We are a family with a ten years boy and we have a Labrador, male, age 2 and half years (his name is Cole). We bought the dog at 6 weeks and up to 4 mouth he stayed in the house, with a lot of play and attention from all family members. Than we move him out in the garden (aprox 100mp), free, with a lot of play through the participation of several children. He was the central character of the game - everybody loves him. Up to one year and a half he never show any sign of aggression - it was out of the question. He also get out to a walk almost every day. After this age he began to bark at any guest that came in the garden, even in our presence. Also he got irritate when other people try to touch him - he even bite one friend of ours. At age 2, at meal time, our boy try to touch him in a kind of "sit down" command, and he easily bites his hand (and it wasn't in a play kind). From that moment we move him to an restricted area of the garden (aprox 30mp), surrounded by fence, with a view to the whole garden. In that place his behavior became more aggressive, event with family members (growl and barking) when we remain near the food bowl. Than we try to feed him from the hand (and we did it 1 month) and he accepted it. But, after this period, when we came back to bowl, he became again aggressive (growl and barking). So ... no results ... What we can do in such a problem? Food aggression and not excepting other people around him ... Many thanks
Hi there Christian and welcome to the forum. I'm sorry you are having these problems with your dog. When aggression appears in a dog that was previously friendly, there can be a number of different reasons. Sometimes aggression can be triggered by the way that a dog is treated - a dog that is physically punished for example may eventually defend itself or become irritable. Sometimes Ill health alone can cause aggression, either because the dog is in pain, or because it has a disease that can trigger aggression for some other reason. In most cases of aggression the reason is complicated and may involve several different factors. And to complicate things further, sometimes excitable play can be mistaken for aggression. Some types of aggression - food guarding for example - are fairly straightforward to treat. Other types are not and especially where there are children involve the risk to those around the dog needs to be carefully assessed. Because the cause of aggression can be difficult to pin down, and because health can be involved, the first port of call for any dog showing signs of aggression is their vet. If the dog is given a clean bill of health and is definitely showing signs of aggression, then the next stop is a qualified behaviourist. This is unlikely to be something that we can help you with online, and it's important that you get some professional help. Keeping him apart from children until the risk has been professionally assessed would be a sensible precaution.
Years ago, I had a Malamute that suddenly became aggressive towards us. The vet was no help. We eventually figured out that he was in some pain, perhaps from a back strain. Anyway he got over it and became his old laid back self again.
In my opinion the dog needs more socialization. I would start taking him walks so he sees different people. I would not let others pet him but I would get him out of the garden more. I would start at a distance where he feels comfortable and watch kids play in the play ground, maybe a soccer game or other events where there are people out and about. Make sure you stay calm and relaxed otherwise he will pick up on your feeling and could cause him to act out when he doesn't need to.
Many thanks for your answers ... for about 3 days we put the dog on a "socialization program" ... playing, walks outside the garden, new toys (and he is very happy about). We'll do also a vet health examination soon.
