My Dog Became So Aggressive

[alcastive]

Hello Everyone,

My dog has become suddenly aggressive, when i take her for a walk she usually would enjoy seeing ppl on the street, now she starts to bark at them specially on kids and little babies. My dog is going into her heat period and i donno if this have anything to do with her being aggressive oh and she also barked on my mom which she rarely see.

I am very worried about her because i am travelling for 5 days, my dad will be walking her and feeding her and playing with her, but i am worried about this problem and her health too.

What do you think ?

 

[jackienmutts]

I don't remember how old your pup is, I'm assuming this is her first cycle, so you don't know what (if any) personality change she might have. It's possible that her heat cycle has something to do with her sudden personality change - and it's also possible that something happened (or maybe tiny things) that you many not even have noticed, but that was big to her, and/or things have been building up when she's been on walks, and now "she just can't take it any more" - or a combination or all the above. If your dad is going to walk her while you're away, I'd ask him to keep her walks short, keep her away from strangers, do NOT let anyone near her or let anyone pet her, cross the street or do whatever he has to do to "keep her safe from scary strangers". If she has started her heat cycle, you're going to want to keep her close to home anyway - you don't want any "unwanted male suitors" following her home (and they will!!!). You may find that she goes back to her old self once she's finished with her heat cycle - or she may really need you to help her with some intensive, patient counter-conditioning and desensitization work.

As for your mom, I'd recommend that she not force a lot of interaction, but toss yummy treats here and there (maybe just kind of drop them as she walks by - drive-by's, if you will) - make good things come from her and let your pup notice that, it could change her mind in short notice. Your mom shouldn't make a big fuss about trying to pet her, rub her, look at her, or make friends - just tossing a treat here and there and being non-threatening will do far more toward making friends and breaking down walls. Your pup will probably start wanting to make friends, afterall, your mom will be the one with the treats that rain from the sky!

If she's just about to start her cycle, you'll be back before she's finished, so you'll be able to see what happens. Tell your dad to make sure not to correct her or tell her NO! if she barks at anyone, just remove her from the situation, put her in another room (if it's at home, maybe if someone comes over, etc), or cross the street if they're out. You'll know when her cycle's finished if this change dimishes and she goes back to her old self, or if work is needed. Some dogs become very clingy, some very protective, etc - they're gearing up for parenthood . I'd recommend you just kind of go with it, and endure for right now.

 

[alcastive]

Thank you jackienmutts for the great reply,

I just don't understand sasha what she wants from me i feed her give treats, caress her most of the times (recently taking good care when she's on her cycle) stay with her more time come back early from work, but she's been like less active and sleepy and all she do is putting her paw on me, go to around and come put her paw on my knees while i am sitting i am so confused what she wants.

About her cycle i noticed she's been dropping blood on the floor so in this case i had to make sasha to sleep in her bed and not mine, she is frustrated about that and she waited me till i sleep and go back to my bed, my mom sees that blood and was very angry i had to tie sasha next to my bed (in her bed of course) to prevent her from jumping on my bed and making it dirty i am angry about this and i wish her cycle heat finish as soon as it possible.

 

[jackienmutts]

When females dogs are in heat, they often become very very clingy and needy, sounds like Sasha has become your velcro dog. You're giving her what she wants, loads of extra attention, love, petting and just being with her - that's what she needs and wants (and to be let free to run out in the neighborhood to find a daddy for her babies!). If you keep cleaning her up every so often, it will prevent her from dropping blood on the floor, or you can also check with you local pet store, they may carry "female bloomers" (or whatever they're called) to prevent her from dripping - and then maybe you could also let her sleep with you again. My girls have always been spayed, so I've never had that issue.

 

[bekah1001]

We were going to spay Riley but she went into heat a week before her planned operation date.... She gets really clingly. She tries to sit on top of you when your trying to sleep.
Hopefully after your dog's cycle the agression will stop.

