Angry dog

[Tara-Kate]

Hi,
We have an 11 month old german short haired pointer and a 16 month old lab/kelpie cross - both female. Recently the GSP has become quite savage with our neighbours dog who it plays with regularly at the park. This is a 3yo female GSP. We are going to recommence obedience classes for both our puppies but are there any other suggestions for what to do? Will she grow out of it???

Tara.

[KOPsRobyn]

Hi there

It is a good idea to go to obedience classes with your dogs as it is always good to refresh commands in their minds, as well as reinforcing your alpha dog status in the pack. You should take time out each day to work on your obedience training, even if it is just for 5-10 minutes. It is possible that as your GSP is going through adolescence, she is challenging the other dog for a higher place in the hierarchy. During this stage, hormone changes may make her more aggressive, and so it may wise to spay her too. Eventually the two dogs will sort out their place in the pack, which may change or remain the same as it was before.

I hope this helps and all the best with the training!