to her that he would “defend her” from everything and pretty much was unmanageable unless she was present. It was a sad day for them when the only thing they could do to keep their house and baby safe from him “defending her from all” was to euthanize Austin. The shelter rejected him because of his previous history and he really was too attached to her to safely go with someone else so she made the hard decision to put him to sleep. Edit: he was tested for everything but there were no issues that could be medically treated.

Love your wisdom

Interesting you mentioned low thyroid for aggression. My mom and I had 2 jack Russell's. Long story short they mated had 7 puppies everything was fine until 10 weeks they were all aggressive. Just puppies so had them all mom and dad included stayed and neutered. Still aggressive with food, toys male on male and female on female. Did blood work low thyroid git meds still aggressive went to animal behaviorist and they recommended keep 1 male 1 female and euthanize the rest...I moved to the country and built a 24×60 heat/air conditioned pole barn with 9 6x6 kennels and took care of them all til they each died at 17+ I loved every one of them and it was quite a chore. Now I get females spayed asap and separate aggressive animals immediately and never leave out of kennels when gone. Family and friends have always passed their unwanted pets rather then euthanize or take to animal shelters but now I'm 65 and have warned them all I'm on my last set of dogs, cats, goats and llamas. Anyway it's hard to euthanize an animal you love even when they are sick and need to be but it's part of life if you can't commit do not get pets they get worse as you pass them on and on.

I wish people would do research on dog aggression and on dog breeds before getting a dog, whether the dog is from a breeder or a shelter. Boxers are a bull breed, dog aggression is common among them, same with other breeds like Bull Terriers, Airedale Terriers, Bullmastiffs, Akitas, and American Bulldogs. I own multiple dog aggressive dogs as well as dog friendly dogs, they all live harmoniously and are all managed. I wish all dog aggressive dogs had good owners who knew how to handle aggression in dogs. So sad to see a dog get euthanized for something that could've been prevented.

Mal X Boxer was always going to be a recipe for disaster. The story is a sad one, and humans should know and do better. Can't help but think emotions played a part in adopting another dog into a multi dog household.

I can't help but point to the fact that the humans failed here and not the dog. It's sad to know it's the dog who will lose its life over their failures.

Poor dogs. This could have been avoided earlier and managed.

I have a Great Pyrenees male, a mix I think , maybe w Rottweiler. He has put me in the hospital twice, and I would have been killed if my female Pyrenees had not intervened and saved my life. I separated him from other dogs and put him on a chain. He is more respectful and submissive to me now, but still shows aggression when he gets excited. Ethically, I cannot give him to shelter or rehome. I cannot kill him and can't get him into the car to ask someone else to do it. I got him at 8 months old, and I was his third owner. The people I got him from did not tell me of aggression. I got bit the first day when putting a food bowl in front of him. They did not respond to my text message questions regarding past behavior.

You have to be a really strong consistent leader to manage a pack of dogs. They have to know you will descend on them like a dominant dog would if they step out of line.... If you work this is extremely difficult. I have been know however, since I work too much, I've been known to make an attacking dog to wear the dog they've attacked with a muzzle on - so they are attached to each other, obviously the attacked dog is alive in this scenario.

What is up with some people thinking their dogs are not unpredictable? if a dog barks, lung, etc, at humans and animals, it needs a muzzle everywhere the owner, I definitely agree with you, it logical. She could also find a professional dog trainer that deal with aggressive dogs to train both owner and dog, but I could be incorrect. 🙂

Thank you my dog Lady has had a big behavior change she just turned four.She has become unpredictable I didn't know that thyroid issues can cause this I am requesting a blood work

I think all people need dog training before they get a dog , this is a mistake not too

Also if you refer to your pets as a kid then how can you put the dog down for behavior reasons? This person shouldn’t get another dog. She can’t handle multiple dogs

Maybe if you have 4 dogs you should think very carefully about whether or not you have the time and energy to raise another one (but really start thinking that when you want the 1st). Maybe some dogs shouldn't be in homes with multiple other animals. Maybe someone else could give this dog a good home where all of this would be avoided.

Sad but some have a screw loose. Need to be put down ASAP.

