Advice needed please

[JoNano87]

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I am after some advice. I have a 4.5 year old cockapoo who has always been a friendly thing, loving people and other dogs. I have owned him since he was 1 year old and the first year he was fine. In May 2018 he started to show a bit of aggression in growling at me if I asked him to move or get off the couch and went for me once or twice if I moved him in the wrong way. I also noticed he was starting to walk a bit funny. I took him to the vets (I was 6 months pregnant so didn’t want an aggressive dog on my hands) and asked for their advice. They xrayed his hips and said there was a possibility he had hip dysplasia and referred him to a specialist. He saw the specialist on July 2018 who did more scans and confirmed he had hip dysplasia in both hips. It was agreed that he would have a full right hip replacement once I had had my baby. In the meantime I warned family to not touch him round his back end as he was probably in pain and he was stopped from jumping on the couches. He had his op on 1st November 2018 with a long recovery but he was a very good and calm patient. Come February 2019 it was like he was another dog. A few months went by and he seemed to be resource guarding, would growl if I went near him if he had stolen a tissue or a sock. He has his own crate and a pen to keep him away from my daughter but was always good with her whenever they were together under watch. Fast forward a couple of months and more aggression started showing. He went for me once just because I went to stroke him when he was in his cage. I learnt from that to not go near him when he was in his space. But he also went for my husband and father in law when they have tried to move him. I decided to take him back to the specialist (Feb 2020) to see how his other hip was doing as I believed he was in pain with the one that hadn’t been fixed. The vet said it didn’t look any worse but he had lost muscle and was overcompensating with his new hip. Again it was agreed that he would have surgery later this year (I’m pregnant again) to replace his left hip. I am currently nearly 38 weeks pregnant and have been so on the ball keeping dog and toddler apart when toddler is being full on however last weekend he went for her when she went near him. I gave him the benefit of the doubt as I’d tied him up because he wouldn’t stop running round the garden and he was over heating so was probably grumpy but then today she went near him and he just went for her for no reason and bit her arm. Luckily he didn’t puncture it but then he went for me when I tried to get hold of him. He had no toys or belongings near him for him to resource guard and toddler hadn’t been harassing him. He is currently on metacam to help with his hips until the op so he’s not in pain. I am now in the horrible position of having to make a horrendous decision. My husband doesn’t want him back in the house which I can understand. If he were to do it again and the outcome be worse then it would be my fault. I have tried everything in my power to make things work but I just can’t trust him. Do any of you have any suggestions? Re-homing him will be very tricky as he is a biter and will need another hip replacement soon but I just can’t make that decision to have him put to sleep. Please help.

 

[JudyN]

It's a difficult situation. There is something not right in his world. The first thing I would do is go back to your vet and say that if you can't get to the bottom of this you may be forced into euthanasia (you'd probably have to have a phone consultation at the mo). Maybe ask if it would be worth trying a stronger painkiller, to see if you can rule out pain being a contributor (metacam may only take the edge off it).

Ask if they can refer you to a vet behaviourist. A straightforward behaviourist may be able to help but the field is unregulated - anyone can call themselves a behaviourist, so research carefully. Anyone who talks about packs, status, dominance, or corrections should be avoided.

Could he also sense a change in you now you're pregnant, and be unsettled by it?

I'd also question whether your cockapoo is getting the exercise and mental stimulation he needs. Cockapoos can be intelligent, energetic, and sensitive so can need a lot of 'entertainment' and brain work, and behavioural issues can be the result of not having all their needs met. This may be even harder at the moment, as walks may be limited by the lockdown and his hips. How long is he in his crate for each day?

If, at the end of the day, you can't manage to resolve this and can't rehome him, then you do have to put your children first. And if you've done absolutely everything you can, then you shouldn't feel guilty - however hard it is.