i'm so upset right now...

[milos_mommy]

i think i'm in shock or something. Milo just tried to attack my brother. He didn't get him, but he jumped at his face, snapping and snarling. Right now he's in his crate, and i'm shaking. i'm so upset.

Milo's been a little testy all evening, growling a bit at everyone who goes near him. He snapped at Benji when we were watching homeward bound, because Benji kept barking.

Milo was laying on the floor by my feet, and my brother (he's 13 years old), came down and sat next to Milo, and started petting him. Milo growled. My brother continued to pet him, and put his face close to Milo, i think he tried to kiss him. Milo kept growling, and i told my brother to back off. He didn't listen. Milo leapt up at his face, in a flash of teeth. My mom grabbed him and we put him in his crate. This was about a half hour ago.

I don't have any idea what to do. Tommorow i'm calling Milo's vet. I'm so scared. What if i can't fix this? What if it happens again? What if Milo doesn't miss next time?

i don't feel safe at all. I'm worried for everyone, my family, visitors, and mostly Milo. My brother has anger management problems, and while he's never hit the dogs before, except maybe a light tap on the nose or rump, i know if Milo went after him again he'd hurt Milo. I'm on the verge of tears. Someone, please, tell me what to do about this. I'm so scared.

 

[Kayla]

I think many people can give you better advise then I but I would strongly recomend finding a good liscened animal behaviouralist. I believe thier is a website which someone could post that has a list of qaulified ones throughout the states and canada. It's important to figure out what excactly is triggering the behaviour before it can be corrected which is where a behaviouralist comes in. You will need to be diligent in finding one though, ask for references of previous customers who you can contact to talk to about them as well as what methods they use and so on. You may even need to switch if you do not find one working out.

I also think you'll get better faster responses if you put this training and behavioural thread.

Regardless I'm very sorry to hear, I know how scary it can be when something like that happens as Duke exploded during obidence tonight when a dog walked by.

Kayla

 

[milos_mommy]

thanks kayla.

i'll ask our vet about a behaviorist tommorow. I feel like such a bad mom, since Milo was never like this as a puppy, i feel like he's just pushing me, and that i'm letting him get away with too much or not doing the right thing when he acts out.

 

[ToscasMom]

Milosmom, hugs to you. Is this a First Time? Because maybe Milo isn't feeling well physically. I'm glad you are heading for the vet.

 

[NobleRuby]

Isnt he right at the "teenage" stage for dogs, where they push their limits like that? So it may just be a normal, experimental brat thing. Is he getting enough stimulation, mentally & physically? You poor thing, you must feel so scared and betrayed. Its so easy for me to forget theyre dogs and something like this will happen and totally shock me!

 

[sparks19]

If this is uncommon for him and your brother was just petting him it sounds like he might be in pain of some sort.

definately call your vet to rule out any sort of discomfort and then go for a behaviouralist.

 

[dr2little]

I'm sorry that this happened Milos-mommy. You're right to seek help from your Vet tomorrow. She should recommend someone for you to see right away. This must have been very frightening and it is not normal behavior at all for a dog whose feeling well.

In the mean time it is very important that everyone makes sure to avoid any situation that may make Milo growl until you're able to get some help. Tell everyone, especially your brother to give Milo some space and if he does growl, don't punish him but rather back off instead....until you can get to the bottom of this.

If you need any help finding a professional who deals with this in your area, let me know but your Vet needs to check him out to make sure that it' not something physical, he/she should know someone to send you to.

Good Luck..(((hugs)))

 

[bubbatd]

I'm so sorry for you and your family . I know you'll seek help . Heads up !!!!

 

[Zoom]

That sucks...I echo what everyone says. Get him to a vet to rule out a physical cause, tell your brother that sticking his face into a growling dog's face is NOT a smart thing to do and keep us posted.

I wouldn't punish Milo for this. To me, he was telling your brother to "Back Off" and his signals were being ignored. Not being there, I can't say for certain, but he may have tried to give a "puppy correction". However, that's not acceptable, understood but not acceptable.

 

[Doberluv]

I'm so sorry Milo. Yes, your brother needs to be kept away from the dog if he can't respect his space. Please be careful and do what Dr2little and the others said. Let us know what you find out.

