Why does my dog attack other dogs?

I have a Jack Russel and I love him so much! But when I walk him and we see other dogs as soon as I pay then attention he attacks! His fine with humans, apart from when my brother moved his food bowl the other day he attacked him too?

Lack of training and socialization.Jacks are tough little dogs, and yours is fearful of other dogs, probably because he hasn't been raised with them. Ask your vet for a referral to a good trainer, and ask for help- and get him a Gentle Leader head collar, and yourself a good 1/2" leather leash. He needs a LOT of mileage, and for you to let him know via the leash only that it is not acceptable for him to strike out at other dogs. Keep him out of situations like dog parks and other places where there are likely to be other dogs, and always stay across the street from other dog walkers. He also needs a crate, and to be crate trained, and to be fed in there - only, before he bites someone. Once a dog has bitten, it's over. Your brother needs to stay away form his bowl, and the best way to make sure of this is to feed your dog in a crate with the door closed. You can ask the trainer for help in teaching him not to be so possessive of it, but first you need to get him going on the leash, and go from there. Ask for someone who does CLicker Training, as it can be much more effective. Jacks can do a lot of damage, even though people consider them cute little dogs. They can kill a full sized ground hog in about a minute and a half- which is after all their intended function. Respect his ability to hurt someone, and get him under control, or you will have to find him a farm home where he can run free and kill rodents - which is what he really should be doing, and then you can go find a nicer little dog that deserves the spot he is in now. You may want to consider that sooner than later.

He's jealous and protective, much the same as a boyfriend would be when you show attention to another man. I have a Jack Russel/something mix that used to be the same way, everytime I would pet another dog he would get aggressive with the other dog and position himself between myself and the other dog. It took a while to break him of it but we finally did, make sure to show him an equal amount of attention whenever you pet another dog and reassure him that he's still your number one dog. And tell your brother that it's not a good idea to mess with a dog's food.

Your dog is responding to pack behaviour and he is protecting the Alpha dog - you.You have to be more assertive with your dog, to show him that you do not need protection. It is very flattering to have a dog want to protect you, but unfortunately this is massively anti-social and could lead ultimately to him having to be put down at others' requests.Your dog needs to understand much more that he is not so high in the family hierarchy as he thinks he is. You need to make sure you do the following: (a) your dog eats after you do, not before or at the same time; (b) your dog sleeps in a peripheral part of the house, not in your bedroom or in the heart of the house (c) you go out of the door first, your dog follows (d) if your dog jumps up at you, you ignore him/her.At the moment your dog sees it as his job to defend you against everyone. You have to "demote" him to the rank of not doing this any more.

Your dog is Dog-Aggressive and Food-Aggressive. That is not a good mix. Take him to a trainer RIGHT NOW! Jack Russels have a high rate of being aggressive and doing serious damage. He could be attacking out of fear, that would be even worse. -- Thousands of dogs get put down every day for being food aggressive. The only advice I can offer you is to immediately seek help from a well qualified trainer that has experience with aggressive dogs. Trust me, I know. I raise abused Pitbulls. Dogs can come back from food aggression, but dog-aggressive dogs should NEVER be around other dogs at any time for the rest of their life. If you don't get your dog some proper training, you will get bit, your dog will kill or seriously injure another dog, or your dog could also be killed from the other dog defending itself. Also, visit Leerburg Dog Training's website, I think you will find it helpful. Your situation is dire.

Lack of training and proper manners on your part, as a owner you set the rules and boundaries.If you want it stopped then you need to get started.Edit- dog trainers are a waste of money, they train the dog not the owner so the dog just goes back to old habits.