unprovoked aggression

Hi ,
Joined to ask a question regarding my son's 3 year old staffy bitch.
Today, out of nowhere, the dog growled at my sons Mrs, and when she pushed the dog away, the dog went to bite her.
My son then told the dog off, the dog then turned and growled at my son, something she has NEVER done before.
They have had the dog since she was 9 weeks old, and she is normally the soppiest thing in the world.
She is fit, healthy, exercised three times a day, and never left alone for protracted periods..No illnesses present.
This incident scared them both, and they are now seriously worried as to the reason behind this whilly i
uncharacteristic display of aggression.
Does anyone have any advice on this issue?
Any help would be great, as they are distraught at the thought of having to lose her, but are also worried this may be a turning point in the dogs behaviour.
Thanks,
Pete

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Can you give us any context to the initial growl? Was it resource guarding (a toy/bone), had something else just happened, was she acting differently at all beforehand, or anything else that could explain why she did it?

It's the initial growl we need to get to the bottom of, the rest comes from that and then people's reactions to her. If you think about it from the dog's point of view, she's just growled as a warning, probably a 'keep away', and your daughter-in-law instead went towards the dog and made contact. In dog terms, she'd ignored that 'keep away or else' and so got the 'or else'.

Telling a dog off doesn't do much positive most times anyway. In this situation, you've got a dog who is already upset and the telling off then just adds more reason to be cross.

I completely agree, it's not a reaction you want but that's just to explain that you've not got a dog who randomly bit, she had warned first. Always heed a dog's warning.

So what we need to get to the bottom of is the growl. Have a think all together about the time leading up to it, possibly right beforehand but also possibly earlier on, and see if there is anything at all that you can think of. There will be a reason for it, it's 'just' a matter of hunting. If there is nothing that you can put your finger on, it's worth a trip to the vet. A change in behaviour can sometimes indicate a medical problem.

Liz is right. no dog 'turns' just out of the blue - there's a reason!

i would guess at one of two things - guarding (toy/food/bed etc) or illness/pain.

although you say she's healthy, and she may well be, a stafford is extremely good at ignoring pain & discmfort until it reaches quite a high level. a vet check may be a good idea to rule out pain. have you checked her teeth/mouth, neck, shoulders & back, and all four legs/paws?

if it's guarding, then there are ways of tackling it & people here will be glad to give you a few tips!

You said "no illnesses present", have you been to the vet to have this confirmed? Dogs are very good at hiding their pain and can show it in other ways, for instance teeth grinding can mean abdominal pain and they can show other signs such as change in behaviour, appetite, sleep and temperament.

I would personally get her to the vet for a full MoT just to eliminate any ailments

id get a vet check too if you have exhausted all.other avenues, is she due a season at all?

Yup, I'm inclined to agree with the above posts, there will be a reason for this behaviour as it is so out of character. Finding out what caused it is the problem now. If you don't think it was a food/toy issue then a vet check is the safest thing even if it simply rules out some underlying issue.

Do let us know what you come up with and an update

With regard to reason, she was NOT guarding anything, they were all sat as usual in the evening. She (the dog), has just had her 6 monthly check at the vet, (they really look after the dog), and all was clear.
She is a few weeks past her last season, had been walked and run around in the park for an hour or so, something they do EVERY evening without fail, even in bad weather.
The growl came out of nowhere, they were not touching the dog, just sat watching telly and talking to each other , and they always talk to the dog, they treat her like a child.......They have NEVER struck her, Never shouted at her, when reprimanding her, (a rare thing), they don't raise voice, merely use a sterner tone.They are taking her back to the vet tomorrow.
However, they tell me she is now somehow not the same dog she was before this happened.....she is walking around as usual wagging her tail etc, but every so often she goes stiff legged and bristles and looks aggressive, but does NOT growl, whine or whimper.....hopefully the vet will find the cause
N.B.
Son has just found out that two of the dogs siblings were put down recently for aggressiveness..I.E.snapping at people and one case of biting.....hereditary trait???? Knowing as little as I do about staffies, I have put as much info as I have, hopefully someone here will have some idea.
Thanks again to all for the replies...
Regards
Pete

