Buddy change in behaviour - getting worried

hi I haven't been on here much but now I need some help.. Buddy is 3 year old male I have had him since 10 weeks - other than normal puppy stuff he has been a great dog until recently- a few months ago I noticed when my hubby takes his dish from him (he plays with it ) he started to growl - but my hubby plays with him and hides his toys so I thought maybe it was due to that as he always lets me take it from him - but the my daughter who came home for a few days from uni said he was sitting on her lap and tried to nip her face a few weeks ago - I wondered if he was just over aroused as I have never seen him do this behavior and he gets so excited to see her - but the last three weeks he has started to growl and be aggressive towards other dogs, has never really liked other dogs but has never growled or been aggressive before - I again have never had it when I walk him until last week but to be fair the other dog is dog aggressive and had was staring him out and the stupid woman wouldn't move and I had no choice but to walk past - but 10 mins ago my daughter said she was doing some training with him and ask for his paw and he wouldn't give it so she went to lift it and he bit her hand not serious but enough to hurt and for her to call me - he has been to the vet week before last as had a touch of kennel cough and had a full examination and there s nothing wrong with him, had antibiotics and the cough has gone - had to go to a new vet as he snapped at the old one when having his jabs - something else he has never done - but the vets was in a pets at home shop and he was so aroused by the time he got to the vets I put it down to that -in the new vets he was a lot better - but now I am worried what to do with him he is due in the kennels on Saturday for 2 weeks what if he bites them - why is he doing it, what can I do to stop this getting really bad - he was fine with me this morning - I cant have a dog that family are scared of.. any advice? literally she has just called to say he has now tried to nip her boyfriend too - am at a loss as to what is wrong with him

I don't want you to think you're being ignored, but I think Liz is the one to help you with this. I'm sure she'll be along soon!

I'm afraid I'm going to pass on this, for two reasons. Firstly, when it comes to biting and escalating behaviour of this sort, the level of risk means that you can't afford not to get the best advice possible, and that's not going to be from someone online. The second reason is that it is probably going to be a combination of things, including human actions/reactions, that needs someone on the ground to assess in detail. It's simply not possible to make that assessment without seeing it, no matter how accurately someone thinks they are describing something they will only ever be able to describe what they perceive and it's often what they're not seeing that will make the difference.

The only advice I can give you is to seek professional help from a qualified (and insured) behaviour trainer, someone who uses positive methods and ideally someone who is recommended be others who have had behaviour issues. You don't need someone who's great at agility or obedience, you need someone who is experienced in assessing home situations and finding the overall root(s) of the problem.

Good luck!

hi Liz - I understand what you are saying - if I wasn't going away tomorrow that would be exactly what I would do - I went home last night and wasn't sure what to expect , but he was fine I did some training in the garden just to see if he would respond he was fine - he stole his blanket from his bed but gave it back to me with no issues - played ball in the house with hubby who made him sit and took the ball away - my daughter said he was panting a lot and was really hyper when her friend ( who he knows ) came over and was barking at her - Buddy never barks... so like you say its hard to gauge the situation when you are not there , maybe they just got him over aroused and didn't read his signals that enough was enough ( no excuse for the biting I know ) -I have spoken to the kennels who are also a rescue center so they are used to dealing with a range of dog behavior and have said they will monitor and log his behavior for me so we can see if there is any pattern , then when I am back I will try and find a local behaviorist near me and have a chat with them - my daughter goes back to uni in 2 weeks so the house will be calmer so I should get time to work with him on calmness and boundaries -I'm not giving up on him that's for sure .

Can i ask what he is fed? Bad behaviour can often be triggered by certain types of food.

hi Buddy is Raw fed and has been since 5 months old - my daughter did wonder if it was the treats she used to train but he has had them before its Eden kibble - I cant use anything with coloring in as he does go mad I learnt that early on when he was a pup -I am not sure if they gave him anything else - just really odd - my daughter knows him so well she has done most of his early training - so if she says he wasn't right I am inclined to believe her - just very strange ..all round

It does sound strange.

As an aside - is he entire?

hi yes he is entire no humping or anything yet does like to mark on a walk tho - I have been thinking about it - the behavior started more from when he came home from the kennels last - he isn't good in kennels but the one we use he has been better than any of the others , he came back with kennel cough and had antibiotics and it went within a few days - he hates dogs barking runs for home is very skitty - so I wonder if the noise in the kennel has affected him , up till now when he sees a dog he lays down and either lunges to play or just sits and waits for them to pass if we cant turn him in time , but since kennels he makes the first move not real aggressive with teeth or anything but a growl and pulling to get to them - but I have noticed it is dogs that have previously barked at him so I think its a "get in first" reaction , this morning he tried to get at a dog that always has a go at him - but later on the same walk ignored a pug he came face to face with round a corner and a spaniel who bounded out of the house up to him just wagged his tail had a sniff and walked off - with my daughter he seems not relaxed at home - lots of wide eyed looks, and stiff body language, but I wonder if it jealousy toward her boyfriend he has always been her dog now its like he has to share and her boyfriend is scared of dogs too - I think once he is back from kennels and settled and she is back to uni I will have a better insight to what is wrong - if the same tendencies show again I will have to get a behaviorist involved - in fact I think I might any way for peace of mind - just hope he behaves in kennels

I wonder if a) he has had a bad experience at the kennels, or b) he has hit maturity and wants everyone to know!

