Aggression toward People.
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When a dog bites a person, it’s a very grave subject. Your wisest path is to recruit the support of a behaviour expert at the first sign the dog MIGHT bite a human.
Like violent behavior toward other dogs, violent behaviour toward people doesn’t go away on its own. In recent years lots of local authorities have strengthened their laws governing dog bites. People have gone to prison when their dogs killed someone. Young children make up most of the fatalities from dog bites.
Few bites result in death, but courts consistently award victims of dog bites all expenses, including time lost from work. Your homeowners insurance might pay for one dog bite, but then would likely refuse to insure you at all anymore. You would likely be faced with the decision of putting the dog to sleep, after first paying for the dog to be held in quarantine long enough to rule out rabies. This is a thoroughly unhappy ending for everyone concerned.
In the very earliest stages of reaction to people on outings, you may be able to work through the problem with classes, diligent application of the focused attention exercise, and a head halter or muzzle to remove the dog’s option of using the mouth against a human. You’ll need to work the dog at a distance from people-both physically and emotionally-that allows the dog to feel safe.
Changing a dog’s state of mind is a slow process. Don’t rush it. Every time the dog sees someone approaching and goes into an aggressive display, you’ve had a major setback. Your goal is to bring the dog along at a pace that prevents this from happening, until eventually the dog can remain calm around people.
The process also requires cooperative people who will follow your instructions around your dog. At first you’ll simply want the dog to see them at a distance and then immediately focus on you. Gradually, over many sessions, you move closer to people, have them pass, have them pass and drop down a treat, have them pay slight attention to the dog, have them very briefly touch the dog, and perhaps-with dogs who can make it this far-you eventually have the dog going up to the person for petting. If the person rushes the process and the dog’s aggression triggers, you’ve lost ground. You can see that a behavior specialist is a great help in structuring the right training situations for the dog.
Genetic temperament, experiences, and of course the skill and commitment of the handler will determine the dog’s chances of improvement. Some dogs will never be safe to take out in public.
If you have the facilities to keep the dog at home without posing a threat to other people, you may be able to do that and give the dog a good life. You might be surprised at the number of potentially dangerous dogs who live out their lives this way, in competent hands, and never hurt anyone.
If you don’t have those facilities, you’ll have a difficult decision to make. Enlist the expertise of a behavior specialist in person to help you assess the dog and your options.
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