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[siderophobia]

Hello. I'm extremely new here, and mainly it's because I feel like I need to exhaust every venue possible. I have a purebred dalmatian, who is about two and a half years old. In last few months, the dog (who was previously extremely playful and loving) has almost "turned"? He's since bitten two people, luckily close friends who have no desire to

Comments

[miss_teacher]

If this is sudden, meaning you have never seen any other little signs of this growing into a problem, I would first take him to the vet for a full work up. Any sudden behavior change can be a sign of a medical problem which would need to be dealt with first before training can be completely effective.

Clicker training and NILIF are wonderful methods to use. What else is the trainer going to do? What is he going to click the dog for to change this aggression problem?

[siderophobia]

I can't say that it's completely sudden. He's always expressed fear aggression and growling at strangers/unfamiliar situations. However, I NEVER felt the dog was a threat to actually bite someone. Perhaps that is my own negligence.

I'm not entirely sure what the plan is with the trainer, we have only had one two hour session thus far, and another this coming Wednesday. So far we're working the very basics, with charging the clicker, sitting, laying, getting up, etc.

[miss_teacher]

Ok, that makes sense then. Fear aggression often escalates and from what I hear is more likely to end in a bite than just plain aggression. I think it;s because most people under estimate a fearful animal. We misread the warning signs and keep advancing on the dog or do not think about how our actions and movement can trigger something. Unless a dog who is clearly aggressive and people tend to be very careful

[frail_entity]

Has he been altered?

Dalmatians can be high strung. I'd also have his eyes checked, a decrease in vision could be the reason for some of his new found aggression.

[siderophobia]

The dog is neutered, yes.

I've actually wondered about his vision, I feel like maybe his eyes have looked a bit clouded, but I don't know if I'm just searching for justifications. He's also been to the vet very recently without any mention or notice of any vision/hearing problems.

[frail_entity]

I've worked with one Dal who was a very active, very nervous dog... he was also somewhat blind and when anyone 'snuck' up on him he'd snap at them (whether he knew them or not)... It seems that vision problems are pretty prevalent with Dalmatians which is why I would probably take him to an ophthalmologist. I have my dogs' eyes checked fairly regularly and where I am, it's about a 40 dollar appointment/check up.

[weezergirl85]

I second the full vet workup, including a full blood panel with a thyroid workup. He could be in pain or could have another physical problem that triggers aggression/mood swings.

Also, if the trainer has not been discussing this already, learn as much as you can about dog body language. Brenda Aloff and Turid Rugaas both have wonderful books on canine body language. You need to learn the warning signs that signal that your dog is uncomfortable. They can be extremely subtle.

If he's not neutered, get that done. Hormonal levels can play a role in aggression.

Also, basic training is fine, but make sure your trainer has experience with aggression. Ideally, a veterinary behaviorist would be great, but if that is not an option, you want someone who will actively work on the aggression problem. He or she should already be talking to you about management and not allowing the dog to get into situations where a bite would be likely to occur.

[chiska]

I second the suggestion regarding Turid Rugaas and dog body language. Her book and video were an amazing help to me in learning how to read Mick and how to respond when he was showing specific signs.

Everybody has given great advice, I just wanted to share my positive experience with learning about dog body language and calming signals. Also having an amazing trainer helped. Time, Training, Patience and Consistency are our big things!

Good luck!

[pawsup]

My first thought is that there may be a medical reason for this. Thyroid problems can manifest as aggression, as can epilepsy (and epilepsy does not always mean the dog has full-on seizures). I recommend having a blood panel done. I'd also keep an eye out for behaviors that could indicate a partial seizure, such as snapping at "invisible flies", leg jerking/tremoring, head bobbing, "blanking out", and disorientation

[siderophobia]

I'm very on top of his diet/purine intake. I've never heard of epilepsy like this, it's certainly something to look into. Jack is from a breeder, but not a mill. He's actually a rescue in that he was wounded by his mother as a puppy (and has a terrible scar to prove it) and wasn't exactly "desirable" so I took him in. I've had suspicions that the wound was traumatic (as well as the surgery he had later in life to cosmetically repair it), but he really allows me to touch him, move him, basically do whatEVER I want to him with no sensitivity, weirdness, aggression, anything.