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Aggression for no apparent reason?
...and he does it only towards me.
We have two dogs - the one behaving aggressively towards me is 13-14 years old. We've had him roughly 12-13 years now. The other dog is a young Siberian Husky I got back in May, who the older dog has taken a shine to since he arrived home - they're inseparable, almost like brothers aside from the size difference.
This started up about three-four weeks ago when he went for my Dad just for shunning him into the kitchen while an electrician was working. My Dad did nothing to provoke him, the dog just lunged at him, growling and snarling. He managed to get him into the kitchen, spoke softly to the dog and he seemed okay afterwards.
The next incident occurred a week before Christmas to me- I've done nothing to provoke him for as long as he's been living with us. He was sitting at my doorway while my parents were out. I needed to go out the room and when I came back, he was sitting there, glaring at me, teeth bared, growling and snarling. I kept quiet and went into my parents' room for a few minutes - heard him bark (aggressively) and chase our other dog (young Siberian Husky, gorgeous friendly temperament) into my room. When I came out, he seemed passive again and happy enough to retreat under my desk.
Following the incident with my dad, we took the dog to the vet for a check-up and blood tests as at this point, we were very concerned. Fortunately, the results were good - he has a clean bill of health. As his owners, we have noticed he isn't eating properly, only eating every 3-5 days.
The most recent incident occurred yesterday. Ever since the incident a week or so before, my parents have agreed to lock him in the "den" cage we have for the husky, which has been moved to another room while the Christmas decorations are on display. Here's what's shaken me up so much as of yesterday-
The older dog shows no sign of aggression towards my parents. When my dad came home yesterday after dropping my mum off at her mother's, he witnessed the dog snarling and glaring at me, barking if I came close to the cage. When my dad opened the cage and promptly told him off, he seemed fine afterwards, growling at me only if I passed him.
He's doing exactly the same thing again today. The room the cage is in has a refrigerator in it, I was only in there for a minute to get a drink. I generally ignore the dogs while my parents are out if ever I need to get something from the fridge or that room in general (such as a coat or any incoming mail).
I've tried scolding him while he was doing it, walking out the room and waiting for him to fall silent and talking softly to him. I just don't know what's gotten into him lately.
My dad suggested he could be jealous, but he's showing no signs of aggression towards my dog or the cat. Just me. Given his age and lack of food intake, I'm wondering if it's taking its toll on his mind at all, or even if he has dementia/alzheimers (if that's at all possible in dogs) and has "forgotten" who I am? Or is it just age-related?
A bit of background information, if it helps: we adopted this dog from a cat and dog shelter. They estimated that he was about a year old and he was very friendly and happy to see people. We believe he is a Jack Russell x Border Collie. He's been with us since my sister and I were children and he knows us just as well as he does my parents. We've never abused him. He is strongly attached to my mother and will whine whenever she's not home, even if me or my dad are in the house- before my parents started locking him in the cage when they were out, he was allowed to roam the house. Problem is, he howls and barks if nobody else is home, even if I am.
He has never seriously injured any of the other pets in the household and has a strong bond with my husky. This has shaken me up and we've discussed the possibility of getting him put to sleep as a last resort if things continue.
Is there anything we can do at all to put an end to his strange aggression? We don't want to put him down unless he becomes too dangerous to live with. Any help is greatly appreciated. I'm at a loss at what to do; it's scary living with a dog that can suddenly snap for no reason at all.
Thank you both for answering.
@Julie D. - I'm sorry for your loss. The blood test wasn't thorough, but we'll try and book another appointment and mention this aggression to the vet and see if there's anything more they can do. Worst we can possibly do is have him euthanized if there's nothing more that can be done to relieve any suffering he might be in.
@Aismehllr - We only put the dogs in the cage when nobody's home to monitor them. If we walk the Sibe or someone is home, we allow the old dog to roam the house. Ever since yesterday, the older dog is caged for safety's sake. We have a set feeding schedule in which the elder dog is fed first then the younger dog- we all chip in, so neither dog is really left out in any way. We do have to be careful with the old dog as he can be a little over-protective of his own bowl.
I should also add that we do walk the old dog once a day as long as he's up for it; the vet did remark that one of his hind legs is stiff during the check-up, but he was otherwise healthy for a dog of his age.
5 Answers
- Julie D.Lv 77 years agoFavorite Answer
I would suggest that there is a medical problem. In the past, we had a dog that displayed abnormal behavior as you're talking about. As it turned out, he had a brain tumor resting on the optic nerve, so he didn't perceive things in the correct way, and therefore acted out, out of defense. After three times of his abnormal behavior, in which one of the times he nearly ripped our other dog apart, which had been his buddy and housemate for 9 years, we had him euthanized at an ER Vet late on a Sunday night. If I were you, I'd be VERY careful with this dog. Somebody could get hurt. Blood tests don't show all medical issues, you know.
- MarianneLv 77 years ago
The first thing I would do with any dog that shows aggression at a late stage in life is a complete thyroid panel. Most vets only test the T4 which is not an accurate way to give a good diagnosis of Hypothyroidism. Ask your vet to run this panel sending the blood to either Michigan State or Dr. Jean Dodds at Hemopet in California.
All the vets have both addresses. Low normal thyroid can cause aggression, especially in an older dog.
Source(s): The Canine Thyroid Epidemic, Dr. Jean Dodds, DVM - WyrDachsieLv 77 years ago
It sounds like a medical problem to me. While you took him to the vet, did you specifically mention the aggression? If so, a good vet would have run bloodwork to test for a low-thyroid, which can cause aggression. Also, lyme disease can cause aggression.
Lastly, since the dog is 13/14 years old, there is also a possiblity the dog may be "doggie alzheimers" (canine cognative dysfunction). All the things I mentioned are easily treatable, but you wouldn't know unless specific blood tests are run.
Thats the direction I would take, if he was my dog.
- 7 years ago
It seems like he has become the beta dog since you got the Husky. The Husky is probably signaling him to act aggressively for him, but you focused on just one dog so I can't tell. Don't put him down. If he is nice to everyone except you, it's behavioral.
Do you leave him in the cage when you're home, but nobody else is? If so, he should be mad at you.
Try bonding with both dogs more by being the one that feeds them. Switch from food out all the time to feeding twice per day. Make them look you in the eyes and not feed them until you say so. Feed the old dog first.
- 7 years ago
Strictly for what it's worth ... this reads more to me like health issue than anything else. Me thinks Julie D. and Marianne are in the right ball park. Take their advice and go see the vet, you need to know what game you're playing. Hopefully, it won't be Julie D's ... that's very ugly play (and its nothing to play with).
