My lab is just now 3. He has ALWAYS loved other dogs and has always been great to take to dog beaches and dog parks.he has,always loved puppies of all breeds. In the last month or so, he has become aggressive at the beach and with others dogs and puppies that come our way. I'm very confused on why the sudden change. Any help or ideas would be awesome!!!
Hi and welcome to the forum. I'm not sure that we can help alot but if your dog's behaviour has changed there is a reason for it. Has he been attacked by another dog, frightened by someone, moved house, a change in family circumstances or routine, been neutered - the list of possibilities goes on. Can you tell us exactly what your boy is doing that you describe as aggressive? Is he on lead or off? Are the other dogs on lead or off? What is his body language just before he becomes "aggressive"? Sorry for all the questions when you're looking for answers, but we can offer better advice if we have a clearer idea of the situation.
Hello, and thank you! Well, at the dog beach and parks he is off his lead. At home, he is on his lead during walks but off when we are at home and on our deck (we live on the second floor of an apartment complex). He has been neutered since he was a puppy so I'm sure that's not the issue. We do have 2 neighbor dogs that are small ( one of which is VERY obnoxious to all dogs and people although she doesn't "bite"). But we are very close to our neighbors, they are like family, and we share adjoining decks so the dogs are always interacting with eachother.
On the face of it nothing has changed but as far as your boy is concerned something has happened to trigger a new behaviour from him. You say that one if the neighbours digs is "obnoxious" so what does this dog do? What is your boy doing that us "aggressive"
So, ASAP (my lab) snares at other dogs, deep growls, and actually went after an 8 week old puppy that belongs to a friend of ours. This was their first meeting but still, very unusual behavior for ASAP. Our neighbor has a pomeranian (the obnoxious one who viciously goes after passer-bys, growls and barks every time the wind changes direction) and a chihuahua ( who is sweet, typical chihuahua, but not aggressive or obnoxious like his mother).
With any sudden behavioural changes I would want to rule out any physiological issues. Dogs on the whole are relatively stoic, however, any strains, hip or back problems can manifest as behavioural such as reactive behaviour.
That's funny that you said stoic! That's exactly what we call ASAP! At his most recent trip to the vet (about 5 months ago) he was diagnosed as healthy as can be. He doesn't have any issues with walking or running and plays like crazy (typical lab...lol) Could he, because he is maturing, making an attempt at becoming the " alpha male"? He has never been that way before, but my boyfriend was thinking maybe because he is a "teenager" (so to speak) he is trying to be the dominant one?
My 'just 4 year' old Lab has changed like yours has. I put it down that my senior Lab, nearly 10, is getting older and Rourke is taking over, but am no committed to that idea. Strange.
Hmmm... very interesting. We do have another dog... a 10 year old beagle/cavalier mix, who is deteriorating in health. He has never been a dominant dog, but maybe there is a connection here...
The myth about alpha dog is just that, myth and unsupported by any good scientific studies. It sounds as if he could be mimicking behaviour from your neighbours dog as they can lead bad behaviour as well as good from other dogs. It is also possible that there is an underlying health problem which should checked with the vet. Any change in behaviour has a cause and it is our responsibility to discover what that cause is so that we can take the right action to resolve. If you have no idea as to what may have caused the recent problems you really need to consult a behaviourist, but make sure that they only use positive reinforcement methods, no choke chains, eCollars or noise aversives to correct behaviour. A behaviourist would need some background though to know when the behaviour happens and any and all events which may be relevant.
I want to say thanks to all of the responses! I've received a lot of helpful input and will definitely be pondering all and continue to investigate ASAPs behavior! Thanks again!
There is no value in the concept of dominance when it comes to training dogs, but there is some value in the concept to use to describe relationships between dogs that live together and it's not an empty box in using to describe wolf-wolf behaviour (or, at least some people think so). Even so, I'd doubt this is about your dog's relationship to the dog he is living with - or I can't see a reason why that would be the case. It's probably most helpful to think what you can do about the behaviour. I'd say a lot of careful socialisation (socialisation is an ongoing process, throughout your dog's life), structured interactions, and exposure (under supervision, working with a trainer) to other dogs. If that is possible, it can be tricky to arrange though. I hope you could find a suitable class etc. to help you with this.
Ditto Beanwood, I would Vet and ask for blood work. Hypothyroidism can make a dog seem aggressive where he/she was not before. So can other ailments. http://drjeandoddspethealthresource...ant-behavior-thyroid-dysfunction#.VtyfqUIrJMw