You could ask your vet for the Supralorin injection (basically chemical castration), which lasts about 6 months; it might help you see if it is hormone related.

I think he is likely jealous of your daughter's boyfriend, and that's made worse by his fear of dogs. Dogs pick up on fear very easily & it can unsettle them.

i do know that antibiotics are linked to numerous mental health changes in humans. they now know there is a strong link between the gut and the brain, and are linking antibiotics to things like depression, anxiety etc. so just a thought? if it happened after the antibiotics.

what is the biting like? because obviously if the dog wanted to do damage to someone, it would have the capabilities to really do harm... so if no damage is being done it would suggest hes not really looking to do harm? could be over excitied...

however obviously you know your dog inside out and will know if there is a definite behavioural change, out of everything you've put.. id be inclined to think the antibiotics may be the cause, if you cant think of anything else it could be.

Update on Buddy - he has been home from his two week stay in kennels for three days now - and there is no sign of any issues - came face to face with a dog this morning who has dog issues and I just moved him over and he carried on sniffing without a care in the world - he is a bit clingy so will have to see how he changes if he does once he has been home a while - I did wonder if the antibiotics could have had an affect I will mention it when I go to the vet next -he does not show any signs of trying to bite us at the minute I think that the incident with my daughter was over arousal - her boyfriend just doesn't know how to behave with a dog and I think he gives off the wrong signals - I will keep you all posted .

joshpills wrote:i do know that antibiotics are linked to numerous mental health changes in humans. they now know there is a strong link between the gut and the brain, and are linking antibiotics to things like depression, anxiety etc. so just a thought? if it happened after the antibiotics.

I missed this before. It's not something I've heard of and a quick search only brings up natural remedy sites, which have their own slant on the use of drugs and tend to be biased in the research they use to support their views. I'm not saying all their views are wrong but they can be selective in the information they put out. Given how (over) widely antibiotics are prescribed, it's surprising that this hasn't been more widely talked of if it is a genuine concern. But, it could be that it's just not been picked up. Josh, have you got any links on this? I'll be really interested to hear what the vet says.

Hopefully Buddy's settled down. If it starts again, I really would advise someone who can see first hand what's going on. It's so often something we're doing, without even knowing it, and a good trainer/behaviour expert should be able to assess the situation properly. But fingers crossed it won't be needed!

smudge95 wrote:her boyfriend just doesn't know how to behave with a dog and I think he gives off the wrong signals

This can often be a problem. As Liz says, give it a while & if it happens again get in touch with a behaviourist.

hi all- yes I will ask the vet and let you know what they say about the antibiotics- he is certainly not showing any signs of previous behavior at the minute - but daughter and boyfriend are not here - I am doing more boundary training with him and hope by the time they next come home he will have learnt a little more self control( we can hope ) but I am watching him closely and will call a behaviorist in asap if things start to slide

Sounds like a good plan, Carol. Just bear in mind that a dog's boundaries with one person aren't necessarily the same as with another, so while he may learn to do something with you he may not have the same view with your daughter and her boyfriend. They should consistently apply the same boundaries as you so that he knows the same rules apply. It's also much fairer and easier for Buddy to know what's what for everyone.

hi Liz - most definitely to be fair my daughter has done the majority of the training with Buddy - they have a special bond which is why she was so upset when he nipped her - I intend to make sure that her and her boyfriend apply the same rules to Buddy as myself and hubby are whilst they are away - he still has very little self control when we have visitors and that is what I am trying to work on - as much as he is lovely no one wants a 20kg staffy jumping on their lap every time they come to visit ...

smudge95 wrote: no one wants a 20kg staffy jumping on their lap every time they come to visit ...

Wouldn't bother me, but I'm a glutton for punishment!

just a quick update - Buddy has shown no further signs of aggression with humans no nipping or lunging - had a bit of a lunge at a dog we see of a morning but the dog is not a friendly dog any way - we have managed to walk past a few with no interest which is good - he hasn't had any "face to face " meetings yet and to be honest I want to try and keep it that way until he can focus on me when they are in the distance -hopefully OH will do the same .. Daughter and boyfriend visited last night he said hello to them and the went back to his crate which isn't normal but I will take it for now - still keeping an eye but he seems to be old Buddy to me:)

That sounds good!