Sudden On set of Aggression

I'm a little suprised by the fact that I have received a few of these calls lately. Vecause of this I thought I would post some information to the blog to maybe help others who may be experiencing this problem.

The first thing that needs to be done if your dog shows signs of sudden on set aggression is take them to the vet. The first thing you want to do is rule out any medical reasons for the aggression. Dogs are unable to talk to us and tell us what's wrong so if they don't feel well or are in pain it could manifest itself as aggression. There's many medical issues that could cause your dog to lash out but some are:
-allergies (itchy, painful skin, ears)
-thyroid conditions
-arthritis
-pancreatitis
-and many more

If your vet finds something wrong with your dog then a change in food, medication etc. might be all that's needed to correct the aggressive bahaviour. If your vet doesn't find anything wrong with your dog then it's time to call a trainer. Please ask for advice on finding a trainer in your area. Your vet, rescue agency, boarding kennel etc. might be able to refer a trainer who has worked with aggression before. This is not something for your local Petcetera training class, you need to find a trainer who has worked successfully with this before.

Once you find a trainer who you are comfortable working with they are going to have questions for you so try and think about these before hand:
-Has anything changed in your life? (new job, away from home for longer periods of time, unable to get the dog out as much for walks, baby arrived or on the way etc)
-Has anything changed in your dog's life? (ie new food, new home, new companion etc.)
-What sets your dog off? (ie. new visitors to the house, when someone tries to take their toy, when they see another dog etc.)
-What do you do when this happens?

Some things to start as soon as this behaviour starts even before heading to the vet or calling in a professional;
-Your dog needs to start working for everything. If you want to give them love, food etc. call them to you, make them come, sit, lay down etc. before you give them love, a cookie, dinner etc.
-Your dog must stay off all furniture and if possible sleep in a crate so as not to get up on the furniture at night or when you are away
-Don't allow your dog to lead anything, ie. bark and you give them a cookie, nudge your hand and you stroke them, bring you their leash and you walk them etc. If your dog does this just ignore them until the behaviour stops.

The reason these steps should be started right away is aggression can sometimes be caused when a dog has been allowed to take over as pack leader. This can happen slowly and without anyone really realizing it until it's to late. Dogs that have been allowed to take over as pack leader will try and control their pack and their surroundings, sometimes manifesting this as aggression. A trainer would be able to help you with this if it is the case.

In no way is this to be used in place of advice from your vet or a professional trainer/behaviourist. This has only been written to give you some insight and somewhere to start if you do find yourself with a dog that shows signs of sudden on set aggression.