Indy is acting out....

BarbV

BarbV

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Not sure what is going on with him but he's starting to become both aggressive and anxious.

Both my boys will be 2 years old in April.

Despite Bacca's various ailments, he's not gotten extra attention even with his meds. I put his meds in a pill pocket, make him sit and Indy also gets a Zuke for the same sit (albeit Bacca's pill pocket is bigger and smells even better than the Zuke). So I don't think its that.

Lately, Indy has stepped up on his panting, pacing around and barking. He seems anxious alot of the time, demanding attention and becoming very aggressive over toys and treats. I've stopped giving them rawhides because Indy just gets plain nasty over them.

He has even snapped at me a couple of times when I reached down to pet him after putting them away when I leave.

If someone comes to the front door, he doesn't just bark at the door, he "attacks" Bacca with one or two "snipes".

Bacca gives as good as he gets.

Am I dealing with some kind of dominance issue? His panting and pacing seems to imply that he is feeling insecure, but his aggression from time to time seems to imply otherwise.

Thoughts?
 
My first thought is that with the winter weather, Indy may just not be getting enough exercise, mental or physical. The first thing I would try would be walks and some stepped-up obedience and/or trick training or an agility class. If you give him a job that tires him out and his attitude doesn't improve, then a vet check might be in order.
 
Thats true Margaret - winter blues. I also think dogs around that age can get a it pushy - I know mine did and are only now settling down. I think 2yrs old is equivalent to a 21yr old human, and lets face it, 21yr old males can be pretty headstrong and a little aggressive. Add that to cabin fever and I can see why he would be snippy. Deska is settling now at 3yrs, I think Tully matured a little quicker.

I will check the dog behaviour handbook and see what it says - I'm off work for a month so have time to weigh through the 3 volumes, its a great resource for behaviour stuff but a difficult read.
 
The first thing that came to my mind was dominance and possessiveness. Could he be thinking that he is the alpha of the house? Those are HIS toys you are taking away. Toys are HIS possessions. He will share HIS toys with Bacca when he decides. Since it is HIS house, he has to be the first one at the door, so if Bacca gets there first, he lashes out?

I am far from an expert and could be completely wrong, but that's the first thing that came to my mind.
 
I had the same thought about winter blues, and needing to find "jobs" for these boys!

But it was good to hear it from other sources, rather than just ME assume! But also curious if the age has anything to do with it to.
 
Barkley does the same thing, Barb, and I wonder if it's a "boy" thing. He snarks at the girls constantly, over toys, treats, even just when he's barking at something. I think part of it is exercise related...I know he needs more, he's the energizer bunny, but with the awful weather it's tough to get him out to work it off and you just can't do enough in the house. He is 3, so not far from the same age. It's gotten so Pixie and Checkers don't want to play with him.
 
The age of 2-3yrs is the start of social maturity in dogs. They are past the adolescent stage and moving into the stage where they figure out where they fit in the pack. We see alot of interdog aggression issues as well as anxiety disorders develop during this time. (12-36 months). We see more problems with intact males do to hormonal influences. That why the most common dog involved in a dog bite is a 2 old unneutered male. But problems can occur in any dog.

An obedience refresher course maybe in order. Also since hypothyroidism can cause behavior changes you may want to rule that out and also rule out any other physical problems which could cause pain or discomfort.
 
wow..I didn't know that about 2 year old males...Clancy started the same type of thing at that age..and thats when we added Abby..so I always thought he wasn't liking her being added...interesting!

The panting and paceing does sound like anxious..and then the displaced agression at the door...insecurity sometimes breeds agression..

I also thought it was winter blues..not being able to run outside as much and all...

Then they say any sudden changes in behaviour could be medical..so I'd keep that in mind also...

Or..your dogs just thought you didn't have enough to worry about, so they decided to have some fun with ya..LOL

Julie
 
I haven't had any issues with agression with my girls or Milo when he was that age, but I can tell you that Sadie and Ginny definitely act anxious and pace and whine when they haven't gotten enough exercise when the weather is bad. Perhaps Indy is snapping out of frustration for the same reason?

An obedience class definitely wouldn't hurt, as well as a trip to the vet to rule out any other possible problems.
 
I haven't had any issues with agression with my girls or Milo when he was that age, but I can tell you that Sadie and Ginny definitely act anxious and pace and whine when they haven't gotten enough exercise when the weather is bad. Perhaps Indy is snapping out of frustration for the same reason?
Click to expand...

Same with Buffy. She is perfectly behaved when she has gotten a long walk... and she gets whiney, zoomy, and attention seeking if she has not had a walk.

Sounds like Indy is also going through an age-related phase too though. Interesting.... I didn't know that existed. Wonder if it happens for girls?
 
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