Increasingly aggressive

[Milo_n_Kaci]

My almost 3 year old fawn boxer Milo has been getting increasingly aggressive...towards other people (he doesn't know), me, my fiancé and our other dog. He's always been kind of a butt head towards people he didn't know, but he's starting to actually growl instead of just bark. Today he has been really bad towards me and my fiancé, I tried to move him to another part of the couch and he started growling at me and when my fiancé was trying to pick him up to put him on the chair with him he practically snapped at him. He ran around with our friends dog all day yesterday, so I'm not sure if he's just tired/cranky or what. Usually he's as nice as can be, loves to cuddly, loves to give kisses...but he's NEVER liked his butt or hind legs touched.

Anyone have any ideas of behavior tips on calming him down?

he is not neutered...we bred him, so we prefer not to fix him, but if it's the difference between having to put him down for being aggressive and him being a good dog, I'll fix him.

[gmacleod]

Well, you may have bred him. But doesn't it occur to you that you should not have? A dog with any form of aggressive tendancies is NOT breeding material, period. Chances are, there's a bunch of people out there with puppies who're going to end going through the same thing (or worse, depending on what they inherit from their mother). You can't turn back the clock, but at the very least you need to ensure that the dog is never bred from again. To do otherwise would be irresponsible in the extreme.

Getting him neutered will probably help somewhat. But it isn't a magic bullet. I'd suggest finding a behaviourist to come and help you sort things out. Now, before this progresses any further. There is a sticky thread at the top of this forum entitled "Aggression Issues". In that, there are some very good links posted by Krikkit that can help you to locate a behavioural specialist (not a trainer) who may be able to help you out there.