Here's the lastest situation I've been dealing with. Any suggestions/advice that you may have will be greatly appreciated as I am at a complete loss!
I do want to preface the following by telling my readers that I love my dog. A lot. I got him 2 years ago, 2 weeks after I began living alone and he really is the best thing I've ever done for myself. He's loyal, protective, and very sweet natured and I have never regretted my decision to dig into my savings account to purchase him.
Max has become VERY aggressive lately--and I don't mean "playfully" agressive. As I've mentioned, he's very very protective of me. Some of you have witnessed what he is like around me. He doesn't want ANYONE to come near me and he follows my every step. Apparently he's not into sharing. Do I like this behavior? Of course not, but I've always felt that this was his way of demonstrating his loyalty to me. THE PROBLEM: He's becoming aggressive towards ME! This is totally new. He's always loved on me and wanted me to pick him up and cuddle. He sleeps with me at night and stays in his kennel (which is like his little home), and has never seemed to mind being in there. Over the past couple of weeks, though, sometimes when I go to pick him up, he growls and even shows his teeth! And putting him in his kennel in the mornings? That's a totally different story. Not only does he growl at me and show his teeth, but he's even snapped at me before! I don't know what to do. This has become an everyday thing to the point where I dread every morning when I have to put him in his kennel. I'm planning on visiting the vet soon and discussing this new behavior. Hopefully he can offer some assistance. I just have no clue what's brought on this new behavior.
He has such a playful, sweet natured personality, so this is totally unlike him at all.
Any dog experts out there?
I really need to become friends with Cesar.
9 comments:
Dear Max,
Why you be so mean? I like to cuddle. You should too. I know deep down you are sweet. Do you have little man syndrome?
I love pink.
Come visit soon, but don't show me your teeth.
XOXO -
Sophie.
Hey! How are you? Well, I am no dog expert but immediately had a thought when reading about sweet Max. I wonder if he's having trouble adjusting to you going back to school after having the summer with you. Annabelle goes through times when she lets us know she's not getting enough attention. However, she does not get aggressive. No, no. My sweet Annabelle is a bit more passive aggressive. She finds toilet paper/paper towels/napkins/newspaper, chews it to pieces and leaves the mess for us to find. It took us a little while to figure out this was her way of saying, "I need attention." Now that we speak her language and can then give her our undivided attention for just 10minutes, our home is cleaner! Just a thought about "Max" time, but I have no suggestions about how to make him stop nipping. Good luck! Keep us posted!
If Cesar comes to your house, please send him our way next. Wilson has lost it too. He bit me today while I was trying to convince him that the mailman would not kill us!
my dog does this on occasion too...i think he's really tired or something and doesn't want me to make him get in his kennel. i don't know, but he doesn't do it every time. I need Cesar or the lady from It's Me or the Dog to come by and work on him :)
Our dog began behaving more aggressively recently and acted like he didn't want to be touched. We took him to the vet and found out that he had a kidney infection. He was irritable because of the pain, and whenever someone touched him or tried to pick him up, it hurt him. A few days worth of medicine and he was back to normal. Hopefully, your dog isn't sick, but that was our experience.
I was thinking the same thing as anonymous. Maybe Max has an infection or something? Sophie's letter is funny.
Gus and I are still in the puppy stage, but I've read 2 or 3 books and here's my opinion (assuming nothing is medically wrong with him, which is possible) based on what I've read.
He's become the leader in his mind. He does what he wants when he wants, and he'll challenge you or anyone else that says no. Here's what I did with Gus when he starts doing his own thing when he knows better.
1. Take him and put them on his back, a very submissive position, by holding his chest down.
2. Let him squirm or whatever, but don't let him up.
3. Eventually, he'll calm down and relax.
Let him up then. If he starts snapping and acting aggressive, go through the same thing. Feel free to shout angrily at him when he's squirming on his back to let him know you mean business (think of it as your "bark" that he would normally hear from a more dominant dog).
sooooo, how's little Max? I hope it is something really easy to fix. I know from my experience having a Maltese that they are very loving and one of the most lovable breeds.I am not vet by a longshot but since this just came about that little Max might be in some type of discomfort. Let me know tomorrow! See ya in the AM!
Bambi
sooooo, how's little Max? I hope it is something really easy to fix. I know from my experience having a Maltese that they are very loving and one of the most lovable breeds.I am not vet by a longshot but since this just came about that little Max might be in some type of discomfort. Let me know tomorrow! See ya in the AM!
Bambi
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