It could be that she has a hidden illness, like epilepsy or something. Fits aren't always violent convulsions, they can be more subtle. Regular health checks by the vet won't cover some of your more hidden illnesses and they probably wouldn't even check for them. If your son explains the whole situation, there's things that they can look for that they might not in routine examinations. Let us know how they get on

Thank you for the reply,
I will, of course let you all know the outcome. Dog is going to vets tomorrow for examination, and I have asked the vet to do a urine analysis, this after reading about the lh.something or other acid...errr, I forget sorry, that can affect some staffs......
Regards
Pete

hope she gets on ok

Going solely by your description that really does sound like a health issue to me. If, like you said, there are littermates who have had similar reactions, maybe there's a hereditary illness?

Hope you find out what's wrong tomorrow.

Oh no poor little mite doesn't sound happy at all, and what a shame about her litter mates! Do you know anything about her breeding? Was she from a regular pet breeding or a KC breeding? Any health tests done on parents before breeding? This is such a sudden thing and it sounds like he's behaviour is erratic, I'd put a bet that it's medical. Do you also know how old the pups were when they left mum/how much input was put into their early months by the breeders?

Please do let us know what the vet says, Pete. Fingers crossed you can get to the bottom of it.

I've no personal experience of aggression being a inherited trait but other characteristics such as nervousness can be, so I wouldn't rule it out as technically possible. However, if that was the case here I would imagine you'd have seen something previously.

What is possible, though, is that there is a hidden physical issue that has been passed on that starts causing discomfort, such as hip problems. That sort of thing is worth checking tomorrow as well.

Good luck!

welshpete wrote:Thank you for the reply,
I will, of course let you all know the outcome. Dog is going to vets tomorrow for examination, and I have asked the vet to do a urine analysis, this after reading about the lh.something or other acid...errr, I forget sorry, that can affect some staffs......
Regards
Pete

if it is L2HGA your vet probably won't be able to test for it, it isn't always clear from a urine analysis. you'll need to get a DNA test done from the Animal Health Trust - have a look here
www.aht.org.uk/cms-display/genetics_l2hga.html

it may not be that of course, but it'll be worth ruling it out.

Hi Pete, so sorry to hear this. The only experience I have of this, and I have owned my staff 10 years, is that when she has been unwell and my kids tried to grab her for a hug like they always do she jumped and had a growl because she was in pain. There doesn't seem to be any other explanation, it does seem very odd. Clare x

Hi everyone...as an update to earlier posts, the dog was seen by the vet today....After a batch of tests, giving her a clean bill of health, it would seem it is a behavioural issue.
The vet thinks it has been caught in time to re train her, so an appointment has been made with a dog trainer for tomorrow...]After my son speaking to the people he got the dog from, it turns out the mum was a pure bred staff, the father was cross staff and pit bull....allegedly....Furthermore, All the littermates have been aggressive, but I would put this down to the owners rather than the dogs, knowing the family the dog came from...with the exception of the one that was put down for biting some one who walked past the garden....
Will update as I hear more.
Regards
Pete.

good to hear with some improvement the dog should thrive good luck with the classes

Very odd Pete, there's normally some underlying reason other than just genes. Out of interest, how long has your son had her ?

It might just take a little training and a confident manner with her, that's not to say rough or toughness is in any way forward, just confident handling.

You are right about the litter mates, it's normally the owner and bad training. Do keep us updated.

You're sounding a bit happier now there's a plan - that's good to hear. I hope you get on well with the trainer and that they help you not only settle things down but also get some idea of what might have started this.

Fingers crossed for you that it's all back to normal soon.

whilst I wouldn't question your vet, I would look into the trainer's qualifications before you go. make sure they are actually qualified in force free training methods, including how to deal with aggression. with aggression it's essential that you use non aversive methods - force can make it worse.

you'd be surprised how many vets don't have a clue about training! not their fault entirely, it doesn't form part of their MRCVS degree.

Aww hope this sorts itself out. As mentioned check out the trainer credentials, I had a bad experience with one. Make sure they are accredited with the right qualifications and treat based. Good Luck x