My 3 year old lab, Leo, who is spoilt rotten with hugs and kisses has recently started growling and making motions to bite (but never actually does). We will go to hug and kiss him up as we usually do and he'll growl and look suspicious. With me he'll give a warning growl but with the men in my family he'll just lunge, but he'll never actually bite, more of like a more serious warning. The only thing I can think of that could have put him in a bad mood is that I recently moved out, and visit once a week. Before then, he never growled at me, and we were pretty much inseparable. The last time I left him, I went to say bye and he growled, so i left him alone, but shortly afterwards he came up to me and put both paws on my lap, tail wagging. So i thought ok, I can pet him now, but no. He growled as I pet him. Im so confused, and I hope that in his own way he was saying, Im angry at you for leaving but I love you, lol. Im hoping its just a silly phase and not a sgn of some underlying issue that could lead to serious aggression and biting!! Advice please!!
Re: 3 yr old starting to be aggressive Hi there, Aggression in a previously unaggressive dog is an indication that something is wrong. He may be unwell or in pain, and it is very important that you have him checked over by your vet. In the meantime, avoid hugging your dog and make sure no-one else does either. I hope your vet can get to the bottom of this.
Re: 3 yr old starting to be aggressive Really hope Leo will be OK and a trip to the vet may shed some light on his behaviour. Take care and let us know what happens. x
