Growling dog sees us as threat

My dog barks and growls at me like she has never seen me before,
especially when she is "protecting" my wife. She does this to all of
the family members except my wife. We expect she has some background
issues as we got her from the shelter 5 weeks ago. She is
approximately 2 year old terrier, probably rat terrier. We have all
tried to assure her we are not a threat and approach her slowy offering
our hand first and eventually her growly turn to moans, but sometimes
this all starts over again after only a few minutes, if I leave the
room and return. Perhaps our persistence will pay off but are there any
shortcuts anyone can offer?

Amy Dahl...

I would like to suggest that a consultation with a good behaviorist might
be time and money well spent. IMO aggression of any kind should be
taken seriously. Frequently some effort to understand the situation
in terms of canine behavior, maybe a change in the household routine,
and perhaps some targeted behavioral interventions will keep everyone
living together safely.

While growling at household members can seem inexplicable to a dog's
owners, most likely it fits a pattern that is familiar to a qualified
consultant, and he or she can help you with good strategies to resolve
the problem. What you describe sounds like a common scenario to
me, but you should have hands-on help, and I am merely interested in
aggression, not experienced in dealing with it.

Your vet may be able to recommend a qualified behaviorist. You can
also try the local animal shelter--some have consultants who will help
you for free.

Amy Dahl