 

[Zoom]

Dogs can have off days too, remember, especially if they don't feel well. When I was 14 or 15, I was screwing with my old dog, making stupid faces and silly noises at her and she snapped at me. This was the most submissive, mellow dog in the entire world. One sideways look would send her cowering to a corner (past history of abuse before we got her). Then my mom told me that she had a really bad UTI and had been to the vet that day. That was the first and only time she ever did that, but it was enough to make me remember that dogs don't have any other way of saying "I'm sick, now go away and leave me alone!"

 

[OutlineACDs]

Make sure your vet runs a thyroid panel. Thyroid problems can cause a dog to get aggressive. Also, seizures.

When looking for a behaviorist, look for one that treats aggression with positive methods. Do not use someone who automatically treats this as a dominance issue, because it may or may not be.

Best of luck to you. So sorry you are going through this.

 

[skyeboxer]

That must have been a shock. I hope that the vet visit finds a simple cause or that a behaviorist can help you get to the bottom of it. I also hope that your brother learned a lesson. Getting into a dog's face is a really good way to get bitten.

http://www.doggonesafe.com/ways to keep kids safe around dogs.htm

It seems that you are not too sure what your brother was doing when he leant towards Milo's face. After the growl he should certainly not have gone closer and if he made hard eye contact well that might have been what set Milo off.

That's no excuse of course. It's important that you get to the bottom of this for Milo's sake and for everyone's safety. ((((hugs)))

 

[ToscasMom]

Getting into a dog's face is a really good way to get bitten.

I've seen this a number of times on this board and I'm afraid I'm guilty. I get in Tosca's face all the time. I mean, I hug her and kiss her and our faces are often really close. I get on the floor with her and it's almost always some face to face things. It's not just me who does it to her. She does it to me too. So, this is a bad thing all the way around?

 

[Gustav]

I've seen this a number of times on this board and I'm afraid I'm guilty. I get in Tosca's face all the time. I mean, I hug her and kiss her and our faces are often really close. I get on the floor with her and it's almost always some face to face things. It's not just me who does it to her. She does it to me too. So, this is a bad thing all the way around?

No I don't think so.. Gus loves to give kisses and have face snuggles with his mummy... But I very rarely look him right in the eye when I am doing it, and I never hold on to him, he is always free to go if he wants to, so he doesn't feel trapped.

If a dog is aggressive putting your face right in is not wise! They see it as threatening behaviour, and will more than likely snap. Hard eye to eye contact is also threatening.

I think it all depends on the dog, you have had Tosca since she was a bittle baby so that sort of behaviour is normal to her, it's not threatening, it's familiar... But it would be wise not to do it with a dog you don't know, a newly rescued dog, or Perle as she tends to nip people on the nose for fun!

I'm a smoochy dog owner and proud! LOL! And I can honestly say I have never had any people aggression problems from my dogs!

 

[ToscasMom]

Thanks for clarifying Gustav. I DO look her in the eye. She's just so cute. She doesn't seem to mind.

Hey I'm still waiting for those photos of the huge dog in the Peugeot trunk!

 

[Gustav]

Thanks for clarifying Gustav. I DO look her in the eye. She's just so cute. She doesn't seem to mind.

Hey I'm still waiting for those photos of the huge dog in the Peugeot trunk!

I think you would know by now if she did mind!

It was a Renault 5! And yeah every time I go up there I forget my camera, think DANG! was supposed to get pics, but then it goes out of my head again! LOL!

 

[ToscasMom]

Yes the Renault. My brother had a Renault Dalphine (sp?). I mean when you got tired of driving it, you just picked it up and put it under your arm and walked.

Anyways, thanks for the advice. Every time I read that, I say to myself, But I Do That!

 

[milos_mommy]

thanks so much everyone for your replies.

i don't think Milo's ill or in pain, he's as jumpy and playful as always, but i'll call the vet just in case.

i'm pretty sure it's "redirected aggression" because whenever there is a dog growling or barking on the tv, he tries to fight with Benji. Also, the cat was sitting on my mom's lap and Milo jumped up and was pestering her and we made him get off the couch before my brother came.

Milo's also still not neutered, i don't think that has much to do with it, but who knows.

last night he knew he did something wrong, he slept with his chin resting on my forehead...lol.

 

[Sweet72947]

As others will probably tell you, neutering can help, but it probably won't solve the whole problem. Maybe he's coming into himself now and starting to push his limits. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to put him on NILF.