Dog developing aggression

guinnessfan

Hi All,

We have obtained a one year old rescue Jack Russell terrier. She was malnutritioned and initially very timid. Her behaviour was excellent for the first 5 weeks but recently she has started growling & snapping at both people and other dogs for no apparent reason. She was in heat for the first three weeks but she is ok now and not pregnant. Physically, there does not appear to be anything wrong with her. She has put on weight, hair & skin condition has improved. She is well cared for, lives indoors with a lot of comfort such as toys, cosy bed, nutritious food etc but is not spoilt.
She was sitting on her bed the other day and I went to pet her as normal but she snapped....just short of biting me.This aggression is worrying because there is no warning - for example she does not growl or display discomfort before snapping.

Any suggestions as to how to prevent/handle this would be appreciated. At the moment she gets scolded, then the silent treatment & her toys removed after such behaviour as this has been effective with my other dogs but it doesn't seem to be working with her.

Thanks

Rainydayz

Hi, I have a similar problem and have just put up a post about it. My dog is from a rescue also and again was fine for the first month or so and then started being aggressive towards visitors (especially men) and other dogs. He seemed really laid back in the shelter and good with people and dogs and cats (he hates ours!) but I've since read that a dogs behavior in the shelter and in the first few weeks may be totally different to the kind of behaviors displayed once he is home and settled. (Obviously a shelter is a totally 'alien' environment with dogs and people coming and going all the time so the dog can't really go around biting everyone there!) What I am trying to say is that I don't think its anything you are doing wrong and I also want to say that I totally understand how stressful it is when your dog starts acting like this. We got a dog trainer out a few weeks ago and I think this is the only way to go as she will teach you what to do when the dog acts like this before you it gets worse! I don't know if this is of any help or not - please let me know how you are getting on with your dog and I will keep you updated on mine!

mlettis

you need a trainer to show you how to deal with this once you know how to it really doesnt take long to sort it. knowing what to do is vital as this behaviour wont stop itself it will only get worse.my dalmatian was a devil for it but once shown how to stop it didnt last. trainer showed me in one lesson. and they can come to home to train

Whispered

If you decide to get a trainer, I would recommend http://www.citizencanineireland.com/ I found her very good.

In the meantime, I've seen a lot of people letting their rescue dogs away with blue murder simply because they are a rescue dog and have had a "bad start". My dog turned into a little brat for a while when my fiance was away because I was making excuses like - "aw he misses K, thats why he's crying, sure, I'll let him sleep upstairs" He started messing the floors, raiding the bins, misbehaving in the house, all because I made excuses for him and stopped with the constant training. I asked for advice here and was told what I was doing wrong and within a week, he was back to his normal level of misbehaving.

Could you be doing this because your dog had it tough?

guinnessfan

Thanks for the advice!

She has settled down since I posted this but it has taken some work! I continued to scold her (being very firm and assertive) but it eventually worked.

She has stopped snapping now but she will growl if she is receiving unwanted attention. I don’t mind this at the moment because at least she is sending out a warning sign. I will continue to work on this.

She has also stopped snapping at other animals which is a relief!! She is doing really well and continuing to get healthier which I think had a lot to do with it....along with chancing her paw and the ‘small dog syndrome’!!

Thanks again

ghost_ie

Don't tolerate growling as it's a sign that she still considers herself pack leader. Jackies are very strong willed dogs and need to know exactly who is in charge or they'll become unmanageable. Luckily the eldest dog (a lab/collie cross) sees me as pack leader and herself as second in command, and the two jack russells crosses accept this for the moment but they try on a regular basis to unseat the elder lemon from her position as second in command. You need to show them who's boss and any unacceptable behaviour must be punished - give jackies an inch and they will take a mile. On the plus side, I've never found a more loving and loyal dog than a Jack Russell when he/she knows his place in the pack