 

[alcastive]

Thank you both

Well i didn't spay sasha because i am planing to get her pregnant (yes i just love JRT's and i want a little male puppy with sasha) hope this won't be a big deal to keep a male JRT which will be shasha's son. I donno how they will react in the future anyway everything will be discussed at it's time, but for now i would her to get pregnant and i even found her a male JRT hope she will like him

Edit: Sasha is 18 months old btw and the vet said it's ok to get pregnant at this time.

 

[bekah1001]

Awe! Riley had puppies. It was amzing and they went to such good homes

 

[sara]

18 months is still too young, I'd wait another heat, just for her health. A dog is not fully mature until 2 years old, and you dont want anything to go wrong... breeding dogs is very serious stuff, you could lose your girl, the pups could die, you may have to do a very expensive emergency C-Section... You need to be prepared to spend alot of money, incase something goes wrong, you should also have appropriate health/genetic testing done for the breed, as You want to make sure you're breeding healthy puppies.

 

[bekah1001]

hope this won't be a big deal to keep a male JRT which will be shasha's son. I donno how they will react in the future anyway everything will be discussed at it's time, male .

We kept a puppy from Riley's litter... after a while I don't think they really know that Riley is his mom

 

[alcastive]

I see so it's a bad idea :S i want to keep a little puppy so after breeding do you recommend spaying them both ?

 

[bekah1001]

I do. Riley is in heat now and Brody (Riley's puppy) is driving her crazy. Plus it also prevents unwanted pregnancies. They are both not spayed/neutered.

 

[sara]

Breeding dogs is really not to be taken lightly, it's not easy for the Mom, it's stressful, painful and can often cause behavioural changes in the Momma dog. That doesn't include the risk to her, or the heartbreak of loosing a puppy or all of them. If you truly want to breed her, them make sure you have ALOT of money for vet bills. Research what it costs to have an emergency c-section, vaccinations for the pups, ultrasounds incase she doesn't seem to be doing well during pregnancy, what would be the cost if a puppy dies in utero and infection sets in.

What genetic health issues does the JRT carry? What tests need to be done before breeding to ensure that the parents wont pass down health issues, what would you do if you bred a deaf puppy? Deafness in JRT's is very common compared to alot of other breeds. What traits does your girl have that are especially good to necessitate passing it on, what bad traits does she have and is it worth passing onto another generation?

Are you willing to take responsibility for every puppy you bred for life? if the new owners have to get rid of the puppy for whatever reason, are you able to take the pup back? what if it's an 18 month old adolecent that the adoptive owners let get wild, and it has behavioural issues because of it, can you take that dog back and help it find a forever home that can work with these issues?

What if you cant sell the pups, are you willing to keep every puppy that is born? do you have the time and ability to raise 5 or 6 puppies on your own?

Honestly, as you're an inexperienced dog owner (though you're doing a great job with asking alot of great questions) I would recommend you dont breed your dog, there are literally thousands of dogs waiting for forever homes in shelters, everywhere, you could find a great puppy to rescue (or failing that, a great, responsible breeder that does all the health stuff and breeds ethically) without risking the dog you love. I know it's hard to resist the temptation, as you love your dog, and would like another just like her, but the pup WONT be just like her, he'll have his own personality, be his own dog, with his own set of issues and quirks you will have to figure out and deal with.

 

[alcastive]

Thank you a lot Sara for giving much time to explain, you opened my eyes to really scary things :O that the vet didn't mention, anyway i will be taking Sasha after her pregnancy to the vet frequently for check ups and i will arrange some money for her operation if needed.

I would like to tell you no worry about the breeds i wish they will be 6 instead of 4 why ? i have 3 friends on the waiting list who want JRT's and the owner of the male dog want 1 too and i want to keep 1 for myself. JRT's here are chosen quickly if you leave one in our neighborhood you won't find it the next day, you will find someone walking it

 

[AliciaD]

Not to be a Oooh-Puppy! Mood killer but have you considered how much good you could do by not breeding a litter, and instead showing these links to your friends?

