gentle dog become aggressive

[ian lister]

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Arte was born : 12th July 2016. There were no unusual problems with him apart from the fact that as he grew he got stronger and pulled like hell as we took him out walking and he was almost too strong for me! Unsuccessful attempts were made to train to walk rather than pull – to no avail. He is a very much loved dog and has always been given much cuddling, picking up, playing with by the two children – ages 12 and 14.

All this seemed to change after he was attacked by a small dog on 22nd September ’18 who flew across the garden he was in (untethered) and made straight for him -and attacked for absolutely no reason and gave him a small penetrating bite on his back. He made no attempt to fight back or show anger and when we continued the walk home seemed to show no after affects. I am mentioning this because his behaviour did gradually change afterwards. He sometimes growled at other dogs although not always. I realise his present behaviour may have nothing to do with what happened. But it does seem to be a demarcation line.

Since then he has started growling at people including Alex for whom he was primarily bought and for whom he helped so much to become a lovely very happy boy. Alex had been diagnosed as having mild Aspergers when he was 11. Arte’s behaviour has become worse and more worrying over the last few weeks when he has jumped up and bitten once or twice. It was decided that there was no option but to have him castrated (about 3 weeks ago). However he seems to have got even worse since then although in between times he becomes the friendly tail-wagging dog he always was. His growling seems to be completely unpredictable. He doesn’t appear to be in pain or sick. Unless we can find a way of understanding and preventing this behaviour, it will mean thinking about re-homing which would be devastating for Anne and the children as it would be for us.

We have wondered if it was an attempt (as he reached maturity) to assume top dog in the pecking order as Alex is his primary carer but this seems unlikely as he is so worryingly unpredictable.
So it would be massively interesting to get any ideas and thoughts as to what can be done.

 

[JudyN]

I don't believe it's anything to do with being 'top dog' - the idea that dogs and their humans have a strict pecking order is outdated. Dogs aren't out to rule the roost, they just do what works for them.

Has your vet done a thorough health check, looking for anything that might cause pain? Thyroid levels can affect behaviour so this would be worth checking - and of course any signs of dental problems, though I'd hope the vet checked his teeth while he was being castrated. I don't want to scare you but there could even be something like a brain tumour.

It can take time for hormones to decrease after castration, and he may still be affected by the stress of the procedure. If the growling is caused by stress/fear/pain, then unfortunately the op might make him worse, not better, as testosterone can give a dog confidence. But that is a big topic with little agreement!

Is there anything you can think of that sets the growling off - people going near his bed, or petting him, food being around, or similar? What about when he's on walks - has his attitude to other dogs changed? I think you could really do with a good behaviourist who can observe Arte and how everyone in the family interacts with him - it might help if you could catch video of him growling though this may be tricky. But you need to select a behaviourist with care - reject anyone who talks about 'correcting' the dog's behaviour or reducing his 'status'. This is a good place to start: CAPBT - COAPE Association of Pet Behaviourists and Trainers

 

[Mayblossom]

Did he have to go to the vet after he was bitten? And was the bite anywhere near his spine?

 

[Mad Murphy]

I agree with much that has been said you need a proper vet exam to rule out any pain or injury that could be causing him to react. Also agree re the testosterone .. castration can cause nervous dogs to become worse not better.

If the are no medical reasons then you need a good trainer who can help you indentify triggers and give you the correct methods to deal with it.

Good luck

 

[Kara 1]

What breed is he ...

 

[merlina]

Good advice from everyone. Can I add that growling is often misunderstood by humans. A dog's growl usually means 'I'm unhappy/ scared with what's happening' or 'You are hurting me.' It's dog's way of asking the human or other dog to back off or stop doing what they are doing. So in many ways growling is a good thing. It shows the uncomfortable dog doesn't want to escalate a situation into violence. We have two male dogs, one castrated, one entire. (The castrated one is slightly more aggressive.) They will growl at each other if one oversteps the mark- if the perpetrator doesn't listen, the aggrieved dog may dart forward and give either a poke or even a nip to the other's face. If you can analyse what's happening it makes perfect sense- to both dogs! A dog that's been attacked may well interpret a dog or human running in its direction, say, as aggression. If it growls and nips it's responding, by saying in dog language, Don't want to fight but you're scaring me so stop now.

Good luck and really hope a trainer can help you and your family over this.