WTF! Aggression all of a sudden!

[Krista, Angel, and Toby]

Today, Angel has started acting like a fallen Angel, and I don't know why.  It started when I came home and made supper.  Angel, the thief, stole a loaf of bread from the table.  Not wanting Angel to have a case of the runs tonight, I went to take it from her and for the first time, Angel growled at and tried to bite me.  It's never happened before, but I admit, it shook me to the core this time.  And it's also made me see Angel's actions in a new light...especially her lunging.  I always thought it was excitement at seeing other people...now I'm not so sure.  She also managed to grab my arm in an effort to grab her rope from me (part of a game...I know she didn't mean THAT bite aggressively, but right on the heels of that other moment of aggression, it has me extremely worried.  

Any suggestions?  Is Angel turning into Kujo?  Is it just a symptom of her being possibly sick? (Papilloma, possibly...the vet still doesn't know). 

Thank you.  

[Camilla and Darwin]

I think perhaps if it is the first time she has growled at you she is simply "testing her limits" . If it is an isolated incident, I don't think you have a huge problem, as long as you jump on correcting the behavior before it progresses. As far as the lunging thing... Darwin will sometimes jump and grab a rope or toy out of my hand. I always correct him, but I don't think it's an aggressive move, just puppy excitement.

My suggestion for the resource guarding is to offer her something better the next time it happens. You can practice it whenever she happens to have a toy in her mouth, or something else she wants. Just approach her with a high level treat held out in front of you. Most likely, she will drop what she has and go for the treat. If you do this frequently, she will eventually learn that when you take things from her, she gets something even better.

[laurie lehr]

My thoughts exactley !

[Eva (Lilo and Rocky)]

Is she a teenager? If so, she may very well be testing her limits, like Camilla says. You probably do need to address this now before the problem gets bigger. Stay calm and correct her, in a firm and non-aggresive manner. Reward her consistently for good behavior. I might have traded the loaf of bread for a treat to reward the "drop it." If she lunges at other dogs or people while on leash, you need to work on that asap and get into a better routine of having her sit down and wait while other dogs/humans pass. This also teaches her submission and focusing on you, not someone else. Is she being left alone for extended periods of time? If so, perhaps have her join a dogsitter pack if you can afford it, which will keep her busy and socialized. She may have too much excess energy and built up frustration from not being active enough... young doodles need LOTS of exercise (typically several hours/day).

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I'm not sure if the game you mention is a "tug of war". If it is, you might not want to play this way with Angel right now. I thing that can get really confusing for a dog, especially when they're testing the waters with resource guarding. First of all it gets them very excited, and second it makes it a game to try to get the "prize" away from Mom.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Peri and Angel are almost exactly the same age. While Peri hasn't been "agressive" lately, she is pushing our limits completely. She is counter surfing (she is a MINI). She is eating Taquito's food. She is chewing pillows. She is barking at Taquito when she wants his toy/treat. It has to be this dam&* adolesence! We are just trying to reiterate training. I have been going back to "Leave It" quite frequently. Putting a treat right in front of her and saying "leave it". Second she looks away or at me and focuses she gets a click and treat from my HAND (not treat on floor). This is helping with all of these issues. You could use a variation and say drop it. Then click or praise and give Angel a treat. I guess I don't have the best answer for you, but I am dealing with Peri's issues by reinforcing training all the time. It helps.

Hope you start feeling better - no Angel is not turning into Kujo!

[Julie B.]

Another technique is to do a dominant down a couple of times a day. Do not use the command down but place your pup between your knees while crouching on the ground (your weight and knee pressure can help to put them in the down position). Press them into the down position and then try to relax your pressure as long as they maintain the down. Keep them there for 2-5 minutes without playing games etc. If they try to get up use your negative word and praise them every once in awhile if they are staying in the down. I didn't like this technique at first but I must admit it didn't take long for my 14 week old pup to quit resisting and just lay there. She has learned through this body language technique that I am dominant and she really tries to obey my requests much better now. I am all about positive training but this simple exercise can make training much more productive in the long run.

[Laura & Chewie]

I am assuming the dog is facing away from you in this position, but wanted to clarify as I might be interested in trying this with Chewie. I am all for positive training as well, but sometimes he can have such a mind of his own that he really needs to see who's boss. He waits for his food, to walk thru the door, etc, so I am definitely open to an alternative (non-confrontational) method at this point. We also have a resource guarding problem with him. He will always trade for a treat (what won't he do for a treat...LOL), but now I think he finds anything he can grab in the hopes of getting a treat...smart he definitely is

[shelly]

Oh boy - just a few months back I was exactly in your position. Tori did that to me. In fact, I wrote about it quite a bit in past forums. You can search my page for the conversations. Tori was just over 14 months old or o, and then she did the same thing to my mother in law just this past month - she still has the bruises to show for it.... she now is just about 23 months almost. It worried me to. I yelled, no SCREAMED, cried, you name it. I was so hust. I refused to speak to her or even look at her for the rest of that night. The next day, I began to AGAIN show her who's boss. I tethered her to me while in the house. Made her wait for her food. She was behind me, and went out after I stepped out, and came in after I stepped thru' the door. This was done for quite a while. She did get the picture. All was fine until she did it again last month. I don't know the exact situation, but I do know that no one can try and remove something she doesn't want to give up with out trying to trade off something, and even then she must see my hand coming - SLOWLY. Sometimes a hand comes quickly without noticed to them and they react as a "DOG". We just love them so much, as if they are not animals that we sometimes think they should react as "human". Set those boundaries again, and just be wary now. I am sure she will lose those "horns" she started to grow. You're not alone... Good luck