Also, many non-breed specific rescues will let you put your name down on a breed-waiting list and will call you if a JRT puppy or dog comes in.

 

[jackienmutts]

Excellent post, Sara!!

 

[running_dog]

i have 3 friends on the waiting list who want JRT's and the owner of the male dog want 1 too and i want to keep 1 for myself. JRT's here are chosen quickly if you leave one in our neighborhood you won't find it the next day, you will find someone walking it

You do still need to bear in mind that friends on the waiting list can melt like snow once the pups are born. If you must breed you should always have at least twice as many good potential homes as potential pups (this is really hard with dogs like mine because they often have 15 at a time!) You think you can easily find homes for the pups but will they be forever homes? Will they be owners who will worry about how to keep their dog cool on a hot day and take the time to work out why it doesn't like the dog house? Just because it is easy to lose a dog does not mean it will be well looked after, dogs like mine should never be left unattended because they are one of the most stolen types in the UK, they are stolen for hunting - hunting half starved until they breakdown then they are sold on, abandoned or killed. There are many hunters who don't behave like this but it isn't always possible to tell the difference when homing a pup.

Do make sure that you make a properly informed decision . What Sara wrote shouldn't really have been news to someone considering breeding from their dog. Please do read round a bit more especially about the things Sara mentions, read about genetic conditions, pregnancy and whelping, check out whether there are any JRTs in your local shelters (not for you to adopt but to be quite quite sure that you're right about there being lots of homes for them). Whether you breed from Sasha or not this won't have been wasted time.

When I got my dog I had in the back of my mind that I might breed from him, I'd still love to breed from him, complete strangers stop me in the street and ask me if I'll breed from him, they've even left phone numbers just in case, BUT I still can't bear the thought that some of his pups might end up homeless or abused .

 

[alcastive]

I understand. I wouldn't breed Sasha if i am doing that alone as you know i am inexperienced, i have a specialist friend who will be watching over her. Running_dog has a good point, i know that my friends won't let me down and throw the pups away on the streets that would never happen to anyone i know, I just hope they take good care (i know they will be giving them proper vaccination etc..) but also walking them 2 times per day (some friends don't have that time) and playing with them i donno i find these things important, as Sasha beg for these when i am late. For example this morning i usually walk her at 8 am, today i had a day off and i woke up 9:30 Sasha was waiting for me and then i heard that begging sound (you know it's like a nuisance sound). I don't want to be negative and i know that these friends if they want to give away these pups they would give them to good ppl too.

 

[running_dog]

It's good that you have someone to advise you but please still do your own research, don't just rely on your specialist friend. Sasha is your dog, 100% your responsibility, it is YOUR informed decision not your friends. It is YOU who gets left with the pups, it is YOU who might lose Sasha, it is YOU who pays the vets bills, friends come and go but your little Sasha is with you for life. I'm sure your specialist friend is encouraging you to do your own research too. Otherwise how would you quickly recognise signs of problems - would you be able to quickly identify calcium deficiency for instance?

BTW - The first rule of homing puppies is that even friends aren't necessarily friends and they disappear or roll out the lame excuses ("I'm ever so sorry but it just isn't the right time for me to have a pup right now") in the 8 weeks following whelping.

 

[alcastive]

Thank you running_dog you are 100% correct, this friend of mine is the one who found me Sasha to adopt her, he loves her as much as i do too, i trust him too. And i will arrange some money for sasha in case she needs emergency.

Today and for the first time Sasha exchanged barking with a dog who lives on the other street. this is the first time that happens usually Sasha hear that (caniche) dog barking usually without barking, today she did bark i donno why lol.

I will keep you updated about Sasha's health thank you everyone. This forum helped me a lot to treat my dog in a good way and to train her good.

 

[bekah1001]

http://www.learntobreed.com/index.html has some suggested books about breeding