OES Suddenly Aggressive
 Bear is my second OES....my first experience with the breed was absolutely wonderful. I never had a problem or concern. Bear, my second, comes from the same breeder. Because of my wonderful experience previously when I was ready to get another dog I could think of no other breed. My experience with them is that they are lovable, sweet, passive and wonderful companions. Bear is 10 months old and not neutered yet. Recently, he has begun to exhibit aggressive behavior when we groom him. He will bare his teeth, growl, even snap. He has been wonderful up to this point - no problems, a very smart and easily trained dog. He has been groomed only by me and my husband, so he has not had a bad grooming experience to account for his behavior. He understands his role in the household and that he is not alpha --this is not his issue. He is well cared for, regularly exercised....He shows no aggression otherwise....but suddenly....he will not let me trim, groom, or bathe him. He will not let me brush near his hind legs. He has even bitten me twice and snapped at my husband. Immediately after he feels contrite and hangs his head and rolls onto his back in submission...I know he does not want to hurt us. But there is no apparent reason for his aggression... I have never hurt him while trimming...he always gets praise and rewards during the grooming process...we do it in stages so we don't tire him out or upset him. Since he seemed to backpedal....we tried slower periods of grooming....rewarding...groom a bit then praise and a treat, then another slow bit of grooming, praise and a treat. He is not having it. He bit me again tonight when I tried to brush him. It scared me  I am hoping that someone here has had experience with this and can offer advice. I am hoping that his recent aggression is due to an abundance in testosterone (he is 10 months and coming into his own sexually, and not neutered). It was my hope that I would not have to neuter him but I am calling the vet Monday. I am hoping that this is the problem but to be honest I am broken hearted that he would bite me. My previous sheepdog (also a male) never, ever, even in 14 years, so much as growled at me, even when he had tumors and had to be lifted into the house (up the stairs). I am dumbfounded as I did not expect the breed to behave this way. Since this is the only time he is aggressive I am hopeful for a solution...but praise, rewards and slow slow periods of grooming are not working. Do you think neutering him will solve this problem? Thank you in advance for listening and for your help |
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| Have you tried talking to your breeder? Also; calling your vet is a great idea; his behavior may be due to an undetected health problem, or perhaps not being neutered. |
| Thank you for answering I emailed his breeder earlier today and am waiting a response. When I call the vet on Monday we will discuss possible health issues, although he was perfectly healthy at his last vet visit a month ago. I truly, truly hope the neutering helps as grooming is such a big part of having an OES so we've got to find a solution |
| He only gets this way when you try to groom him, or is there anything else that sets him off? Kristine |
| Thyroid problems can cause sudden aggressive behaviors, and thats not the sort of thing a person might uncover in a regular check-up. Also, if he's in some sort of pain, and maybe the grooming is aggravating that, it might also cause him to lash out. On the other hand, he might just be being a teenager, and a jerk-- though to suddenly start biting during a routine activity like this doesn't really sound like the latter would be the case. |
| It's only during grooming. I will certainly ask the vet about his thyroid when we discuss neutering...thanks for the tip I think he is being a jerk though :/ |
| Biting seems a bit beyond "being a jerk"; when he bites, is her breaking the skin? |
| on one occasion, yes, he broke the skin. |
| I've had alpha bitch type puppies reach a stage where they thought it was OK to "challenge" me on the grooming table. Will usually only happen once, whereupon I reinforce why I ain't having it. And never one that went so far as to forget basic bite inhibition. Something about what you describe suggests pain to me, but from what...? Can you handle his rear when he's not on the table? Kristine |
| Yes, you can handle his rear as long as you don't brush or bring out the scissors. It should be noticed that he will nip and growl no matter where you place the scissors or trimmer....eyes, feet, neck....etc. It is not just a problem with his rear...I could understand that since I wouldn't like it either For this reason I don't think it is pain. Somewhere along the line he has just decided he does not like a hair cut or rigorous brush, and he is exhibiting his displeasure...this is what I suspect. When he bit the first time, he was reprimanded (scolded) and ignored for a bit. Tonight, when he nipped again I scolded him and have been giving him a 'timeout' and even though he has come up to me several times I have continued to ignore him...I can tell he is absolutely miserable and very contrite. I truly hope it is testosterone since he is such a good boy otherwise. :/ |
