# Dog Aggression towards new roommate



## Penance09 (Dec 3, 2012)

I have a 70lb boxer mix who is not getting along well with my new roommate. 

He growls and barks at him every single time he walks in the door. I have tried positive association with treats, greeting him outside, but nothing has worked. The last time we tried working with the dog, he took the treat and was allowing my roommate to pet him, but then snapped at him.

My roommate is, understandably, uncomfortable around the dog, and the air has turned quite hostile. After the snapping incident, he threatened the dog's life. 

Joey (the boxer) is normally very sweet to everyone he meets outside of the house. He is wonderfully gentle around children, and is incredibly well socialized with other dogs. But, I have a dog who doesn't like my roommate, and a roommate who doesn't like my dog. 

Is there anything I can try?


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

> After the snapping incident, he threatened the dog's life.


This is extreme and scary. Is it possible the dog is sensing something unstable or mentally "off" about your new roommate? If a normally social and sweet dog takes a strong dislike to one person, I start looking at the person more than the dog. 
If I had a roommate's dog snap at me, I would suggest finding a trainer, crating the dog in the meantime when I was out in the living areas of the house, a vet check maybe etc. If I was fearful of the dog, I would ask for a deposit refund and move out. My point being that a sane and reasonable person does not threaten to KILL a dog over what sounds like a fear reaction.

Now, if the dog has a generalized issue with say, men or tall people or people of a certain race, then it could come from past bad experiences and working with a trainer to slowly provide positive experiences would be my tactic. But if your dog truly is good with basically everyone else he meets, then I'd be focused less on the dog and more on the person bringing out this out-of-character behavior in the dog. 

Here's my opinion: I would never let someone who threatened my dog to set foot in my house or on my property again.


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## RoughCollie (Mar 7, 2011)

I wonder if your new roommate hurt or yelled at your dog when you weren't home.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

RoughCollie said:


> I wonder if your new roommate hurt or yelled at your dog when you weren't home.


Well, he threatened to kill the dog _in front of the owner_, so he probably did, at the least, yell at the dog.


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

agree with the dog , normal people don't threaten to kill other peoples dogs,, it's not normal to have it in their heads so easily, to say such a thing


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## HollowHeaven (Feb 5, 2012)

Shell said:


> Here's my opinion: I would never let someone who threatened my dog to set foot in my house or on my property again.





> I wonder if your new roommate hurt or yelled at your dog when you weren't home.


And here's my advice: find a new room-mate. Let this one meet the dog first, go to the home/come in the home, and if the dog approves, do it. For a dog that's good with everyone else in the world to just not like one person, I have to say, I'd be worried about what's wrong with the person, not my dog. Plus, he threatened to kill your dog. That's where I would absolutely draw the line.


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## Monsteroyd (Sep 18, 2012)

Hi,

I suspect that dog is reacting to the roommate. However getting the dog to like the roommate is going to take some effort by the roommate, not just one incident of giving a treat and getting snapped at. It is going to take treating without looking at the dog (avoiding eye contact) and avoiding the dog. You need to get the dog below threshold and have the roommate treat him and move away. And then do this many many times (like 50+) Dogs are Dogs, not rocket scientists, it needs to be done over and over. That said and the fact that the roomy isn't going to do the work, you need to manage the situation. Get the dog away from him. Keep him away. and lock the door to your room with the dog in there when you aren't around. The roomy isn't going to help. You may need to make a change there, either move out or have him leave. Also I'd want proof that he never did anything. Dogs are pretty innocent, they don't just snap and hate someone without reason. As fast as he threatened to kill the pup, I suspect he did something. 

]Monty[


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