Aggressive dog. medication for calming?

I have a large dog that hates everyone but us. If someone comes over he barks and barks and wants to get them. We put him in his room where he will carry on and on and on with barking and whining and every time he hears the visitor talk or move he gets wound up even more. His bark is so loud you can't ignore it, even with the door closed. We have tried to go in there and calm him but it doesn't work. We are having people over for the holidays and it's going to be unbearable. Does anyone know of a calming medication that could calm him down?

Not sure which of your five dogs we are talking about but would think that whichever it was he is wanting to warn the rest of the 'pack' that there are strangers approaching or in the house.

Barking is not the same as aggression. Bear in mind that dogs are incredibly social animals and the pack is key to their survival. There are at least ten different types of bark, Google it and check which it is he is using.

You may know your visitors but your dogs don't, at least not until they have smelt them and recognise their smell from previous meetings. Yes it's true your visitors smell not that us humans can notice (usually ) but it's a key factor in a dogs relationship.

Have you tried putting a collar and lead on him and letting him approach your visitors one by one, you might be surprised that after sniffing them he'll calm down.

If he doesn't that means there is something wrong with them, not your dog. They may be exceptionally nervous, they may have been preparing a meal (so smell of chicken or whatever) they maybe just don't like dogs which your boy will sense.

In our house any visitors who fall into the above category don't get a return invite, humans are not superior to dogs, just different

Marley, a pitbull old english sheep dog mix, really is an ass. Lol. He started aggression as a puppy. He would bite if you made him go inside, he loves it outside and if you make him do something he don't want to do he will bite. He has tried to bite me too. He was my nephews dog and he bit his siblings. He likes no one. He doesn't even like my nephew anymore. He barks at him. We thought he would be okay with him since it was his dog first. But when Shawn turned to walk away Marley lunged at him and would have gotten him if he wasn't on a leash. He can't be trusted. He doesn't really growl either, no warning growl, you have to be watching him for the signs or you will be surprised with a bite. He was in his crate and I let him out while my mom was over, good thing I put him on leash because he went running over to her in attack mode, he didn't want to smell her first just bite. He has issues. He is a scaredy cat too. If something moves on its own, like the broom falls over, he will totally freak out and literally jump in the air and take off running. I don't know why he is like that. None of my other dogs have ever been like this. I'm sure he needs professional help but that is expensive.

When u said he gets scared by everything u hit the nail on the head. He is scared just that, the barking the biting ,he is not waiting to be bitten himself so he bites first.in his eyes attack is the best form of defences .
He picks up on your fear as soon as you start worrying about ppl coming over and so is always on high alert.
All of u could do with some real help in learning how to act around him.and how he should respond around u. It's not something that can stop over night I'm afraid .

he sounds like a nervous dog to me and need professional help expensive or not as the issue hasnt been addressed form day one this will be a hrad nut to crack and wont be acheived by internet advice as good as it may be it needs someone to assess the dog. Do you have a rescue close by that assesses dogs for rehoming suitability that may be able to help? not to rehome but to see what their view is of his 'mentality'

did your nephew have him from a pup? was he smacked for growling as a pup? you often find that dogs that do not give a warning have been told off/smacked for growling previously so forget about the warning stage and go straight to defence.

professional help is the only way forward

I know we all need a trainer to show us what to do and how to get him to respond the way he should. We put him on a leash and try to calm him. My husband does it because Marley listens to him the most. He never bites at him either. I guess he is the "pack leader". He will calm for a few minutes as long as he can't see or hear the visitor. Sometimes he will calm longer even seeing the person, as long as they don't stand up and move around. I know we all need help. As far as I know he didn't get hit for growing, not by my nephew. I don't know about the people that had him first. He got Marley as a baby, soon as he could leave his mom.

But my initial question was, does anyone know of a good calming aid for when people come over, to relax him and his anxiety?

Think you really need to ask your vet. Even if I knew of anything I would never suggest it over the internet, there's just so many factors to consider and anyway I am not a vet.

It has been well established by research on both sides of the Atlantic that what dogs learn in their first 12 weeks (give or take a bit) conditions them for the rest of their life. As the saying goes "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" sadly this often works against the dog , it can be done but sure does take time.

Do please ask your vet for something if you feel it must be some sort of medication, and continue to research his early life because the key is there.

In a nutshell, no, I don't believe there is any medication you can give as a calming aid. You need to be the calming aid and it won't be easy. As others have suggested, his reaction is based on fear. Fear aggression of humans apart from his own human pack. IMO fear in dogs of humans is easier to conquer than fear aggression involving other dogs (which is the issue we have with our Ben). My advice would be to find yourself a good dog behaviourist who can work with you and the dog - best of luck to you, you'll get there!

I found some calming aids on Drs. Foster and Smith. Some had some good reviews. I'm going to ask the doctor about them and probably give it a try. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...0&pcatid=20510