Kenny is being a brat
So we were at the coffee shop we always go and two dogs came up....he started barking frantically and i was inside so Casi had to like hold him back (we always have him on the leash haha). Then he was fine with them after that...didn't go over or anything but didn't bark. Then another dog came up that he knows and he did the same thing....very odd and then was fine. Then the next day i took him to the farmer's market and he met a new puppy that our friends got...he was fine with the puppy and just barked once at him later on but all in all, no problems. Then the weird part....so we happened to cross paths with Schubert! Well they havent seen each other for some time....probably close to 3-4 months and Kenny got snarly with him and mean. They are always all play and so friendly to each other so it was very odd. After the initial growl and snarl Schubert left him alone but kenny had no interest in playing or even being by him. It made us sad  Then later that day i took him to training and he got spooked by a big truck and wouldnt listen for about 20 minutes. But a dog he goes to daycare with showed up at the end and they were all play...i dont get it!!!!! He also was barking out the window of our car more frantically towards dog walking then i have seen. He has been a little off this week so I'm hoping it's just a mood. We also had him boarded/daycare at a place for about 10 days when we went to europe. This place has them with humans and dogs all the time so they can play and wont be truely boarded but could that have contributed too? I don't know if this is early aggressive behavior or not because at daycare (2 diff places) he has never gotten a bad mark for anything and they say he is wonderful. I'm starting to think in crowded places, he just gets more nervous and wants his space but I'm no expert. ADVICE PLEASE!!!! |
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| Teenage BRAT time! He is testing you. Sounds like you described Dahlia (LOL) We have gone through very similar experiences. Things have gotten better, but, we went through a time when she was "off" as well... |
| That's reassuring...it was just very un-Kenny like....he is always wanting to play...especially with dogs he knows |
| How old.....teenager? Could well be brat period where he tests everything. If he still has equpiment, the hormone chance could be making him crazy. More exercise so he's too tired to care and more reinforcement in training. This too will pass.....I suggest wine coolers this summer for you. |
He is 11 months so i thought he was supposed to be out of the teenager age....he is fixed so not that causing the issue. But maybe 11 is still pretty young? I have noticed he has been lazier around the house too.....maybe just going through a change in his young life  |
| If this started after he was boarded, I would think that it was a bit traumatic for him. A refresher obedience course with lots of nummy treats might be in order, to redirect the behaviors you don't want to see. Has he gained weight, or have you noticed a thinning coat? The snarliness, as well as the lethargy, could indicate a thyroid problem. You might want to have him checked. Laurie and Oscar |
| No coat issues and he only growled at schubert...i dont know what exactly a snarl is....i've noticed he's been much better hte last two days...we had training on sunday and he was fine there and has been since. I guess we'll just play it by ear haha. The boarding he always loves and gets so excited so i know it's not that. I think it was just a change in location, people he was seeing, dogs. Will update if anything gets worse!! |
| I also know that when Dahlia is tired or needs a nap... she can get a bit "bitchy" and get a little snappy or obnoxious. I have learned her signs now, so I know when it is time for a break. |
| So we had another case of Kenny lashing out. We took him to the farmer's market again and he was friendly and sniffing other dogs...no growling, no snapping, no barking even. We went on to get coffee and had him outside at the table with us. Randomly 2 dogs at 2 different times walked by and he started growling and then snapped out and barked. The first one definitely came in his space as the owner just walked her dog over without asking if he was friendly or nice or whatever. The second dog was just walking by. He also was a bit sick that night and last week so I don't know if it was related to that. I dont want Kenny to turn into a dog I can't take in public when he was literally never like this other than the last 2 weeks. I want to nip it in the butt now but not sure on how to tell him that's a bad behavior other than "No" or "Bad dog", etc. Any advice or words of encouragement?!?!? |
| Can you touch base with his breeder and see if he or she has any advice? If close, perhaps even set up a time to stop by and have him or her evaluate his behavior if possible? They do go through a bratty teenage stage of testing, but not typically like this, at least not in my experience. Which is not to say he can't be doing his bratty stuff atypically  And, yes, I'm with you - I'd want to nip it in the bud as well. I think I'd be thinking about checking his thyroid, even though he's a bit young. And re-checking in a year or two even if it comes back normal now. Though, who knows? Is he only like this on leash? In which case it may just be a touch of resource guarding (of you), which, and I'm just guessing here, may be related to his owners thinking he's the greatest thing on the planet and, he's not dumb, he KNOWS when he's got a good thing going, eh? The first dog coming to close may have triggered it (not that I find this behavior acceptable, but it is not abnormal in the general dog population) and if he was already feeling off and then he thinks the next dog may do the same, so better tell this one off early? Is he an only dog? kristine |
| I would really consider the boarding experience if this behavior had never happened before the stay. I can't remember how old he is?? but age may also play a part as also mentioned. Dogs contained in any manner can feel frustrated that they can't meet dogs walking by or fearful of dogs getting too close or if a dog is say lunging at them and they can't retreat to what they feel is a safe distance. If they can't "flight", they may lash out. Whatever the reason, I'd quickly get with a good trainer to help you setup several positive dog meetings to start building on again and also so the trainer can observe him in these situations and give guidance. See if you can quickly get him back into positive greetings rather than reactive ones. Don't force interactive greetings, watch his body language to determine how close is too close for him... the distance that causes him to be reactive or for him to shut down (becoming still, watch the eyes, lip licking, etc.)... and don't go any closer. I know people with no dog etiquette can swoop in really fast and allow their dog to invade another's space too quickly... he may need more time to understand the other dogs intentions or may simply not want to interact. Just try to be observant and step in before your dog has to handle it himself and keep it positive. Just my thoughts for whatever they're worth... others likely have better approaches.  |
| So he's about 1 year old. The weird part is that he always gets great marks at both Doggie Daycares that he goes to...they said he's not aggressive in the slightest... He is in training currently and is good at training with other dogs as well. It does typically only happen on leash so maybe that's related. I think we'll see how the next few weeks go and then go from there. I'll probably touch base with his breeder as well! |
| If it keeps up or i notice other things, we wll check for thyroid. He is neither gaining or losing weight at a different pace than usual and his activity level is constant. We've also seen no changes in his coat. I'm not ruling it out for sure so thanks for the help! |
| oh and he had stayed at this boarding/daycare facility multiple times with no poor results following. |
It's a good idea to run an initial full thyroid panel on all OESs at some point for future reference. But I'm not sure what age for first testing is appropriate... Kristine would know. I think I stumble on things early because we do testing rather than waiting for problems to become apparent. I kind of miss the days when I didn't know any better...  If the reactive behavior isn't happening at his regular training/boarding facilities, maybe he's just going through a phase where he's unsure in public places. The positive experiences from his comfort zone could spill over into general public areas where he's recently had a problem. Maybe a couple of his dog buddies from daycare could "by chance" come along for a prearranged meeting. But let him realize who it is before allowing the interaction to take place... and make sure he's not overtired. Controlled positive experiences. |
Eggbert wrote: So he's about 1 year old. The weird part is that he always gets great marks at both Doggie Daycares that he goes to...they said he's not aggressive in the slightest... He is in training currently and is good at training with other dogs as well. It does typically only happen on leash so maybe that's related. I think we'll see how the next few weeks go and then go from there. I'll probably touch base with his breeder as well! Good for you. And the fact that he's good in day care (an excellent sign btw) - guess what? No mommy and daddy to protect there... KB |
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