Sheesh, Im not done the courses Im already signed up for but now I definitely have to get the course on dog aggression because we too have a pack. We use crates, we are hands on and exercise everyone, some go to dog classes plus they are quite well managed but sometimes crap happens. For example at the end of today a box of special dog food for our elderly lab arrived and I brought it in, unpacked it by the door then was distracted by something in another room. All of a sudden I heard the distinct sound of a ripping bag. Oh crap. I ran to the door to find our nearly 1yr old Pitbull cross going right to town. I grabbed his collar and loudly said NO and yanked him from the bag. He did a little growl and a soft nip at my arm. I was tempted to give him a whack but wondered if I might have startled him and wasn’t sure what to do that didn’t make his behavior worse so I gave him a time out in another room and closed the door (mostly so I could cool down and think this through since he’s a good and usually obedient dog, in hindsight, putting him in the crate would have been better. My husband said he would have “cracked him on the head” but I can’t see how that’s helpful, it seems that could have escalated the exchange. So it’s time to get that course in dog aggression so I can be mentally prepared for the next oh crap moment. I had to euthanize a dog nearly 30years ago which was traumatizing, I’m a much better owner/handler now but, imho, becoming a better trainer is a never ending learning process. Thanks for these videos, as hard as they sometimes are to listen to, it is far better to learn from the mistakes of others than to make them myself.

This is an example of why it's important to spay and neuter your dogs if you don't intend to breed them.

I 100% blame the owner for this. How sad for all the dogs involved.

The prehistoric humans who first domesticated dogs out of the original Grey Wolf stock would only have tolerated ‘safe’ dogs. Any canine that endangered their children or other people in their camps would have been driven away, killed, maybe even eaten. The safest dogs would have been allowed, and those ‘safe’ ones eventually became the root stock of all domesticated dogs. I dearly love dogs and consider them a gift from God, but now, in recent times (centuries maybe?), certain breeders have been recovering primitive fighting/killing genetic traits, magnifying them by selection and cross-breeding, and concentrating them in a few dog breeds (notably mastiff/pit bull types) which arguably are even more dangerous than wild wolves. Sadly, although it’s not the fault of the dogs, modern humans need to return to the common sense of those early humans and be ready at a moment’s notice to kill a berserk attacking dog. Those devastating genes need - once again - to be weeded out of the domestic dog gene pool.

Some dogs can NOt be managed. They have aggressive nature maybe dog mental illness 😢

1. Dogs are not humans 2. Human life is more valuable than dog life. 3. Dogs come from wild wolves after thousand of years of breeding and domestication. 4. Original purpose of dogs was to use them as a tool: guarding, protecting, herding, hunting, retrieving, and yes even for fighting other dogs or animals. 5. Any person that has a pet that is dangerous, aggressive or unstable for whatever reason is is 100% responsible and should face consequences for failing to control the dog and putting others in danger. 5. If you can’t control your dog you should not have a dog period

AMEN, OMG you are not the parent to your dog and the dog is not your kid. There is no shame in being called a dog if you are one.

I totally agree on people treating their dogs as humans. Dogs are animals that have been around humans for thousands of years. If we look back in history, when dogs were around humans they mostly protected us, hunted for and with us. They love just being in our presence.They were trained in some kind of task for humans, especially for food. Today, people get dogs for the wrong reasons and they don’t go to basic training. These animals want to please us, but we should never treat them as humans, this confuses the dogs. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Stay safe.

Bad structure in the pack, thyroid issues, and 2% of the female population are aggressive after spayed brain is empty of hormones. Hormones therapy helps.

At times I wish owners would euthanize themselves, some people should not have dogs, or cats, or kids. Just seeing ignorance over and over and senseless cruelty, I wish people would at least educate themselves and follow the adage “do no harm”.

any dog can be aggressive mabe it is not made to be with 5 dogs have u tried giving it away to a person that has no dogs an see how he acts ,,dont put the dog down ,,,,,,,dogs will be dogs

This lesson should have all the dogs rehomed and never own another animal.

Avoid euthanizing physically healthy dogs like the plague. It could haunt you for the rest of your life.

This is the result of a weak lady getting a powerful dog that she has no control over.