Aggressive Rat Terrier Mix Puppy Very Aggressive With Visitors

(Idaho)

We bought our little Rat Terrier Mix when he was 2 months old, from the Humane Society.
Even at this very young age he growled a deep growl at me when I hugged him one evening, but after this, his aggression is toward visitors to our home, and not just barking but a deep, threatening bark.
Recently we had relatives at our home for a week, and each morning when they came out of their room, the aggression was as if he had never seen them before. He lunges with a fierce snarl, and he was only 6 months old at the time.
We have regular visitors each day, and the constant barking and aggression is wearing thin.

What can we do to help our puppy become more social, when people are already at our house on a daily basis?

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Apr 13, 2017
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Thank you Adam
by: Anonymous

Thank you for your response. One of our hardest situations with our little guy, we have a few people coming and going throughout our days, each with a different approach, and if I'm not here to intervene, it's like taking one step forward, three steps back.
We have him in a puppy class, learning the basics, working now on following my commands, but I see this as more of needing to be socialized?

Mar 21, 2017
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Nothing In Life Is Free
by: Adam G. Katz

Employ the "Nothing In Life Is Free" approach, so that your dog starts to view you as the "pack leader." If your dog doesn't see you as the leader, then your corrections will be meaningless. So, if you're doing subtle things (inadvertently) to undermine your leadership role around the house-- it will be counter-productive.