St. is agressive to her "brother" dog since vet stay. Help!!

[carendt0]

Okay, my previous posts explain a lot about what my ST. Bernard, Sophie, has gone through in the past few months. In a nut shell, she was diagnosed with Erlichia (vet didn't check blood for it, just found her as anemic and assumed) put her on meds, she got worse and was in the vet for four days being tested for things using a CBC, Urine anal and ultrasound. Finding nothing, they gave her back and took her off the meds and she is not suddenly better.

Well since shes been home, shes been better and eating more, but she is all of a sudden aggressive to our Aussie (whom she has always been affectionate with minus snapping at him here and there) who is a year older and shes been with us since she was 1yr (she is 5 now). She is very angry with him for some reason and attacking him randomly and we have no idea why. She will not play with him or associate with him in any positive way. What could it be? Is she just mad at him for her being at the vet for almost a week and him staying home, or is it Hypothyroidism? Please help. This upsets me and our little Aussie, Bo.

Thank you, I would greatly appreciate some insight if anyone has any!


~C

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

Misplaced aggression is my first guess. She has something burning in her head that either makes her physically uncomfortable or psychologically uncomfortable. Is she further impaired in any way from before she got sick? She will snap at the closest creature who she thinks is her equal or lesser (in pack status).

OTOH, If you think about any disabled dog, and their primal instincts, a handicapped dog ini the wild is a dead dog in the wild. You will see this a lot unless a pup or dog is slowly slowly slowly socialized to their new family and I think pertains in your case as well, dependent upon her new or her perception of disability. The best defense is a good offense.

I see this a lot in th LW world.

These are only a couple of surmises, but with any canine aggression, I always recommend separting by baby gate, let her watch you interact with aussie, let him take the dominant position, he eats first, he gets pet first, and she watches from the other side of the gate. A lot of folks don't take steps like these because they are afraid of hurting feelings. It hurts me to do it as well, but whenever I have issues in the house, the hammer comes down and we are all business. They are dogs first, and you have to speak their language, and if her issues are psychological, this may help give her balance. They need rules, they crave rules and she truly doesn't want to be pack leader, but she is asserting herself on aussie. I'd relieve her of that duty and in any case, I would babygate them until this subsides and she gets used to the family pack again.

If it is pain based, she'd be nippin at you too,

[carendt0]

Yeah, well I don't think she is at all in pain, I know she is stubborn, always has been. She just has been upset with the Aussie since she got home (very affectionate with us). She has always been the Dom in the house, but he just tries to play with her and she gets mad and starts snapping at him for everything he does (sounds like a marriage lol). But She used to play back and such (she is obviously feeling better) but now she just wont socialize with him anymore! It bothers me! Everyone else thinks she is upset with him because she spent the week at the vet sick and he didn't, so now she is holding a grudge. If this is so, will she eventually get over it???

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

I had typed out this long response and poof, a keystroke and it's gone.

I have had seriously disabled dogs and I have had aggression. One is in quarantine for life now, she has attacked 2 dogs in my house, and in the red zone. I have thrown myself on top of her to stop her, and she literally dragged me across the floor. When she attacked the nanner dog, that was it. If she ever attacks me, she is very large and powerful, I will have to come to a horrible decision. She is loving and obedient to me by myself. Other dogs around and she goes nto a red zone. Also with Possum, she was 'snappy' to start with and as her brain deteriorated she turned vicious and turned on humans. Have done a tremendous amount of research, along with all the great members here, in aggression.

Your girl is easily treated, with correction. In the dog world, it is eithe r always alright or never alright. Her aggression is never alright. You set the tone. Put up the baby gate. Let her watch you interact with aussie in a loving playful manner. Have spouse put St. on short lead, and walk by aussie. desensitization is very helpful in cases like this. Walk by aussie and correct any moves. We can read our dogs and we can tell when an attack is coming by their body language. We don't let it go there. Don't tolerate it even once, because if it's alright once, it's alright.

She should come 'round as she realizes and remembers house rules.

Let me know if I can help in any way. Thanks to this baord, I have a lot of good info.

[carendt0]

Thanks for your response. Sophie isn't aggressive like that. She was one year old when we got her and she had been in and out of several homes before we rescued her from a vet tech (her owner) who was about to put her to sleep because they couldn't find a home for her (my friend heard about her and brought her to meet my family and my Aussie and she fit perfectly). She gave us hints that she might have been abused (skid-dish around brooms and cowers down when she hears loud noises or when we reached to pet her) she eventually began to trust us more and then it stopped. But she was rarely aggressive with Bo (the Aussie) except when they were getting treats, and she would snap at him.

Now, since she has been ill (she is better now), she has been very upset with Bo. She isn't randomly aggressive to him, just when ever she has a raw hide or something and he walks by, she will growl and grab his scruff with her mouth (never any blood or uncontrolled attacks) and I correct her and she stops and goes to her room, because she knows that she did wrong. She also steals his toys and raw hides too. Or when he gets excited and playful when I'm playing with him, he will (without thinking) run and start trying to play with her like they used to play, & she will do the same, growl and bite his scruff. It upsets me because she used to play with Bo wonderfully and it was sweet. Now she is very angry with him. This is out of character for Sophie. Its like two people who had a fight and aren't speaking... lol that's the only way to explain it!

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

I'll say it again, it's either always alright or never alright. Tonight I had to do something that distressed me and my PERFECT pup greatly. She peed on the floor right in front of me. When I hollered and chasedher she ran from me. THEN AS I YELLED AT HER BAD DOG!! She had the '****** ' to curl her lip at me. She's a good 80-90 lbs, and I grabbed her collar and INTO THE BATHROOM SHE WENT! I will never tolerate any bad behavior. Not even from my oh-so-perfect NannerDog. she probably doesn't want to go down to the yard because the fleas are back. I DON'T CARE! No one but no one pees on teh carpet and gets away with it, and NO ONE BUT NO ONE ever curls a lip at me. If it weren't for my perfect nannerdog, so many of our fosters would nto have been saved. That is how important she is to me. I WILL bring down the hammer. Always. And with the most dominance in my pack.

So she spent a half hour in solitude repenting her actions. It is never alright. Always or never. I adore her. It killed me to discipline her because I haven't had to in YEARS. But discipline I did. So timely.

Always or never. Don't allow a behaviour you don't want. If you do, you create a monster. I have had a foster whose upbrining with me was perfect. He got to his adoptive family who refused to enforce "tough love" and he found himself facing relinquishment. This is very important. It is either always alright or never alright. If it is alright, you can assure yourself, this behaviour will grow. Badly.