Worried about sudden aggression with other dogs (long)
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Worried about sudden aggression with other dogs (long)
Submitted by admin on April 20, 2010 - 7:18pmHi
I've got two bulldogs - the one of current concern is my two year old spayed bitch called Belle. She's always been so full of fun without a grumpy or spiteful bone in her body - she just loves running around and tumbling with other dogs in the park - she's a joy. Then last week my dog walker told me that over the last 2 weeks, Belle has been getting really aggressive with other dogs - going up to them unprovoked and trying to grab their ball/stick and then attacking them. She also said that Belle has caused a few fights with her own dogs (all of which up to now have been her best friends). I thought it was odd and said I'd keep an eye.
This weekend we went to my folks farm where they have four dogs (2 labradors and 2 collies. Belle has known and loved these dogs since she was a puppy and normally runs in and starts playing immediately. This time it was different. She did play for a bit but then it was like a switch was turned and she got nasty. It was such a shock - she attacked two of them and then turned on Gooner, my other bulldog. No damage was done to any of them but then she just sat in the corner and was a bit quiet and down for the next day. What is going on? She doesn't seem in any distress and is eating, sleeping etc normally. My family say I should go to the vet, but I think they'll just say keep an eye. Help!!
No simple quick answer...
Is Belle spayed? If not, her hormones could be "off" due to seasonal changes. If she's not feeling well physically (yes, a vet exam is required) that could contribute to her grumpines but I would expect it to be from the start rather than a change in attitude after initial friendliness. She could also just be 'growing up' and wanting to become bossy...top dog...especially if she sees another dog behaving in this authorative manner...she may feel the urge to challange. I don't have an easy answer for this behavior except to say that she needs to be corrected...but not "broken in spirit". I think some isolation or putting her on leash for 10-15 minutes may get the message to her that she's crossed the line of 'free choice' and has to behave within certain rules. You don't want her to hate other dogs, but rather to reign herself in, and calm down. If she cannot do this by herself, you or the handler/sitter need to physically help her to step back/calm down...and hope that this subtle approach is sufficient to get her to return to her former self.
Hypothyroidism?
Our 2-1/2-year-old male bully began behaving like that at around 8 or 9 months of age (he had already been neutered at 6 months). His aggression became more and more bizarre -- directed first at dogs, then machinery or most anything that made noise, and finally people. We consulted several trainers, the University of Pennsylvania, a veterinary behaviorist, bulldog breeders, anyone we could think of. The behaviorist put him on both Prozac and Elavil, neither of which seemed to help much. A couple of months ago, his vet ran a thyroid panel for the second time (which I had to push for because it had been done 6 months ago and was normal), and the results this time showed him to be hypothyroid. He's been on thyrozine since and has become a different dog. Every day he becomes more and more "normal," to the point that we took him with us to get a Christmas tree over the weekend and he was wonderful ... friendly to everyone, showing no aggression toward the other dogs that were there, and most amazingly, could have cared less about the roaring chainsaws. I'd encourage you to ask your vet to check your dog's thyroid. And ask that they send it to the University of Michigan. (I've had two vets tell me that they do the most thorough job.) If it comes back as normal, and the problems continue, check it again in 4 - 6 months as some dogs will show symptoms of hypothyroidism before it actually reads as such in their bloodwork. We had many many people tell us to get rid of our dog, but the kids are so attached to him that I felt I had to try absolutely everything first. I'm so glad I persisted. Hope this helps. Good luck.