Sudden aggression

Hi there, sounds like a bit of a handful! Fear aggression is difficult, as it is easy to inadvertently reinforce the behaviour.

Most cases of fear aggression can be treated and improved with desensitization and counterconditioning. This means building the “bank” of noises and situations your dog considers normal, by using them daily and exposing her to them more and more often. I realize with a suddenly aggressive dog this is a bit intimidating; an option is to use a muzzle on her until her attacks are less severe and less often. Have your son come around more often, and not only at night. A sudden entry of someone into the home at night is more understandable as a cause of alarm to the dog, try to get her used to him being around.

Really good move consulting a trainer quickly; as they advised, counterconditioning by having her stay calm on her bed is a good start. Don’t reward or reassure fearful aggression – this means don’t babytalk her or try to pat her when she becomes fearful, this is saying “its ok to act like this” to the dog. Try ignoring her, or, -without physical punishment- taking her to her bed or kennel, speaking sternly to her. Always pay attention to and reward her calm reactions. Incorporate her trigger noises into happy times for her, such as when she is being fed or play time, so that she starts to associate them with good feelings.

There are medications and other such treatments for aggressive dogs. Your vet can prescribe or give you advice on sedative type pills, or you could try DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromone), which is an in house treatment that helps to calm the dog in its own environment.

Hope this helps, good luck!