Looking For Help - Recent Snapping

[Tallgreydogmom]

Did anyone mention Joe might have a pain somewhere and be out of sorts? Did you say how old he is? Some do get grumpy when they get older. Maybe his arthritis is bothering him. Our vet says all greyhounds will have arthritis to some degree due to their lifestyle (racing), even if they did not race much they still went thru the training.

[Guest Bob32392]

OP again. We had another incident last night, and this was far more disturbing because there was little warning and did not take place on his bed. We're sick over this and really don't know what to do next. I just contacted our rescue asking for behaviorist/vet referrals. I feel like we're flying blind and need to talk to folks with serious greyhound/aggression experience.

 

Here is what happened. Last night I was sitting on our bed with the baby. He was quiet (there was no screaming baby in the background). Joe is almost always in the room with us (me and the baby). He has many other places in the house to go, but he likes to hang out with us in the bedroom. My sister was in the room with me and walking in and out looking for a hairbrush. He followed her from room to room like he normally does and then stood at the end of the bed while she kneeled down to look under it. As she came up from looking under the bed, he lunged at her barking and growling and snapped. He got a chunk of her hair, which was wet from a shower (it looked like some got stuck in his mouth). He snapped small snaps several times, almost pushing forward... and then quickly backed off when she screamed (she was terrified and didn't even see him coming at her). From my point of view, it was clear he was afraid. It happened so fast there was no time to read his body language and he literally went from wanting to be petted by her to snapping at her in a matter of seconds. He looked traumatized afterward... like he didn't know what happened. Seconds later he went up to her, tail wagging, and licked her hand. Then he followed her around as though trying to get into her good graces.

 

For those who are wondering, his relationship with my sister is generally good. As I mentioned before she is one of his caretakers and has lived with us since we brought him home. He is not normally afraid of her and appears not to discriminate in his snapping. For example, he is extremely close and bonded with my husband... the last person I would think he would snap at... yet he has snapped at him, too.

 

Because of the unpredictability of this incident, we don't feel like we can trust him right now and Joe is no longer allowed near the baby until we figure this out. Before, he was allowed to sniff him when he pleased (he always lost interest after a quick sniff... he just wanted to check things out.)

 

Needless to say, we are devastated. We have had him for two years and he has never behaved this way. Aside from the occasional growl, he has been the perfect dog. We love him totally and cannot believe this is happening.It's easy to blame the changes associated with the baby... and certainly it has contributed... but the first snap came weeks before the baby. Clearly as a previous poster said his tolerance and growl/snap threshold changed somewhere along the line... but it's so hard to pin down when and why. We are wracking our brains (and beating ourselves up) trying to figure out how and why/if we contributed to this. He has always been a little neurotic and had separation anxiety issues; he has never been a confident dog, and he is afraid of a lot of things...and perhaps the seizures have contributed. But we thought we worked through a lot of these issues (through scheduling and routine, desensitization training, NILF, and earning his trust through love and affection, mainly).

 

We are going to do a full vet workup to rule out health issues and put him on meds for his seizures. I'm also going to call in a behaviorist (hopefully) recommended by the rescue. At this point, if his anxiety levels appear to increase we will also consider medication (paired with behavior modification). We are officially in "try everything" mode at this point.

Edited September 5, 2011 by Bob32392

[Tallgreydogmom]

Sorry to ask this, but do you have a muzzle for him? Safety first, for Joe's sake and yours.

[JJNg]

We are going to do a full vet workup to rule out health issues and put him on meds for his seizures. I'm also going to call in a behaviorist (hopefully) recommended by the rescue. At this point, if his anxiety levels appear to increase we will also consider medication (paired with behavior modification). We are officially in "try everything" mode at this point.

Especially given the possibility that the behavior is related to seizures, I'd recommend getting a veterinary behaviorist or even a neurologist involved. Are you close to any veterinary teaching hospitals? If there are no veterinary specialists in your area, I'd suggest at least contacting a vet who has a special interest in behavior. Here's a link to the AVSAB website where you can search for vets with an interest in behavior.

 

I definitely agree with the previous post suggesting use of a kennel muzzle as a precaution until you get this figured out.

 

And just a note...'behaviorists' vary greatly in their level of knowledge and expertise. Make sure you find one who uses a combination of management using safety measures and positive reinforcement/desensitization techniques. I would personally avoid any trainers or behaviorists who recommend any confrontational, punishment-based, or dominance approaches. These techniques can risk making aggression worse.