Niki wrote: When he bit the first time, he was reprimanded (scolded) and ignored for a bit. Tonight, when he nipped again I scolded him and have been giving him a 'timeout' and even though he has come up to me several times I have continued to ignore him... Now it makes sense: Congratulations. He doesn't like being groomed and you just taught him how to make you stop. If mine start to get squirrely I never back down. Even if I was getting ready to finish up on the table if they give me grief I keep going until they relax and behave. Then I praise them and take them off the table. With his lack of bite inhibition I can't in good conscience tell you to march his hairy butt back onto the table and not let him off till he behaves, which would be my inclination with a normal dog. See what his breeder says. Kristine |
| one of my girls doesn't like her grooming. But I make her go through with it, because to relent when she's done is to teach her that when she mis-behaves, she gets the thing she wants- for the grooming to end. Consider investing in a muzzle for when you groom. It isn't as horrid as it sounds; I got a little fabric cone that clips onto the dog's face and clips with a strap back of my dog's head. I only had to use it once before she realized she wasn't going to win, and now it sits unused in a drawer. |
| here is a picture of the one I got; i don't recall it being very expensive, and it was comfortable for my dog. http://puprwear.com/images/large/HM-Red ... zle-LG.jpg She couldn't nip or fuss with me once it was on her, and she rapidly gave up trying. I knew it was her trying to bully me into stopping when my groomer told me she never exhibited such behavior when she was taken in for professional grooming. |
| I would hold off on the muzzle until it's the last resort; I'm thinking that if it's fear biting it could make things worse. Do you groom on a table or down on the floor? Being down on the floor with him makes you his equal and nipping is something that littermates do to one another when they get annoyed. A small, unstable table with an arm and a noose and bumping the table to make him concerned about his footing has been suggested a time or two. (Really just a rocky table, not truly unstable; we don't want the table to tip over.) |
| And I'm going to disagree about the muzzle - many dogs find it calming instead. Another benefit is it's use reduces the human's anxiety, which in turn can lower the dog's anxiety. If the human can be calmer, it makes the session go easier. If not using the muzzle makes the human be nervous or fearful, it pretty much guarantees the dog will pick up on it and things won't go well. Hopefully over time it's use can get weaned off, but it can be a very useful tool to get over the hump, so to speak! |
| You might be right and you certainly have much more experience than I. I was going by my Jake's reaction to being muzzled; he always immediately went into stiffening mode and almost any attempt to move or manipulate him would cause rage. |
| I think that was a big part of it; when I was no longer worried Tonks might snap at me, she stopped doing it. No exageration; I used the muzzle for one grooming, and haven't had to use it since. |
| Thank you all very much for your suggestions. I haven't used a muzzle or a table up to this point, which is my fault...but my experience with OES previously has made me a bit too relaxed when it comes to Bear. Obviously his personality is very different then my first OES. I agree with all your points. Because I was fearful of him I backed off....I should'nt have done but it's hard to hold your ground when you have an 80# dog growling at you. I spoke to his breeder, and we came up with some ideas too. Bear and I had a bit of a breakthru over the weekend....and he has been much, much calmer. I was even able to brush him several times, clean his rear and trim around his mouth and eyes. Thank you so much for your help |
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| That's really awesome! KB |
 Glad your trainer was there for you, and that you are making progress! |
| That's great news! Part of it could be the age. Trying to test the waters of control. Glad to hear you are gaining control. They will test you at different stages of growth. Good for you for consulting your breeder. Cindy |
| Thanks for all the encouragement. Update: I was able to shave Bear this weekend with the electric trimmer AND trim his face and beard. He didn't like it, but he did let us work for about an hour. It seems we've conquered this little hurdle ---whew ! |
| That's great news! |
| That is great news!! KB |
| Wondering how the grooming is going?? |
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